ME: You get to experience a little bit of everything. JM: What’s your favorite aspect of playing the linebacker position? I made my mind up rather quickly when it came down to it. When I really started to consider Illinois and I began learning all about the program, it wasn’t a hard decision. The coaching staff gave me the rundown on what they’re all about. Those guys made it an easy transition for me. Luckily, I knew a few of the coaches here at Illinois. When I entered the transfer portal, I didn’t necessarily know where I was going to end up. JM: How do you look back on the decision to transfer from Washington to Illinois? All I wanted to do was be out there with my teammates. Sitting on the sidelines was obviously tough for me. I learned a lot about run schemes during my year off.Ĭoming to Illinois and the Midwest was a big adjustment for me in general. They throw the ball a lot more in the Pac-12. The styles of play between the two conferences are very different. As far as I knew, I was used to Pac-12 football. ME: I learned a lot about how teams like to play in The Big Ten. What did you learn while spending that year on the sidelines? JM: Last season’s success was especially big for you given that you had to sit out the 2018 season due to the transfer rules.

AGbiY7eJSS- NCAAF Nation August 21, 2020 Last season he totaled 63 Tackles, 10 Tackles for Loss, 2 Sacks and 1 TD. Eifler a Washington Transfer had a big season in 2019.They put me in a great spot to take advantage of the opportunities. We have so many great players on this defense, especially at the linebacker position. I think I showed a lot of people that I’m not a one-hit wonder. I was glad to put some good stuff on tape. I got better and better as the season went on. They inspired me to have more confidence in myself. ME: I knew I was going to be playing a lot of football last season. Did you expect to breakout in the manner that you did? You started 12 games, had 69 tackles, 10 of which went for a loss. I thought you had a great season in 2019. When we get back to football, I’ll be playing at a heavier weight than I have in the past. Who knows when we’re going to play football at this point. I’ve been motivated throughout this entire thing. There’s more stuff available to you down there. I did some off-season training out there. Coming into fall camp, I spent some time in Los Angeles. I was able to stay in shape while I was at home. The responsibility ultimately lands at my feet.

Thankfully, I was able to take care of that.Īs an athlete, I had to find ways to stay in shape. My parents were able to set me up with a personal trainer at the time because I was still rehabbing an injury. ME: It started way back in March when the stay-at-home order first went into effect. JM: How have you managed to stay in shape and keep up with your weight training throughout the pandemic? All rights reserved.The 2021 NFL draft class appears to have some big-name linebacker prospects from powerhouse programs, but if your favorite NFL team is looking for one of the more underrated player at that position in the class, they need to take a hard look at Illinois’s Milo Eifler.Ī athletic, versatile defender, Eifler recently spoke exclusively with MCM about his transfer from Washington to Illinois, what lead to his breakout year in 2019, and why it’s such an honor to play for coach Lovie Smith.

Milo eifler