Brad Underwood talked about why he likes what NIL has done for college sports. It’s safe to say that he’s a fan of it, per 247Sports’ Jeremy Werner.

Underwood kept his answer simple when asked about why he’s adapted to NIL and the transfer portal.

“I like to win,” said Underwood.

Underwood was also quoted as saying that the shift to NIL in college sports was long overdue.

Illinois has used the transfer portal to its advantage this offseason. Former Texas Tech guard Terrence Shannon Jr., as well as Michael Mayer and Dain Dainja from Baylor have joined the program thanks to the portal.

Underwood will be hoping that those three can make up for the loss of Kofi Cockburn, who is now in the NBA with the Utah Jazz. Cockburn averaged 20.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists last season for the Fighting Illini.

Illinois won the B1G regular season title with a 23-10 record. The 2022-2023 campaign for Illinois starts on Nov. 7 against Eastern Illinois at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.