CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois senior Vederian Lowe was selected from among all student-athletes across the conference to speak on their behalf as part of the Big Ten Football Kickoff Show on Big Ten Network. The show will air Monday, August 9 at 5:30 p.m. CT to a national audience on BTN.

Lowe is the first Illinois player to be chosen as the Big Ten's featured speaker since E.B. Halsey spoke in 2006.

"I took it as an honor to be the first Illini to represent the Big Ten with that speech in about 15 years. It was just an honor, I was very grateful," Lowe said. "I was thankful for Coach B, for putting me up for that. I'm thankful for the opportunity and I made sure I took advantage of it. I made sure that I spoke well about the university. I made sure I spoke well about the Big Ten and how much it means to me, and everything it's done for me and my family. So yeah, it was a great opportunity. I'm just glad that I just got to represent everybody, and just let people know that the Big Ten is a great conference and let them know how the University of Illinois has helped evolve my life."

Lowe's family, who influenced his inspiring speech, attended the speech in Champaign. His wife, Haylee, brought their two sons — Kingston and Trey — along with Lowe's 14-year-old brother, Vydalis Cockrell, who the couple recently gained guardianship.

For Lowe, family is his driving force and a big part of why he returned to the Illini for his super-senior season. To have all of them in attendance made an already special day even sweeter. 

"It was everything," Lowe said. "My family is everything, they're the reason why I do anything. Every decision that I make in life, I think about them, and think about how it can affect them. I make sure I prioritize them in everything, because at the end of the day, that's what will forever be with me. It was great to just let people know who I am and what I have going on, let people know about the dynamic of my life. And let people know that even though I'm a full-time college student, full-time college football player, I'm a young man with a wife, and two boys and a guardian to my little brother and let them know, you can still do it. I'm still handling my business and everything's just great. It's just a perfect dynamic."

Along with Lowe's speech, which focuses on his journey as a young husband and father along with the effects of COVID-19, an interview with head coach Bret Bielema will also be aired Monday evening.