Players are coming and going (and going before they even come) from Illinois’ roster this spring, and quarterback MJ Rivers is the latest to leave.
A rising sophomore out of Frisco, Texas, Rivers appeared in eight games with three starts as a true freshman in 2018, throwing for 547 yards with three touchdowns on 101 attempts while rushing for 65 more. He became just the third Illini quarterback to start at least three games as a true freshman, joining Kurt Kittner (who led Illinois to a Sugar Bowl appearance) and Juice Williams (who took Illinois to the Rose Bowl).
Rather than see if he can go 3-for-3 on New Year’s Six trips, Rivers has decided to leave.
“The road to your dreams often are now straight and narrow, usually they have bumps, curves and dips,” he wrote in an iPhone note posted to his Twitter account. “Thank you to the IlliniNation for an unforgettable year but due to personal circumstances I will be entering the transfer portal. Please respect my decision.”
Psalm 119:105 all in God’s plan🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/EzDrPjdGHu
— Mj Rivers (@King_2_Be) May 5, 2019
As a true sophomore, Rivers will have to use the 2019 campaign as a redshirt year and compete elsewhere in 2020 as a redshirt sophomore unless the NCAA grants him a waiver. “Personal circumstances” were enough for Nevada transfer McLane Mannix to get a waiver to play at Texas Tech immediately, but they were not enough for Rivers’ former teammate Luke Ford to receive immediate eligibility at Illinois.
The 27th-ranked dual threat quarterback in the class of 2018, Rivers also held offers from Iowa State, New Mexico, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State, according to his 247Sports profile.