Former Illinois Football Tight End Headed to UMASS

Former Illinois Football Tight End Headed to UMASS

The Illinois Football program has had its fair share of transfers this offseason. One of them, announcing on Wednesday evening that they would be making their way back home to the East Coast. Former Illini tight End Owen Anderson announced via X that he would be continuing his college career at UMASS. The 6’4, 245-pound pass-catcher did not find the field at Illinois in his freshman season. To be expected behind NFL draft selection Tip Rieman. However, the young man made the decision to get closer to home. A native of Skillman New Jersey, the destination makes a ton of sense for Owen and his family.

Certainly, a tough loss for Illinois. Owens’s film is impressive, and the freshman could have been a good developmental player in a Bret Bielema system. Known for heavy tight-end usage.

Illinois Football: Current Scholarship Situation

In conclusion of spring workouts, 12 players have entered their names into the spring portal window, thus far. Opening up a handful of scholarships for Bret Bielema to work with. Of course, Illinois did have to cut down to an 85-man roster for NCAA eligibility. So, not all 12 scholarships will be available for recruiting. Currently, (at the time of posting) Illinois Football has about 5 scholarships available to try and boost their efforts for 2024.

The Film