Junior defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. was one of a few Illini present at Lucas Oil Stadium for the annual Big Ten media day in Indianapolis. Randolph Jr., an Illinois native, was adamant on his excitement for the upcoming year, but also the progress the program has made during his time.

Speaking on his status as one of the faces of the program and his time at Illinois, Randolph Jr. called back to his first days as a player.

“It’s a blessing,” Randolph Jr. said. “It feels like yesterday I was on the scout team, I was a nose guard for Wisconsin not too long ago and now I’m here representing this great university at Big Ten media day.”

Randolph Jr. also shouted out his fellow teammates who were present at media day, juniors Isaiah Williams and Jer’Zhan (Johnny) Newton.

“It just shows how far that not just I have come, but Isaiah Williams and Johnny Newton as well,” Randolph Jr. said. “We’ve all come such a long way and put the work in to be here.”

Randolph Jr. also spoke with excitement about the fans, who have bought in heavily this year and how much they mean to him especially.

“I love it so much,” Randolph Jr. said. “Without the fans, we’re not anything, the fans come in and cheer us on, give us adrenaline, give us confidence going into games and during games.”

The Belleville native lastly touched on how the perception of Illinois football has changed since he arrived on campus about four years ago, specifically mentioning how the season ticket sales were a historic success for the program.

“I saw that it was the most since 2008,” Randolph Jr. said. “When I was in high school, people weren’t talking about Illinois football. When I committed to Illinois, people were like ‘oh, why are you going to Illinois.’ So, just to see that the ship is turning around, it means a lot to me, since this is my home state.”

Randolph Jr. and the Illini kick off their season on Sept. 2 against Toledo, in Memorial Stadium.

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