Linebacker Hardy Nickerson announced Thursday that he will be transferring to Illinois to play out his final season of eligibility. Nickerson will graduate from UC Berkeley this summer and be a graduate transfer, meaning he will be eligible to play next year. His father, Hardy Nickerson Sr., was named the defensive coordinator at Illinois in March under head coach Lovie Smith.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play my final year of college football for my father and Head Coach Lovie Smith,” Nickerson said in a statement. “It is an opportunity that I simply cannot pass up.”  

Nickerson, who was a junior team captain for the 2015 season, played in 35 games at Cal after redshirting his freshman season. He led the Bears with a career-best 112 tackles last season and was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection. In his three seasons, he tallied 246 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and two sacks.

“The Nickerson family is extremely tight-knit and this is something that is only happening because of their tremendous family relationship,” Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said in a statement. “We hate to lose Hardy for next season but wish him, his father and their entire family the best.”