Louisville Grad Transfer TreSean Smith Commits To Illini Football
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois football has continued recruiting what they know best - transfers.
TreSean Smith, a graduate transfer safety from Louisville, announced his verbal pledge to the Illini Thursday afternoon.
Smith’s announcement came just an hour following the verbal commitment of Trevor Moffitt, a three-star linebacker from Bushnell, Florida, became the third verbal commitment of the 2021 recruiting class for Illinois football.
Smith, who was suspended indefinitely last season by first-year Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield, will have two seasons remaining but is eligible to play next year after graduating from Louisville as a redshirt junior.
In his first two seasons at Louisville under then-head coach Bobby Petrino, Smith had totaled 70 tackles and two interceptions after being a three-star prospect out of nearby Cincinnati, Ohio. Smith, who is 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, committed to Louisville over significant Power 5 Conference offers from Penn State, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
Smith reportedly put his name in the transfer portal database in late February. Smith will just add to the depth in the defensive backfield for Lovie Smith’s Tampa-2 defensive scheme as the Illini return its pair of starting cornerbacks (Nate Hobbs and Tony Adams) along with safety Sydney Brown. The replacement for Stanley Green’s strong safety position remains open between possibly TreSean Smith and Miami-Florida transfer Derrick Smith. However, Lovie Smith has been using more nickel packages in his defense since taking over the defensive play-calling duties and therefore all five of the previously mentioned eligible players for the Illini’s 2020 defensive backfield could play together at the same time.
Smith becomes the sixth transfer commit for the Illini program since the end of last season as he joins graduate transfers Christian Bell (LB/DE from Wisconsin), Blake Jeresaty (OL from Wofford) and Desmond Dan (WR from New Mexico State) along with Brian Hightower (WR from Miami-Fla.) and Brevyn Jones (OL from Mississippi State) as likely sit-out transfers.
Smith continues the list of success stories for the Illini in the transfer market. The list of players that Lovie Smith’s Illinois staff have brought in to transform the roster includes quarterback Brandon Peters, pass rusher Oluwole Betiku Jr., wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, linebacker Milo Eifler, wide receiver Trevon Sidney, offensive lineman Richie Petitbon and wide receiver Donny Navarro. Illinois will also get the services of sit-out transfers Luke Ford (tight end from Georgia) and Derrick Smith (from linebacker from Miami-Florida) for the upcoming season.