Football

Chicago Bears sign former Illini Keith Randolph Jr. as undrafted free agent

By Conor Blount, Assistant Sports Reporter • April 27, 2024

#88 Keith Randolph Jr. celebrates a dropped pass during a football game against Penn State on Sept. 16.

It did not take long for former Illini defensive tackle Keith Randolph to find a team after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. Just hours after the final pick was announced, Randolph signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.

Randolph was half of Illinois’ defensive duo known as the “Law Firm.” Randolph, alongside Jer’Zhan Newton, was a team captain while starting 10 games for the Illini in 2023. In his final season representing the Illini, Randolph racked up 49 tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

The most productive season of Randolph’s Illini tenure was in 2022 when he had tackles for loss in 11 of 13 games and 13.0 total tackles for loss. The Illini thrived alongside Randolph’s monstrous year, making their first bowl game since 2019 and racking up eight wins, the program’s most since 2007.

Chicago had a busy couple of days prior to Randolph’s signing, and the talented pass rusher will join the team alongside the likes of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and former Iowa punter Tory Taylor.

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About the Contributors

Conor Blount, Senior Sports Reporter

My name is Conor Blount. I’m a junior in aerospace engineering with a minor in computer science. I joined The Daily Illini in the summer of 2022 as a beat writer for the sports section and am now one of three assistant sports editors. My first beat was women’s tennis before I moved to women’s basketball in the spring. I also had the pleasure of covering several former Illini at the 2023 NFL draft and NBA summer league. If you have any questions, I can be reached at the email below.

Candice Zhou, Assistant Photo Editor

Hey! My name is Candice Zhou, and I’m a junior majoring in accounting and finance. I joined The Daily Illini in spring 2022 as a photographer and am now the assistant photo editor. I love music and singing (I am currently in a band called Too Soon!). I also like traveling, watching movies, playing tennis, etc. Fun fact about me: I am a DJ! If you have any questions, feel free to email me!