Illinois LB Dawson DeGroot Opts Out Of 2020-21 Football Season

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois has received its second voluntary player opt-out for an upcoming football season.

Dawson DeGroot, a senior linebacker who has played in 28 career games over the last three years, has elected to not play football in either semester regardless if the Big Ten Conference announces a restart plan for either a winter or spring schedule.

Robert Rosenthal of IlliniBoard.com was the first to report this news and Illini Now/Sports Illustrated has confirmed DeGroot’s decision with a spokesperson for the Illinois football program.

DeGroot’s decision now leaves Illinois with only five scholarship linebackers if/when the Big Ten Conference announces a football season for either the winter or spring months. DeGroot, a 6-foot-1 and 215-pound athlete who was moved from safety to linebacker after the 2017 season, was expected to compete with junior Khalan Tolson and senior Milo Eifler for playing time this season.

DeGroot joins senior tailback Ra'Von Bonner as the only players who have voluntarily opted out of this season due to concerns over the coronavirus. Bonner announced his intention on July 25 before the Big Ten Conference shut down the 2020 fall sports calendar less than a week after announcing a 10-game conference-only football schedule.

DeGroot was a three-star signee 247Sports.com after being selected as a 2016 Florida Class 6A all-state third team selection out of Fort Myers High School. In his last two seasons at Fort Myers H.S, DeGroot had 186 total tackles, five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and one sack.

DeGroot’s highlight moment in an Illini jersey came last season when he was inserted into the lineup at Michigan State on Nov. 9 due to an injury to middle linebacker Jake Hansen. DeGroot responded with a career-high 11 tackles to help the Illini pull off a 37-34 win in the biggest comeback in program history.

According to a NCAA ruling in early August, all student-athletes must be allowed to opt out of participation due to concerns about contracting COVID-19. If a college athlete chooses to opt out, that individual’s athletics scholarship commitment must be honored by the college or university. Since DeGroot has never used a redshirt, he could conceivably use a redshirt status for this season and return to the Illini for a fifth-year and fourth season of eligibility but that move would have to be approved by Illini head coach Lovie Smith and his coaching staff.

If the Big Ten is able to have a winter or fall football season, Illinois will now have only projected starters Hansen, Eifler and Tolson along with sophomore Tarique Barnes and redshirt-freshman Shammond Cooper as its scholarship linebackers.