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Illinois TE Daniel Barker etches his name in program record book
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Daniel Barker set a cool record in Illinois’ win over Charlotte Saturday afternoon.
Barker’s 2nd-quarter touchdown catch gives him 10 for his career, marking the most by an Illinois tight end in program history. The previous record was 9 by Ken Dilger, who played at Illinois from 1991-94.
New #Illini Record Holder: @DB9_Era is now the owner of the most TDs by a tight end in Illinois history. pic.twitter.com/h2I24IayXv
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 2, 2021
The former 3-star recruit has played in all 39 games of his career and is 1 touchdown away from tying his career-high of 4 in the 2019 season. Overall, Barker has 725 receiving yards on 55 catches in his career as an Illini.
Barker’s touchdown was quarterback Brandon Peters’ first touchdown of the season and part of a 24-14 Illinois victory over Charlotte. It’s the 2nd win of the Bret Bielema Era in Champaign, giving Illinois a 2-3 record heading into B1G play next week.
With 6 games left on the schedule, Barker has plenty of chances to add to his record-setting touchdown total.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.