New Illinois head coach Tim Beckman. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
(CBS) It looks like Tim Beckman’s controversial recruiting has paid off.
According to a report, Penn State offensive tackle Ryan Nowicki will transfer to Illinois. The 6-5, 280 pound lineman is a redshirt freshman with four years of eligibility remaining. He will be eligible to play immediately.
Beckman came under a little bit of fire for openly recruiting Penn State players after the NCAA announced they would allow them to transfer freely in the wake of severe NCAA sanctions. The majority of Big Ten coaches said they would not recruit Penn State players and Commissioner Jim Delany said he would prefer if they didn’t. But Beckman sent eight coaches to State College to talk to interested players.
At least one Penn State player isn’t happy with Nowicki’s decision to leave the program. Senior cornerback Stephon Morris tweeted the following:
One thing u don't do is Jump from big ten school to another big ten school.—
Stephon Morris (@12_darKnight) August 02, 2012
Nowicki was third on Penn State’s depth chart after spring practices. He was a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com.
The offensive lineman is the eight Penn State player to leave the Nittany Lions in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the university.
