Northern Iowa Defensive Lineman Transfer Carter Hewitt Commits to Illinois

Sunday was a busy day for Illinois' football program. Multiple players signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents, on the same day Illini coach Bret Bielema pulled another talent from the transfer portal in Northern Iowa defensive lineman Carter Hewitt. Hewitt, from Jewell, Iowa, will be the fourth defensive lineman to transfer to Illinois this offseason – James Thompson (Wisconsin), Curt Neal (Wisconsin) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (Florida State) being the others.

As a junior at Northern Iowa last season, Hewitt tied for the team lead in quarterback hits (three) and had 52 total tackles (4.5 for losses) and a sack in 12 games. He previously visited Virginia Tech before committing to Illinois.



It's unclear at this stage whether Hewitt, who has a year of college eligibility remaining, will play meaningful snaps for the Illini. But defensive coordinator Aaron Henry returns very little experience and production on the defensive line, so Hewitt should get his opportunities to claim game reps. More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:.