The Illinois football team used this trip into the transfer portal to bolster its defensive front.
The Illini on Monday signed former defensive tackle Curt Neal, a 6-foot, 290-pounder who played the last two-plus seasons at Wisconsin. He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 3 and will come to Champaign with two seasons of eligibility.
“Neal is undersized, but he is a strong, stout and physical with some explosiveness,” Jeremy Werner wrote on Illini Inquirer. “He mostly played over the guard at Wisconsin, but he looks like he would project best as a nose tackle in the Illini’s scheme.”
Neal started 12 games for the Badgers in 2024, leading all defensive linemen with 29 tackles. He played in 13 games as a redshirt freshman. He joins former teammate Leon Lowery as an Illini transfer.
Neal entered Wisconsin as a four-star recruit from North Carolina. Out of college, he had offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC and others.
Leave a Reply