Chase Brown declares for NFL Draft, will forego ReliaQuest Bowl

Thank you, Chase.

We figured this would be coming (at least I did), but Illinois RB Chase Brown has announced he will declare for the 2023 NFL Draft and skip the ReliaQuest Bowl against Mississippi State on Jan. 2.

In a tweet Brown posted Friday morning — he thanked Illini nation, his family, coaches, and teammates for all their support during his four-year tenure in Champaign.

The junior was a huge reason the Illini were able to finish with their best regular season tally since 2007, rushing for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a huge threat out of the backfield too as he finished with 240 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

On top of that, he finished as a second-team…