FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern sophomore Skylar Brennan is heading back to the Midwest after an outstanding career in the City of Palms, becoming the first Buccaneer since 2020 to sign with a Big 10 program, inking her Letter of Intent to play at the University of Illinois for the 2026 season.
Brennan played in 130 career games for the Bucs the past two seasons, finishing her FSW career in the Top 10 in program history in hits (148), runs (123), doubles (33), home runs (12), and RBIs (110). As a sophomore in 2025 she put on a show, hitting .448 with 22 doubles, 7 home runs, and 51 RBIs while scoring 74 runs to earn 1st Team NJCAA All-American honors. She was also outstanding defensively in right field for the Bucs, going errorless in 55 chances to earn an NFCA Gold Glove. Brennan was electric down the stretch for the Bucs, earning MVP honors at the FCSAA Tournament with a grand slam and five RBIs in the Championship game to punch the Bucs ticket to the World Series before recording hits in all six games and driving in 10 runs in FSW's run to the National Championship Game to pick up All-Tournament Team honors in Yuma.
In Brennan's two seasons in Fort Myers the Bucs compiled a 113-17 overall record with two Conference Championships, an FCSAA Championship, and two Top 10 finishes at the NJCAA World Series.
She heads to Big 10 country to join the Illini who finished 22-28 overall a season ago. She will try to help Illinois get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2022 season when they played in the Columbia Regional.
Brennan is one of six Bucs to sign at the Division I level and one of seven overall to sign to move on, joining Nicole Edmiaston (Stetson), Emilly Allegood (Campbell), Virginia Mambelli (South Alabama), Kmari Williams (FGCU), Leah Meyer (Abilene Christian), and Faith Wharton (Eckerd).