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Coach Bret Bielema and the Illinois football program have announced their starting quarterback ahead of the 2021 college football season opener against Nebraska. The Fighting Illini will have senior Brandon Peters under center.

Peters has started 16 games for the program since the 2019 season. He's completed 191 of his 355 passing attempts for 2,313 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Peters has also been efficient as a runner. He's tallied 98 rushing attempts over the last two seasons, good for 349 yards and four touchdowns.

Peters was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list this preseason, which is presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Foundation. The award is presented annually to the nation's top upperclassman quarterback set for graduation that year.

Illinois opens the season on Saturday, Aug. 28 against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. The game starts at 1 p.m. ET, and will be televised on FOX. As of Tuesday morning, Nebraska is a 6.5-point favorite according to sports gambling website Fanduel.com. The over/under is 54.5 points.

Rutgers Senior Wide Receiver Enters Transfer Portal

Monterio Hunt, a senior wide receiver, announced Monday he would enter the NCAA transfer portal. The decision comes less than two weeks before Rutgers plays Temple on Thursday, Sept. 2 to start the 2021 season.

“These past 3 years at Rutgers University has been a great experience and walking away with a degree is one of the biggest blessings to ever ask for. During my time here I have met so many great and influential people. Thank you,” Hunt wrote in a post on Twitter. “I would like to thank Coach Schiano, Coach Underwood & the rest of the staff for allowing me to compete at one of the highest levels of college football and for that I am forever grateful.

“With that being said, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal as a Grad Transfer with two years of eligibility left.”

Hunt began his career at Marshall where he appeared in 12 games during the 2017 season, primarily on special teams. He was credited with seven receiving yards on a lateral play against FIU.

In 2018, Hunt played at Northwest Mississippi Community College and caught 41 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns. He then transferred to Rutgers for the 2019 season but did not see game action due to injury.

Last season, Hunt played in two games — against Michigan and against Purdue — but did not record any statistics.

Rutgers opens the season on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Temple at SHI Stadium. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. As of Tuesday morning, Rutgers is a 13.5-point favorite according to sports gambling website Fanduel.com. The over/under is 50.5 points.

Detroit Lions Cut Two Former Big Ten Players

As teams across the NFL begin to make roster cuts ahead of the 2021 season, the Detroit Lions said goodbye to two players who came from Big Ten programs. 

On Monday, the organization announced a set of roster cuts, which included former Maryland star running back Javon Leake and former Indiana outside linebacker Robert McCray. The two were waived by the team, alongside nose tackle P.J. Johnson and quarterback Jordan Ta'amu. 

Leake is in his second NFL season after going undrafted in 2020. At Maryland, he offered big-play potential as a return man and explosiveness out of the backfield. In 2019, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. 

During the 2020 season, Leake spent time with the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team. He was never brought up to the active roster and signed with the Lions on Aug. 11. 

McCray played 42 career games at Indiana and recorded 46 tackles and 8.5 sacks. In his final season with the Hoosiers, he was an All-Big Ten honorable mention before going undrafted in 2018. 

Before being cut by the Lions, McCray spent time with both the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. He was also drafted to the XFL, but did not sign to a team.