Citing significant coaching turnover during his time in Champaign, Teko Powell has decided to start over on another campus elsewhere.
In a conversation with the Champaign News-Gazette, the defensive lineman (pictured, No. 93) confirmed that he has decided to transfer from Lovie Smith‘s Illinois football program. According to Powell, upheaval on the coaching front triggered his decision to move on from the Illini.
“I had four different head coaches that either recruited me or coached me,” Powell told the News-Gazette. “I’m looking for a more stable program with the last two years of eligibility that I’ll have.”
Powell, as a grad transfer, will be permitted to begin using that remaining eligibility immediately if another FBS program is his landing spot. Per Powell, he’s already received interest from, among others, Kentucky and Miami (Fla.).
After appearing in seven games as a true freshman, Powell played in 10 games as a sophomore in 2013, starting six of those contests. He started the first three games of the following season before he was sidelined with a season-ending foot injury. Thanks to another foot injury sustained during summer camp, he also missed the entire 2015 season.
Those injuries led to Powell being granted fifth and sixth seasons from the NCAA.