June 25, 2025
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Former Kankakee lineman Marques Easley transfers to Purdue

Easley redshirted as a freshman at Georgia last year

By Mason Schweizer
Kankakee's Marques Easley communicates to the offensive line during the Kays' 39-13 loss to East St. Louis in the IHSA Class 6A quarterfinal game on Nov. 11, 2023.

Kankakee's Marques Easley communicates to the offensive line during the Kays' 39-13 loss to East St. Louis in the IHSA Class 6A quarterfinal game on Nov. 11, 2023. (File Photo)

One of the latest NCAA Division I football players to take advantage of the transfer portal has native roots in Kankakee. Marques Easley, a 2024 Kankakee graduate, announced Saturday that he is transferring from Georgia to Purdue.

Easley graduated Kankakee as 247 Sports’ 161st-ranked overall recruit in the nation, the 14th-ranked offensive tackle and fifth-ranked Illinois prospect. He redshirted his first season at Georgia, appearing in two games, and will have four years of eligibility as a Boilermaker.

The former four-star recruit entered the transfer portal April 17 following an indefinite suspension issued last month after alleged involvement in an automobile accident.

Easley is the fourth former Kankakee-area prep football standout to transfer at the Division I level this offseason. His former Kankakee teammate Naz Hill, a defensive back and 2023 graduate, transferred from Wyoming to Southern Illinois. Offensive lineman Keagan Trost, a 2019 Kankakee graduate, will spend his final season of college football at Missouri after spending last year at Wake Forest. Running back Jaydon Wright, a 2024 Bishop McNamara graduate, is in the transfer portal after redshirting at Minnesota last fall.