Chase Brown declares for NFL Draft, will forego ReliaQuest Bowl

Thank you, Chase.

We figured this would be coming (at least I did), but Illinois RB Chase Brown has announced he will declare for the 2023 NFL Draft and skip the ReliaQuest Bowl against Mississippi State on Jan. 2.

In a tweet Brown posted Friday morning — he thanked Illini nation, his family, coaches, and teammates for all their support during his four-year tenure in Champaign.

The junior was a huge reason the Illini were able to finish with their best regular season tally since 2007, rushing for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a huge threat out of the backfield too as he finished with 240 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

On top of that, he finished as a second-team All-American, was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, and was the nation’s second-leading rusher.

Brown now joins his brother, Sydney, and Devon Witherspoon as the Illini who will skip the bowl game.

Best of luck to all three, can’t wait to see where they end up.