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Illinois starting TE announces return for 2021 season
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Illinois Fighting Illini junior starting tight-end Daniel Barker has announced via Twitter he’ll be returning to Champaign for his senior season.
Barker wrote, “NOT DONE YET!” and embedded a short highlight video with his tweet.
NOT DONE YET ! @IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/Y2r6DJIWIc
— Daniel Barker (@DB9_Era) January 6, 2021
Barker, who played at Deerfield Beach High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, appeared in all eight games last year for the Fighting Illini, catching 19 balls for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He was a member of the class of 2018 and was the nation’s 1,554th best overall prospect, the 66th best tight end, and the 251st best player in the state of Florida that year.
Illinois finished 2020 at 2-6 and last place in the Big Ten West Division. Head coach Lovie Smith was fired after the final game, his fourth with the program, and former Wisconsin Badger and Arkansas Razorbacks’ head coach Brett Bielema was hired to replace him.
There’s optimism for the fresh regime in Illinois and Barker will be coming back to see what the new era will be all about.
Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.