Cal LB Nickerson Jr. to transfer, play for father at Illinois

Callinebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr.plans to graduate and transfer to Illinois, where he will be coached by his father in his final college season, he announced Thursday.

Hardy Nickerson Sr. was hired last month by new coach Lovie Smith to be the Illini's defensive coordinator.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play my final year of college football for my father," Nickerson Jr. said in a statement released on Twitter.

In 2015, Nickerson Jr. led Cal with 112 tackles and has started at inside linebacker for most of the past three seasons. He also played for his dad during his final two years of high school, when Nickerson Sr. was the head coach at Bishop O'Dowd High in Oakland.

Nickerson Sr. spent the past two seasons under Smith as the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.