Keith Randolph Jr. (born September 1, 2001) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Early life and high school

In Randolph's senior season, he notched 56 tackles with nine being for a loss, and seven sacks, while being named all-state. In high school, Randolph also played basketball, as he was a part of two state championship teams. Coming out of high school, Randolph held offers from schools such as Florida State, Colorado, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota. Randolph decided to commit to play

for the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

College career

In Randolph's first collegiate season, he played in the games making seven tackles with half a tackle going for a loss. In week one of the 2020 season, Randolph played 26 snaps notching four tackles versus

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Randolph finished the covid shortened 2020 season with eight tackles and a pass deflection. In week eleven of the 2021 season, Randolph recorded his first career interception which he returned 30 yards, as he helped the Fighting Illini beat

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

. In the 2021 season, Randolph tallied 42 tackles, with five and a half being for a loss, four sacks, a pass deflection, an interception, and a forced fumble. Randolph finished the 2022 season with 53 tackles with 13 going for a loss, four and a half sacks, a pass deflection, and an interception. For his performance in the 2022 season, Randolph was named third team all Big-10. Randolph entered the 2023 season as a team captain for the Fighting Illini. Randolph was also named to the 2023 preseason Outland Trophy watch list and the Nagurksi Award watch list. Randolph finished the 2023 season with 49 tackles with four being for a loss, a sack and a half, and a pass deflection. After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Randolph declared for the 2024 NFL draft. Randolph finished his career as a Fighting Illini, playing in 42 games making 159 tackles with 23 going for a loss, ten sacks, six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Professional career

Randolph signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2024.

References

External links

Illinois Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph Jr., Keith 2001 births Living people Players of American football from Illinois Belleville High School-West alumni American football defensive tackles Illinois Fighting Illini football players Chicago Bears players