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Former Florida big man announces Illinois as transfer destination

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Illinois may have lost Adam Miller to the transfer portal, but Brad Underwood picked up a big man from Florida from the database on Saturday morning.

Former Florida forward Omar Payne announced on Twitter that he has committed to continue his career at Illinois. A sophomore, he’ll have three years of eligibility to use with the Fighting Illini. He spent two seasons with the Gators.

Payne appeared in 24 of Florida’s 25 games during the 2020-21 season. The Gators ended with a 15-10 record and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Oral Roberts. He averaged 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for the year.

Over the last two seasons in Gainesville, the 6-foot-10 forward/center has played in 54 games and has averaged 15.4 minutes per contest. He’s been consistent both seasons, averaging 3.8 point and 3.5 rebounds per game while with the team.

Illinois will be losing Ayo Dosunmu to the NBA Draft and Miller who hit the NCAA transfer portal. There’s also a good chance that Kofi Cockburn enters the NBA Draft and will not return for another year in Champaign.

Payne should give Illinois some depth on the inside and should provide a strong presence on both ends of the floor.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB