CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Former Rock Island tight end Cole Rusk has been sidelined for his first season with the Fighting Illini after sustaining a knee injury, according to a post on social media.
Back in January, Rusk announced he accepted an offer to play for the Illini football team during the upcoming season. The tight end has previously played for Eastern Michigan and Murray State and transferred to Illinois with two years of eligibility remaining.
Rusk posted the news about his season-ending knee injury on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with the following statement:
Dear Illini fans,
After a great offseason and tons of excitement to live out a lifelong dream this season, I'm saddened to say I've suffered a season-ending knee injury. I'm already looking forward to coming back even better than before, and I'm in great hands here. I trust in God's timing and am still incredibly excited for our team to do big things this year. I came her to help us win, and I will do whatever it takes.
Love, CR14, Cole Rusk
In 2023 at Murray State, Rusk was named an FCS All-American after he finished the season with 39 catches for 512 yards and six touchdowns. And just on Aug. 9, the former Rocky grad was named to the 2024 watch list for the John Mackey Award.
Rusk previously spoke with News 8 Sports' Kory Kuffler when he committed to Illinois back in January. You can watch the entire interview in the video below.
Kedric Prince contributed to this report.