Happy Portal Day!
For reasons that escape me, this is not a national holiday.
But the opening of the Transfer Portal is no different than the beginning of the NBA/NFL league year and the beginning of MLB’s hot stove league. The game of telephone is beginning and the rumor and innuendo will break the speed of light in the coming days.
The Fighting Illini just finished 8-4 in year two of the Bret Bielema era. The progress on the field is an obvious sell to potential transfers. There will be several major holes to fill due to NFL and eligibility-related roster attrition.