Brandon Lloyd to Serve as Honorary Captain vs. Duke
September 11, 2026 | Football
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Former Illinois wide receiver Brandon Lloyd will serve as the Fighting Illini's honorary captain for Saturday's sold out game against Duke at Gies Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on FS1.
It will be a big weekend for Lloyd, who is being inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday and will celebrate the 25th year reunion of the 2001 Big Ten Championship team on Saturday. Lloyd was a star for the 2001 Illini that went 10-2, won the Big Ten title, and played in the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
Lloyd finished his Illini career with the second-most receiving yards (2,835) and touchdown catches (21) in program history, while ranking third in career receptions (160). He was a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team selection, topped 1,000 yards receiving during both his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons, and had more than 100 receiving yards 12 times during his Illini career.
Lloyd declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season in 2002 and was chosen in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers. He played 11 seasons in the NFL, including leading the league in receiving in 2010 with 1,448 yards. Lloyd was named an All-Pro in 2010 and selected to play in the 2011 Pro Bowl.
