Illinois Football Strengthens Special Teams Depth With Punter Transfer

If there is one college football team that has done more to address its kicking teams specialists this offseason, it's Illinois.Bret Bielema knows he has one of the best kickers in the country in David Olano. But in order to keep Olano's leg fresh last year, the Illini used Ethan Moczulski on kickoffs and field-goal tries north of 50 yards. Unfortunately, Moczulski transferred to Washington after the season, leaving the Illini without a kickoff specialist.

So what did Bielema do? He brought in punter/kicker/kickoff specialist Lucas Osada from North Carolina via the portal less than a month ago. And after last year's punter, Hugh Robertson, entered the portal right before the new year, the Illini acted quickly to replace him with All-Big Ten selection and Purdue transfer Keelan Crimmins.But why stop there? Bielema continued to add depth to the kicking game on Monday after landing Texas State transfer Lars Rau.