According to Bob Asmussen at IlliniHQ Reggie Ellis, one of the gems of the 2008 recruiting class, who redshirted last year, has requested a transfer out of the program. Ellis was a 3 Star Defensive line recruit out of HS, and for the people who dont follow the commit sheet  like their life depends on it, he was a player that had alot of potential and was expected to be a major contributor this year.

It is not uncommon for teams to suffer losses like this, but it is never fun to swallow. Lets not forget that last years off season gave us the loss of D'angelo McCray. It happens. McCray was out of shape and couldnt make it back into the rotation after recovering from an injury. Now we are losing Ellis because he isnt getting playing time in the position he wants. Its not surprising, and it might be indicative how competitive and deep the defensive line should be this fall. Unfortunately thats what we thought last year, and one Sirod Williams injury later we were being gutted up the middle by many a running back.

I am hoping this doesnt matter much in the end, because our defensive line is so badass.  We will see though, because Derrick Washington is still playing for Mizzou.