Top Illini Fullback Jay Prosch To Transfer

Whenever a new head coach takes over a college football team, there is always at least a small exodus of players who transfer for various reasons. Illinois Fighting Illini fullback Jay Prosch, who told the Alabama Press-Register that he intends to leave Champaign, has a different reason than most: he would like to be closer to his ailing mother, who is currently battling brain cancer in his hometown of Mobile, Ala.

According to the Josh Bean of the Press-Register, new Illini head coach Tim Beckman is expected to give Prosch a full release to transfer to any school, with the exception of the Arkansas Razorbacks, who hired ex-Illinois offensive coordinator Paul Petrino after he left the Illini. According to Prosch, he's been in contact with the other 11 SEC schools, as well as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Florida State Seminoles, plus a few smaller schools in the South.

With Illinois moving to a spread offense that will de-emphasize, if not eliminate, the fullback position, it also makes sense for Prosch, who was named as a first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly, to seek playing time elsewhere. Thankfully for him, plenty of SEC schools still stick with smash-mouth football.

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