Skip to main content

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois has addressed a major positional need with the first transfer commitment of the Bret Bielema era.

North Carolina State linebacker Calvin Hart Jr. announced Tuesday morning on Twitter he’d decided to transfer to Illinois and, based on the current returning depth of the Illini roster, should be in line for a starting spot and significant playing time.

As a redshirt sophomore this past season, Hart Jr. was the backup weak-side linebacker for the N.C. State defense and recorded had 18 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles in 10 games.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker will join a position group with the Illini that before his verbal pledge had five scholarship linebackers set to return to the Illinois roster in 2021 and only junior Khalan Tolson, sophomore Tarique Barnes and freshman Shammond Cooper had playing experience from this past season.

Hart was stuck behind sophomore Payton Wilson, a 2020 Associated Press first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer who ranked third in Football Bowl Subdivision in overall tackles and 13th in tackles per game, on the N.C. State depth chart and elected to put his name in the transfer portal before N.C. State’s loss to Kentucky in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29. Hart will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with the Illini program.

Hart was a three-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting class out of American Heritage School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Hart signed with N.C. State over offers from Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Kentucky, Mississippi State Boston College, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and Buffalo.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hart’s season-long pass rushing grade was near the top of any outside linebacker in FBS and could provide some quarterback pressure on the outside of Bielema’s defensive scheme.

While Lovie Smith’s program relied heavily on the transfer market as a recruiting boost, Hart is the first player to declare his intention to transfer to the Illini since Bielema took over as the program’s head coach last month.