INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema kept a handful of scholarships open past the transfer portal window so that just in case some opportunities arise that Illinois could pounce. The Illini did just that once Northern Illinois transfer defensive back James Finley entered the transfer portal.
The rising sophomore entered the portal after Thomas Hammock, who coached under Bielema at Wisconsin, left Northern Illinois after seven years as head coach to take an assistant coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks. Finley signed with Illinois on Friday, giving a boost to the Illini's depth and versatility in an already talented secondary.
Finley started in four games and played 11 as a true freshman for Northern Illinois last season and finished the season with 21 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back was the first NIU true freshman to record multiple interceptions in a season since 2020.
Finley, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, can play multiple positions. Last season, he played 78 snaps at free safety, 60 at wide corner, 23 at slot corner and 87 in the box, according to Pro Football Focus.
"At Northern, he's played corner, he's played safety, he's played boundary safety, free safety and nickel," Bielema told Illini Inquirer on Saturday. "He'll be in the back end. He runs extremely well. Super excited. Very, very intelligent."
Illinois defensive backs coach Corey Parker recruited Finley when he was at Toledo, and that relationship "started the whole ball rolling" for the Illini's pursuit, Bielema said. Finley was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports, out of Merriville (Ind.) Andrean High School, where he earned all-state honors for his final three seasons at Andrean High School and was a team captain and Team MVP as a senior..
247Sports ranked him the No. 7 prospect in the state of Indiana that year and the No. 32 cornerback prospect in his class. He signed with Northern Illinois but had a Power Four offer from Michigan State.
Finley's mother has degrees from Indiana and Purdue, Bielema said, while his father has a degree from Michigan State.
"We got a Big Ten flavor, so it's fun to get him in the mix," Bielema said. "Academics is a huge priority for him and his family. So kind of just excited that Illinois fit the bill."
After adding Finley and Illinois State transfer wide receiver Eddie Kasper this spring, Illinois still has scholarships available to continue to add to the 2026 roster, and Bielema and the Illini will continue to be ready to pounce if any options open up that can help them this season and beyond.
"We got spots," Bielema said. "There's a couple people in play. …There's so many things happening in college athletics. What I didn't know when I got through February, I could've easily burned those scholarships and just given them. But I always just try to hang on to three or four because you just never know what can happen. There's going to be a couple we can self-absorb. But just to have the flexibility here down the stretch, I think is a good thing."