If you had asked me before Tuesday which Illinois player I thought might enter the transfer portal, Josh McCray would have barely made the list.
Why? Because of what he said both after the Citrus Bowl and when he talked to the media during spring drills. He promised he liked his situation. And that splitting carries between four capable running backs wasn't a problem.
It might take a minute to figure out exactly what happened. But if it is simply the realization for McCray that would be more appealing to the NFL if he got most of the carries in 2025, he did the right thing for him.
I don't believe the Illinois coaches were going to tell any of the guys: You're getting 30 totes a game.
Illinois tried that in 2022 with Chase Brown and while it mostly worked for the team and the player, both would have been better off with him taking 50 fewer carries. Lesson learned.
The next question: Where is McCray going? He is coming off a stellar performance in the Citrus Bowl. Lots of teams should be in pursuit.
If I am the Illinois players and coaches, I am hoping he doesn't end up one of the 11 FBS teams Illinois is playing this season. Especially, one of the nine conference opponents. Awkward.
I kept refreshing the list early Wednesday morning, but McCray wasn't on it. Could it be reports of his portaling were wrong? Probably not.
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