If memory serves me correctly, I believe that a technicality in regards to admissions is how TSJ wound up at Illinois and not Michigan.
Without combing through past messages to fact check my own brain, I believe that there were some clearinghouse issues/ hurdles that could not be met at UM. It seems they were mostly in regards to TSJ's course load not meeting the minimum required hours to earn a bachelors degree from UM and that our very own AD had to step out on a limb so that TSJ could admitted to Illinois, thus earning his commitment. Most institutions require roughly 2 years of coursework done at their institution to issue a transfer student a degree. TSJ would only be taking a single year of courses, no matter where he wound up, unless he opted for a grad year (which has different requirements).
Also, I believe TSJ's former summer coaches (Irvin faction?) had gone to social media saying he was headed to UM even and that is how most of us non-insiders found out what happened behind the scenes. The true board insiders I believe confirmed these happenings at a later date.
Now that's been awhile ago so I might have also misremembered some of the finer details since I've slept since then hahaha.