Julian Pearl

Julian Pearl played his high school football at Danville High School where he received a 2-star rating from Rivals.com and 3-star ratings from 247Sports and ESPN over his high school years. Pearl received offers from Illinois and Northern Illinois, and chose the Fighting Illini. Pearl did not play his freshman season and redshirted heading into 2019. He then made 3 appearances in his second year as a backup lineman. Pearl’s first season as a starter came in 2021 as he started 11 of his 12 games played that season, solidifying himself as one of the leaders on the line for the Illini. In 2022, Pearl had an outstanding performance, earning himself an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention as part of one of the best offensive lines in Illinois history. In 2023, he was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten second team. He started 12 games at left tackle and earned another All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. The back-to-back conference honorable mention awards have drawn attention of scouts and organizations for this upcoming draft.