The NCAA transfer portal officially opened Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, a juncture on the college football calendar that brings a flood of player movement across the country.
Undergraduate players seeking immediate eligibility can put their names in the online database that allows them to be contacted by other schools about the possibility of transferring.
The period lasted from Jan. 2 until Jan. 16 and there is no spring window. Players can enter the portal outside of those 15 days if there is a coaching change at their program.
To follow the activity involving Illinois, an updated list of the comings and goings can be found below:
Illinois players entering the portal (28)
Outgoing transfers are listed with new program, if known. List as of Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026:
DL Angelo McCullom | Texas A&M
Defenisive lineman Angelo McCullom entered the tranfer portal, according a Jan. 9 post on his social media. He played 12 games in 2025 with 19 tackles, three for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He committed to Texas A&M on Jan. 11.
WR Alexander Capka-Jones
Receiver Alexander Capka-Jones entered the transfer portal, according to a post on his social media. He had four catches in 16 games over his Illini career. He has one season of eligibility, pending a waiver from the NCAA.
QB Ethan Hampton | Southern Mississippi
Quarterback Ethan Hampton entered the transfer portal, according to On3.com. He played in four games last season as the backup to outgoing QB Luke Altmyer. The Illini brought in East Carolina QB Katin Houser in this cycle, prompting Hampton’s departure. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Southern Miss on Jan. 11.
CB Amar Reynolds
Cornerback Amar Reynolds entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 5 story from 247 Sports. He did not play a game at Illinois. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
S Saboor Karriem | Temple
Safety Saboor Karriem entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 5 post on his social media. He played every game this season for the Illini, with 22 tackles. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Temple on Jan. 10.
DL Tomiwa Durojaiye | South Carolina
Defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye entered the transfer portal, according to a post from his social media. He played in 11 games, starting eight, with 16 tackles and two sacks. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to South Carolina on Jan. 10.
DL Eli Coenen | Michigan State
Defensive lineman Eli Coenen entered the transfer portal, according to a post from CBS Sports. Coenen played 12 games this season. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He committed to Michigan State on Jan. 12.
DL Curt Neal | Purdue
Defensive lineman Curt Neal entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 3 post on his social media. Neal had 15 tackles in 12 games this season. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Purdue on Jan. 7.
OT Tyler McMillan
Offensive lineman Tyler McMillan entered the transfer portal, according to his Jan. 2 social media post. McMillan did not play a game in his lone season in Champaign. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
WR Justin Bowick | Oklahoma State
Receiver Justin Bowick entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 2 post from CBS Sports. Bowick finished with 22 catches for 265 yards and five touchdowns in his season in Champaign after transferring from Ball State. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Oklahoma State on Jan. 8.
WR Ashton Hollins
Receiver Ashton Hollins entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 2 post on his social media. Hollins has 15 catches for 267 yards and a TD in his career, including one catch in the Music City Bowl. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
OL/DL Clayton Leonard | Southeast Missouri State
Lineman Clayton Leonard entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 2 post on his social media. Leonard played only one game at Illinois, shifting from offensive to defensive line. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 10.
LB Malachi Hood | West Virginia
Linebacker Malachi Hood entered the transfer portal, according to a post on his social media. Hood played in 25 games over the last two seasons, with 39 tackles and three sacks. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He committed to West Virginia on Jan. 6, 2026.
S Tyson Rooks
Safety Tyson Rooks entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 1 post from recruiting analyst Riley Alberts. Rooks played in 12 games this season with five tackles and a pass defense. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
TE Cole Rusk | Arizona
Tight end Cole Rusk entered the transfer portal, according to a post on his social media on Jan. 1; it was first reported by On3.com. Rusk had 19 catches for 217 yards and a TD this season, one year after missing all of 2024 with an ACL injury. He has one season of eligibility remaining, but will need a medical redshirt. He committed to Arizona on Jan. 6, 2026.
DB Kaleb Patterson | Kansas State
Starting defensive back Kaleb Patterson entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 1 post he shared from recruiting analyst Riley Alberts. He played 25 games over three seasons, but saw his playing time diminish as the season went on. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Kansas State on Jan. 5.
PK David Olano | Texas A&M
All-Big Ten placekicker David Olano entered the transfer portal, according to a Jan. 1 post on his social media. He kicked the game-winning field goal to send Illinois to a 30-28 win in the Music City Bowl. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed on Texas A&M on Jan. 5, 2026.
TE Jake Furtney | Ohio
Tight end Jake Furtney entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 31 post on his social media. He redshirted in 2024 as a freshman and did not play in 2025. He committed to Ohio on Jan. 8.
WR Tysean Griffin
Wide receiver Tysean Griffin entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 30 post by On3.com. He redshirted last season and did not see action in 2025. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
LB Jojo Hayden | Purdue
Linebacker Jojo Hayden entered the transfer portal, according to a post by On3.com. He played 20 games across the last two seasons with 34 tackles, two for loss and a fumble recovery. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He committed to Purdue on Jan. 7.
OL Kellen Francis | Southern Illinois
Offensive lineman Kellen Francis from Princeville entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 30 post on his social media. He played three games in 2025 after redshirting in 2024. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He committed to Southern Illinois on Jan. 7, 2026.
DB Donovan Turner
Defensive back Donovan Turner entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 20 post on his social media. He did not play in his one season at Illinois. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
DB Vernon Woodward III
Defensive back Vernon Woodward III entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 17 report from 247 Sports’ Chris Hummer. He did not play in a game during his two-year Illinois career. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
WR Mario Sanders II | Southern Miss
Wide receiver Mario Sanders entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 14 post on his social media. He played had two catches in three games played with the Illini in 2025. He has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Southern Miss on Jan. 13.
DL Jeremiah Warren | Pittsburgh
Defensive lineman Jeremiah Warren entered the transfer portal, according to a Dec. 5 post from Allen Trieu of 247Sports. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder played in 24 games over two seasons and has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He committed to Pittsburgh on Jan. 10.
LB Easton Baker
Linebacker Easton Baker entered the transfer portal, according to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports on Dec. 2. He played one game with the Illini and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
QB Trey Petty | Western Michigan
Quarterback Trey Petty entered the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Dec. 2. Petty did not play in a game with the Illini in two seasons. He will have three years of eligibility remaining. He committed to Western Michigan on Jan. 9.
WR Malik Elzy | LSU
Wide receiver Malik Elzy left the team in September 2025, took a redshirt and entered the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.com. He has two years of eligibility remaining. He committed to LSU on Jan. 9.
Players in the portal headed to Illinois (17)
Incoming transfers coming to Champaign, as of Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026:
DL Darrell Prater
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive lineman from Jacksonville State signed with Illinois out of the transfer portal on Jan. 21, according to the school. The Alabama native is the Illini’s fourth defensive line commit from the portal. He had 61 tackles, eight for loss, and 5.5 sacks in three seasons at the Conference USA program. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
DL Isaiah Thomison
The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive lineman from Bowling Green signed with Illinois out of the transfer portal on Jan. 17, according to the school. The Tennessee native had 12 tackles, three for loss, last season in 10 games for the Falcons. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
K Ethan Moczulski
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound kicker from Washington returned to Illinois out of the transfer portal on Jan. 14, according to On3.com. Moczulski kicked off in his lone season with the Huskies, but had no field goals. He returns to Illinois after one year away. In 2024, he was 1-for-2 on field goals for the Illini, setting a school record with a 59-yard field goal.
DL Connor Sullivan
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive lineman from Washington State signed with Illinois out of the transfer portal on Jan. 12, according to the school. The Wilmette Loyola grad played only 13 snaps last season for the Cougars and comes to Illinois with four seasons of eligibility.
LB Robert Edmonson
The 6-foot-2, 222-pound linebacker from Colorado State signed with Illinois out of the portal, according to the school. The Houston native adds depth to a position from which the Illini lost two graduates and two transfers. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
WR Alex Perry
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver from Florida International signed with Illinois out of the portal, according to the school. Perry was all-Conference USA last season with 840 yards and nine TDs on 56 catches. He has one season of eligibility remaining and gives new QB Katin Houser a big target as Illinois rebuilds its offense.
DB Deuce Fillmore
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound defensive back from Georgia State signed with Illinois out of the portal, according to the school. The Mississippi native started 12 games in 2025 with 39 tackles and three pass breakups and should add depth to the Illini secondary. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
EDGE William Holmes
The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder from Utah State signed with Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 8, according to 247Sports. Holmes is a former minor league baseball pitcher who began playing organized football just two years ago as a Utah State walk-on. The Michigan native had 45 tackles, 6.5 for loss and two sacks for the Aggies in 2025. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
WR Ty Robinson
The 6-foot-4, 202-pound receiver from Ball State has signed Illinois on Wednesday, Jan. 7, according to 247Sports. Robinson played two games last season before injuring his thumb. He had played his first two seasons at Colorado. He has one season of eligibility and should at worst be a depth player, but has a chance to play his way into a larger role.
LS Zach Haber
The 5-foot-10, 226-pound longsnapper from Arkansas signed with Illinois on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The longsnapper did not play a game for the Razorbacks in 2025. He has
WR Jayshon Platt
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Florida native from Florida Atlantic signed with Illinois on Monday, Jan. 5. The receiver and return specialist has 46 catches and also averaged 23.6 yards per return for the Owls. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
C Jake Renfro
The 6-foot-4, 313-pound veteran center signed with Illinois on Jan. 5, 2026, according to 247Sports. The son of former Illini Rick Renfro, he has 36 career starts, 17 at Wisconsin and the rest at Cincinnati. The New Lenox Providence grad is a seventh-year player who has one season of eligibility remaining.
OL Christian Martin
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound rising junior from Colorado State committed to Illinois on Monday, Jan. 5, according to 247Sports. He started all 12 games this season for the Rams. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
QB Katin Houser
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound California native signed with Illinois on Jan. 4, 2026. He spent the last two seasons at East Carolina, throwing for 5,306 yards, 37 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The Pirates went 17-9 in that stretch, with a pair of Military Bowl victories over N.C. State and Pittsburgh. He has one season of eligibility remaining and is in line to be the top quarterback for the Illini in 2026.
DL Carter Janki
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior defensive lineman from Penn signed Illinois on Jan. 4, 2026, according to On3.com and 247 Sports. The two-time all-Ivy League pick had 42 tackles, nine for loss, and four sacks in 2025. He has one season of eligibility remaining and should slide right into the line rotation, according to Jeremy Werner of Illini Inquirer.
S Lavon Williams
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety from East Texas A&M signed with Illinois on Jan. 4, 2026, after a visit to Champaign, according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports. He has 129 tackles, nine for loss, four sacks and two interceptions. He has one season of eligibility remaining and is a “rangy centerfielder who has good instincts and ball skills, but he also can come up in run support and be a very physical and sound tackler,” according to Jeremy Werner of Illini Inquirer.
ATH Maurice Smith
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound quarterback from Division II Chowan University in North Carolina committed to Illinois on Dec. 2, according to On3.com’s Pete Nakos. He signed on Jan. 5 and was listed an an “athlete.” He is the older brother of four-star Class of 2026 offensive lineman Micah Smith, who is committed to UCLA but is a “prime flip candidate after the Bruins’ coaching change,” according to the Champaign News-Gazette. Smith threw for 2,244 yards and 13 TDs in two seasons at Chowan, rushing for 487 yards and six TDs. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois football transfer portal tracker: Where things stand Jan. 25
Reporting by Wes Huett, Dave Eminian and Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
