CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Patrick Embleton was promoted to Executive Director of Personnel and Recruiting, head coach Bret Bielema announced Wednesday. Embleton is in his ninth season on the recruiting staff at Illinois in 2021.

Embleton oversees all recruiting efforts for the Fighting Illini, including high school and collegiate transfer efforts. He manages Illinois' recruiting team, which coordinates all on-campus admissions for incoming freshmen and transfers, performs preliminary transcript evaluations for those prospective student-athletes and manages all official and unofficial visits for football recruits. The recruiting department serves as football admissions coordinators and works closely with the academics staff in that pursuit, and also works with the compliance staff regarding the recruitability of prospective student-athletes.

Embleton served as Director of Recruiting at Illinois from 2015-20 following a stint as a player personnel/football operations graduate assistant from 2013-14. In that role he assisted with on-campus recruiting including scheduling visits and itineraries, scheduling meetings with academic professors and arranging campus tours. He also coordinated recruiting travel for coaches and served as the program's liaison for NFL scouts. During his time as a graduate assistant, Embleton helped the Fighting Illini bring in the No. 6 recruiting class in the Big Ten in 2014.

Prior to coming to Illinois, Embleton was the wide receivers coach and assistant academic coordinator at Division III Ohio Wesleyan University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Kinetics from Ohio Wesleyan in 2012 and was a four-year starter at tight end for the Battling Bishops from 2008-11, earning All-NCAC honors and serving as team captain in 2011.

Embleton and his wife, Jessica, have two children, Isabella and Gibson. They are welcoming their third child in April 2021.