Luke Ford’s eligibility has been a cause taken up by fan bases at Georgia and Illinois.

The former Georgia tight end who transferred to Illinois is still waiting on on approval from the NCAA. So the “Free Luke Ford” message rang true for fans of the Fighting Illini on Saturday as they took on Akron in a 42-3 victory.

The NCAA initially denied Ford’s request in April, but the school appealed, and that was denied in June, the Associated Press reported.

Ford’s reason for transferring from Georgia was to be closer to his grandparents, who had “deteriorating health,” along with the cost for his parents to watch him play. He is from Carterville, Illinois, about two hours southeast of St. Louis.

Ford, who is 6-foot-6 and 252 pounds, was the No. 1 player in Illinois in the 2018 recruiting class, and the No. 3 tight end in America, according to 247Sports.