One of the top defensive players Illinois has is recovering from surgery following a weekend swimming accident. Defensive end Bobby Roundtree underwent surgery on Sunday for what has been reported to be a severe spinal injury.
According to a report from 247 Sports, Roundtree was visited in Florida by Illini head coach Lovie Smith, defensive line coach Austin Clark and a member of the Illinois medical staff. There is currently no update on his status following surgery or how this may eventually impact his status for the upcoming season. For now, the focus is purely on recovery from the surgery to address the spinal injury. The details of the incident resulting in the injury have not been shared at this time either other than it occurred on Saturday in Tampa.
Roundtree was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2017 of Illinois. The Florida native recorded 66 tackles with team highs of 12.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks for the Fighting Illini last season.