Editing Brandon Lloyd (section)

==College career==
Lloyd attended the [[University of Illinois]], and played for the [[Illinois Fighting Illini football]] team beginning in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDevitt |first=Sean |date=May 24, 2018 |title='A Promise Kept' – Former Illini Brandon Lloyd Now an Illini Graduate |url=https://fightingillini.com/news/2018/5/24/football-a-promise-kept-former-illini-brandon-lloyd-now-an-illini-graduate |access-date=November 5, 2023 |website=University of Illinois Athletics |language=en}}</ref>  After a promising freshman season, Lloyd missed all of the 2000 season with a broken femur.  He returned healthily and had outstanding seasons in both 2001 and 2002.  He was a consensus first-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] performer after his sophomore season in 2001, helping lead the Fighting Illini to a 10–2 record and a [[Bowl Championship Series|BCS]] berth in the [[2002 Sugar Bowl]] against LSU.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2001 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/illinois/2001-schedule.html |access-date=November 5, 2023 |website=[[Sports Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sugar Bowl – LSU vs Illinois Box Score, January 1, 2002 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2002-01-01-illinois.html |access-date=November 5, 2023 |website=[[Sports Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

After his junior season in 2002, Lloyd declared his eligibility for the [[NFL Draft]]. Of the seven children in the Lloyd family, he was the only one who started a career without finishing college. According to Brandon, "I saw [my mom] cry was when I told her I wasn't going back to school. She just thought that was the end of everything."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |last=Farrar |first=Doug |date=December 19, 2012 |title=Outside the Game: Brandon Lloyd is leading the charge for financial literacy |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/outside-game-brandon-lloyd-leading-charge-financial-literacy-061237921--nfl.html |access-date=November 5, 2023 |website=Yahoo! Sports |language=en-CA}}</ref>

Lloyd finished his college career having the second-most receiving yards (2,835) and [[touchdown]] catches (31) in Illinois history, and ranking third in all-time receptions (160).