Illinois football lost reserve defensive back Tyler Strain to the NCAA transfer portal. Strain, who has one season of eligibility left, played in 35 games during his career with the Fighting Illini, recording 57 tackles, three interceptions, and nine passes defensed. He appeared in seven games last season, making five tackles. Strain, a 3-star recruit ranked 114th at his position by ESPN, joined Illinois in 2021 under coach Lovie Smith but missed spring practices due to recovering from shoulder surgery.