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University of Illinois Athletics

2025 Football Roster

34 Erik Gayle

  • Position OLB
  • Class Freshman
  • Height 6-3
  • Weight 230
  • Major Exploratory Studies
  • Hometown Cincinnati, Ohio
  • High School Withrow
  • Instagram erikgayle_
  • Twitter eriikgayle

Biography

High School

  • Four-star recruit by ESPN
  • Three-star recruit by 247Sports, On3, and Rivals
  • Position ranks: #46 (ESPN), #90 (247Sports), #132 (On3)
  • State of Ohio ranks: #14 (ESPN), #32 (Rivals), #55 (247Sports), #59 (On3)
  • Played for head coach Anthony Berry at Withrow
  • 2024 All-CMAC First Team
  • 2023 All-CMAC Second Team
  • Two-time all-district
  • Also played basketball in high school
  • Offers included Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, and West Virginia

Personal

  • Born May 11, 2007
  • Son of Erika Gayle
  • One brother, Clifford Gayle, and three sisters, Shamiya Shaw, Shantrice Dennis, and Shanice Martin
  • Chose Illinois because “it just felt like home. I had a lot of other places I could have gone, but none gave me the same feeling that Illinois gave me.”
  • Majoring in exploratory studies 

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.