Illinois State transfer WR Eddie Kasper commits to Illinois

Illinois State redshirt junior wide receiver transfer Eddie Kasper has committed to Illinois, On3’s Pete Nakos reports.

Across four seasons at Illinois State, Kasper hauled in 137 receptions for 1,198 yards and three touchdowns. The best season of his career came in 2023, when the Burlington, WI native totaled a career-high 429 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Kasper heads to a program that has accrued a 19-7 record over the past two seasons under head coach Bret Bielema. The Illini finished the 2024 season ranked No. 16 in both the Coaches Poll and College Football Playoff Top 25, and finished ranked No. 25 in the 2025 Coaches Poll. Heading into year six of the Bielema era, Illinois is seeking its first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.

The Illinois State transfer certainly has experience in big game situations, as his Redbirds made a miraculous run to the FCS National Championship Game last season against Montana State. In the 35-34 OT loss to the Bobcats, Kasper hauled in three catches for 16 yards.

The addition of Kasper is Illinois‘ fourth at the wide receiver position from the Transfer Portal. The other three additions include FIU transfer Alex Perry (No. 574 ranked transfer), FAU transfer Jayshon Platt (No. 1,483 ranked transfer), and Ball State transfer Ty Robinson (No. 2,406 ranked transfer).

Eddie Kasper becomes latest piece of Illinois’ Transfer Portal class

Big things were expected from the Fighting Illini in 2025, as they opened the season ranked No. 12 in the Preseason AP Poll. A 3-0 start to the season, including a 45-19 drumming of eventual ACC Champion Duke, then propelled Illinois to No. 9 in the country ahead of its matchup against No. 19 Indiana. The eventual National Champions, led by future Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, dominated Illinois 63-10 and sent the Illini on a bit of a slide.

Illinois bounced back and won its next two games, then dropped three of its next five games against Big Ten competition. it however finished strong with a 20-13 win over Northwestern in its regular season finale, leading to a 30-28 win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.

Illini fans all around the country are hoping this strong end to the 2025 season can parlay into a strong 2026 season. The addition of Kasper, while flying under the radar, could very well be a sneaky pickup for Bret Bielema and his team. We’ll get a glimpse of how he looks in the offense catching balls from quarterback Katin Houser during the eventual Spring game.