The Illinois Fighting Illini will be getting their seven-foot reigning Big-Ten Freshman of the Year back this upcoming season.
After declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft in early April, Kofi Cockburn tells CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein he will be withdrawing his name from the draft and returning to the Illini for his sophomore season.
As a freshman, Cockburn averaged 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per contest.
Cockburn will be rejoining the Illini with star guard Ayo Dosunmu, who also announced his return to the Illini Friday after declaring for the 2020 NBA draft back in April.
Cockburn and Dosunmu will also rejoin senior guards Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams, and junior big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili as key returnees for the Illini.
Cockburn will also get the opportunity to play with an incoming freshman class that ranks 15th in the nation. This includes four-star guards Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo, three-star forward Coleman Hawkins, and three-star big man Brandon Lieb.
With Cockburn's return, the Illini will now have five players who can play the "5" position in head coach Brad Underwood's offense: sophomore Kofi Cockburn (7'0"), junior Giorgi Bezhanishvili (6'9"), sophomore Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (6'8"), sophomore Jermaine Hamlin (6'10"), and freshman Brandon Lieb (6'11").