BREAKING NEWS: Illini DE Oluwole Betiku Declares for NFL Draft

Illinois junior defensive Oluwole Betiku Jr. announced his intention to forego his final season of eligibility to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois will have a new sack leader net season.

Junior defensive Oluwole Betiku Jr. announced his intention to forego his final season of eligibility to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft Saturday afternoon in a Twitter post.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the University of Illinois football program. Although I only participated for one season, I will always remember the special experiences I had here,” Betiku’s statement reads. “I want to thank the coaches, fans and my football brothers that have helped make my time in Champaign memorable.”

Despite missing three games in the middle of the 2019 season (wins vs. Purdue, Rutgers and Michigan State), Betiku had nine sacks for the season, which was tied for seventh-most in the Big Ten Conference. Betiku’s sack total was the most by an individual Illini player since Whitney Mercilus had 16 in the 2011 campaign.

Betiku, a 250-pound pass rusher from Nigeria who came to Illinois as a transfer from Southern California, was a third-team All-Big Ten Conference selection by the selected media. He also totaled 13 tackles for loss and seven additional quarterback hurries in the 2019 season.

"We wish Oluwole nothing but the best as he pursues his dream of playing in the NFL," said Illinois head coach Lovie Smith. "Wole had a terrific impact on our football team, both on the field and in the locker room. We appreciate all he did during the time he was on the Illinois campus and look forward to watching his future."

Betiku’s announcement comes as a bit of a surprise but it’ll be interesting to see after workouts with private trainers if he’ll be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and if so, will he work out as a defensive lineman or linebacker prospect.

Without the services of the Betiku next season, Illinois’ defensive line will be thin in experience as the next most productive defensive lineman was junior Ayo Shogbonyo, the Illini’s starter opposite of Betiku, with two sacks in eight games at defensive end after being moved from linebacker. Betiku’s backup, Owen Carney Jr., had just two sacks and three quarterback hurries in 12 games this season. The position coach for this inexperienced group is also currently a mystery after news leaked Friday Austin Clark was leaving the Illini program for a linebacker coaching position with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.