Illinois has announced that senior starting quarterback Brandon Peters and redshirt freshman tight end Griffin Moore tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Both Peters and Moore will miss the Illini game against Purdue on Saturday, along with “several other players” sidelined for contact tracing. Illinois released a list of 14 players out for this game, including Peters and Moore, because of injury or contact tracing.
The school won’t specify whether players are out for injury or contact tracing, but the list includes offensive lineman Doug Kramer, kicker James McCourt and backup quarterback Isaiah Williams. Peters and Moore will sit out 21 days, according to Big Ten policy, and will be eligible to return for the Nov. 21 game at Nebraska.
That timeline will cause both players to miss games against Purdue, Minnesota and Rutgers and return with only four games left on the schedule.
Illini backup quarterback Isaiah Washington also was lifted from the game due to “contact tracing protocols,” said Illinois spokesman Kent Brown.
“Illinois senior quarterback Brandon Peters and redshirt freshman tight end Griffin Moore were both sidelined for 21 days following positive test results Thursday for the COVID-19 virus,” Brown said. “Per Big Ten Conference protocol, following recovery both players will be eligible to return for the Nov. 21 game at Nebraska.”
Peters threw for 1,884 yards and 18 touchdowns last season for Illinois and was 8-of-19 with 87 yards in the first game this season against Wisconsin.
While it isn’t clear whether the positive tests are related, Wisconsin was the Illini opponent in the first week of the season and the Badgers are dealing with a COVID-19 breakout of their own. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said on College GameDay on Saturday that Wisconsin has 22 total cases within the program.
That includes head coach Paul Chryst, starting quarterback Graham Mertz and backup quarterback Chase Wolf. The Badgers canceled the game against Nebraska this weekend, and Alvarez said the program will make a decision on Tuesday whether the team will be able to play the game against Purdue on Nov. 7.
Illinois coach Lovie Smith said on Wednesday that there had been no COVID-19 positive tests on the team.
“Our team is clean,” Smith said at the time. “We’re kind of hunkered down in the bunker. We have a protocol in place that we follow daily. But right now for our football team, not much has changed.”
Also, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore is not expected to play Saturday at Illinois, a source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. Moore also sat out last week’s season opener against Iowa but was on the sideline.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
