Illinois Football Signs Key Outside Linebacker Transfer From Wisconsin

Leon Lowery Jr. will have one year of eligibility left when he joins the Illini for the 2025 season

Aug 30, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. (8) during the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Illinois football and coach Bret Bielema just received the latest evidence that their work on the field is starting to pay dividends on the recruiting trail.

On Tuesday, the Illini announced the signing of Wisconsin outside linebacker Leon Lowery Jr., who had indicated earlier this month that he would be entering the transfer portal.

B1G things coming our way.

Welcome @leonlowery5! #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/J5HXDySsoq

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 18, 2024

Lowery, a 6-foot-3, 252-pound junior linebacker from Elizabeth, New Jersey, is a significant signing for the Illini on several fronts.

After spending four years at Syracuse (where he started all 12 games in 2023, his sophomore – and last – season with the Orange), Lowery transferred to Wisconsin. In 2024, his lone season in Madison, Lowery had 29 tackles, one sack and a team-high four quarterback hits. He has one year of eligibility left.

Illinois on SI recruiting take: Lowery's presence (41 career college football games) will provide needed experience and depth for Illinois at the linebacker position in 2025. Specifically, with the departure of Ryan Meed (end of eligibility), the possible loss of Gabe Jacas (who may opt for the NFL) and the injury uncertainty surrounding Dylan Rosiek, the Illini need a plug-and-chug playmaker, particularly on the outside.

What makes Lowery interesting are his specific skills and athletic profile (he played wide receiver as well as defensive end in high school), which may offer the Illini some interesting options in deploying him.

After his production and overall impact slipped last season, Lowery was seeking a better fit than he found with the Badgers.

"It’s nothing bad about the program or anything," he told The Athletic shortly after announcing his intention to transfer from Wisconsin. "It’s just that they’re choosing on going in a different direction of how they want to run the defense. I just feel like it doesn’t fit my style of play.

"It was just a scheme thing."

At Illinois, Lowery can – and likely will – find himself not only getting after the quarterback from time to time but also chasing the ball and covering from sideline to sideline in coordinator Aaron Henry's defense.

"I like standing up, being on the edge," Lowery told The Athletic. "Something I’ve been doing my whole football career since I’ve been playing outside backer. So I’m looking for something like that."

Lowery said he isn't especially interested in "putting my hand in the dirt," which shouldn't be expected much in Henry's low-blitz 3-4 scheme.

Moreover, Lowery's signing is something of a recruiting coup for Bielema, who has had some success in attracting productive transfers from lower-profile programs but has yet to snare an impact player who decided to move on from a traditional Big Ten football power. If Lowery turns out to be that guy – and Illinois continues to build on its success, of course – more high-level transfers may begin following his path to Champaign.

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