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Illinois freshman quarterback Eli Peters is transferring to Toledo

The Florida native is a former three-star prospect.

By Jim Vainisi

Fighting Illini football just lost one of their quarterbacks. Via his Twitter account, freshman Eli Peters has announced that he'll be transferring to Toledo before taking a single snap in Champaign. The former three-star prospect enrolled early at Illinois, so NCAA rules will require him to sit out the 2016 season.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Coach Cubit and his wonderful staff for giving me an opportunity to play football at the University of Illinois.

That being said, I have decided to transfer and further my education and athletics at the University of Toledo!

This makes a ton of sense for Peters, who originally committed to play under Tim Beckman and Bill Cubit. As evidenced by their recent moves on the recruiting trail, Lovie Smith and Garrick McGee are prioritizing dual-threat quarterbacks going forward. Peters seems to be a talented player, sure, but he wasn't going to fit well into the future offense.

Illinois will now be left with Jeff George Jr., Chase Crouch, Jimmy Fitzgerald, and Alex Mussat after Wes Lunt graduates next offseason. Depending on how comfortable the staff is with those options, the program may target a graduate transfer. Such a move would allow three-star commit Cameron Thomas to gain a year of experience on the practice field before taking over in 2018.