Bret Bielema announces Malik Elzy has left Illinois program, plans to enter transfer portal

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema revealed following their win on Saturday that wide receiver Malik Elzy has left the program and plans to enter the Transfer Portal.

His agent, Aaron Garland, to On3’s Steve Wiltfong: “Update on one of my clients. Malik Elzy has decided to redshirt this season — this is a strategic move to fully develop and prepare himself to maximize his potential for the rest of his college career.”

“He’s extremely grateful to Illinois, the coaches, teammates, and fans for their support, and he leaves with respect for the program. Malik was the Illini’s highest-rated recruit since 2019, and we’re confident this redshirt year will set him up to live up to that potential moving forward.”

Bret Bielema: Malik Elzy is no longer with us. He's a guy that wanted to redshirt. For us, in our program, we started this year with a roster we felt really strong about. If someone doesn't want to be a part of that, wants to redshirt, I can't keep them. #Illini

— Scott Richey (@srrichey) September 27, 2025

Elzy was a four-star recruit out of Simeon High School (Chicago, IL) in the Class of 2023. He played in 23 career games, hauling in 16 receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Chicago native saw action in Illinois‘ four previous games this season, where he caught seven passes for 84 yards. He was not active for Saturday’s 34-31 win over USC.

“I made a choice to come here and I’ve been faithful ever since I was a kid,” Elzy said preseason via Orange & Blue News. “Loyalty means a lot to me. I committed to this school. I committed to Coach B(ielema). I feel like that’s going to pay off in the long run.”

Just five games through the season however, Elzy plans on continuing his collegiate career elsewhere.