2026 B1G Previews: Illinois Fighting Illini

 

Illinois Fighting Illini

Location: Champaign, IL

Stadium: Memorial Stadium (60,670)

Coach: Bret Bielema (6th year): 37-26 at Illinois 62-42 v B1G. 134-84 overall

2025 Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4)(5-4)                         2026 Illinois Fighting Illini

52        Western Illinois             3                                S3        Alabama-Birmingham (Thursday)

45        at Duke                        19                                S12      Duke

38        Western Michigan        0                                S19      Southern Illinois

10        at Indiana                    63                                S26      at Ohio State

34        USC                              32                                O3       Purdue

43        at Purdue                    27                                O10     at Michigan State

16        Ohio State                   34                                O17    

25        at Washington             42                                O24     Oregon

35        Rutgers                        13                                O31     at Maryland

24        Maryland                      6                                N6        Nebraska (Friday)

10        at Wisconsin                27                                N13      at UCLA (Friday)

20        Northwestern              13                                N21      Iowa

30        Tennessee                   28                                N28      at Northwestern

            (Music City Bowl)

 

            Illinois coach Bret Beliema hopes to keep the momentum going from two straight seasons of bowl games, winning four out of their last five games in 2025.

            ILLINOIS OFFENSE: Three-year starter Luke Altmyer has moved on after throwing for over 3000 yards and 22 touchdowns last year.  Replacing him will be East Carolina transfer QB Katin Houser.  A good, dual-threat quarterback, Houser started at Michigan State before moving to East Carolina.  Last year, Houser completed over 65 percent of his throws for 3300 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 181 yards and nine touchdowns.  The two top running backs return; junior Ca’lil Valentine led the way with 614 yards, averaging nearly five yards per carry, and scored four touchdowns.  Senior Aidan Laughty contributed 382 yards at over five yards per carry and scored three times.  Senior Kaden Feagan contributed 507 yards at 4.2 yards per carry, and scored seven times, however, Feagan has switched to TE.  Feagan caught 16 passes for 188 yards and two scores a year ago.  The Illini lost All-B1G WR Hank Beatty but return junior Collin Dixon and senior Hudson Clement.  Dixon was second on the team with 548 receiving yards on 35 receptions and five touchdowns and Clement was second in receptions with 36 to go along with his 454 receiving yards and three scores.  Redshirt freshman Braydon Trimble will figure in the receiver rotation this year after playing on special teams in three games last year and so will senior Jayshon Platt after transferring from Florida Atlantic after he grabbed 46 catches for 720 yards and five scores at FAU last year.  Senior Christian Abney will team up with Feagan at TE after catching one pass for 12 yards.  The Illini lost four starters on the offensive line; only senior RG Brandon Henderson, an Academic All-B1G, returns, so, they are counting on the transfer portal to yield big results.  They picked up junior LT Christian Martin and senior center Jake Renfro from Colorado State and Wisconsin respectively.  Sophomore LG Maika Matelau came in from junior college Mt. San Antonio while sophomore Nathan Knapik and junior TJ Taylor, a JUCO transfer from College of the Canyons, will compete for the starting RT spot.

QB Katin Houser

                ILLINOIS DEFENSE: The biggest change on this side of the ball is a new defensive coordinator, former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck.  Hauck is implementing a new 3-3-5 defensive set after success with it at Montana.  The challenge figures to be replacing five experienced players in the front seven.  Junior DE Joe Barna is the only returning Illini on the new defensive line. Barna played a big role in their Music City Bowl win over Tennessee, part of his 20-tackle performance last season.  Senior Carter Janki transferred from Ivy League Penn and will line up at the other DE spot after making First Team Ivy League.  Senior Darrell Prater figures to be in the middle after coming here from Jacksonville State where he picked up 23 stops, five tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.  The linebackers will be new starters, led by senior Daniel Brown with 11 stops last year.  Sophomore Grant Beerman played on special teams last year and figures to start at MLB, while senior James Kreutz will start at OLB after getting 29 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and three pass breakups.  The strength of this team is in the secondary where Illinois will welcome back All-B1G performers Xavier Scott, Matthew Bailey, and Juice Clarke.  Bailey, a senior FS, led the team in tackles with 76, which included four tackles for loss.  Clarke, a senior CB, managed 20 stops and seven pass breakups despite missing the first four games with an injury.  Scott, a senior NB, had six stops before an injury sidelined him.  Junior Jakwon Morris, considered the top JC transfer from NW Mississippi College, will line up at the other CB position, while senior Mac Resetich, an Academic All-B1G, will line up at the SS position after getting 19 tackles in 2025.

DE Joe Barna

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Ethan Maczulski transferred back from Washington and will handle the kicking duties after doing so for the Illini in 2024.  Last year, he handled the kickoff duties for the Huskies, and he holds the Illinois record for longest field goal when he nailed a 59-yarder against Central Michigan during the ’24 season.  Sophomore Lars Rau figures to take over at punter after red-shirting last year.

SUMMARY: The Illini offense, despite the loss of four starters on the line, figures to reload under the leadership of experienced offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and the talented Houser.  The new defense may be a work in progress with the new DC and the new faces up front.  The Illini figure to get a rude awakening to conference play with a road trip to Ohio State and road trips to Michigan State and UCLA won’t be easy either.  But, if the new defense and the new starters on the offensive line can come together as a unit, another post-season trip to a decent bowl game should happen.

PROJECTION: 8-4/5-4  9^th in B1G

2026 Spring Game

 

Spring practice for the 2026 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes concluded with the annual Scarlet-Grey scrimmage in the ‘Shoe.  The offense (Scarlet) got out to a fast start but were overcome by the defense (grey) for a 35-26 final score. 

On the offensive side, the biggest standouts were redshirt freshman quarterback Tavien St. Clair and freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., who connected on a pair of deep balls in the first quarter, including a 40-yard touchdown. A short day of work for Julian Sayin was highlighted by a 4-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive, leading the way to a 17-point first quarter for the offense that also included a 46-yard field goal by Connor Hawkins. Hawkins also connected on a 42-yarder in the fourth quarter and Luke Fahey impressed everybody with a twisting, turning 61-yard run to the end zone.  Julian Sayin gave hints of running the ball more often this year, which Coach Ryan Day has said needs to happen this year.  He showed better mobility this year on his four-yard TD run to open the scoring.  Sayin also ran more sprint-outs on passing plays as well.

Although Tavien St, Clair didn’t get a chance to show off his mobility, the freshman quarterback Luke Fahey sure did as he ran away from the defense for a 61-yard touchdown run late in the game and Justyn Martin also saw some action, going 1-for-5 for eight yards.  RB Bo Jackson was held out, which led the way for Favour Akih to lead the way with 50 yards on 16 carries.  Ja’Kobi Jackson and Stanley Jackson Jr. also saw the field, with Jackson getting 20 yards and Jackson Jr. 7 yards.  In addition to Henry Jr., Jeremiah Smith had two catches for 21 yards, along with Brock Boyd.

Defensively, DT Will Smith Jr, and DE Beau Atkinson played very well.  They teamed up on an interception as Smith Jr. tipped it and Atkinson picked it on an ill-advised throw by Sayin.  The defensive line looked solid as they paved the way to holding the Scarlet scoreless in the second and third quarters with Kenyatta Jackson Jr., the undisputed leader of that group.

20 weeks from now, it will be showtime for the 2026 season.

2026 Spring Practice

 

Spring practice is well under way for the 2026 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes, 2 ½ months after a disappointing end to last season in the CFP quarterfinals.

                The Buckeyes began the offseason upgrading the staff with new coordinators on offense and special teams and picking up nearly twenty players through the transfer portal, adding a new mix to the roster. Arthur Smith has been brought in as the new offensive coordinator, coming back to the college ranks after a stint as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith hopes to elevate the Ohio State offense coming off their second-lowest scoring season under Ryan Day. Smith has built productive rushing attacks in his previous jobs, but will have to deal this spring working without starting RB Bo Jackson and backup Isaiah West are recovering from shoulder procedures, so the coming weeks should allow him to put in new concepts or other ideas to boost a ground game that was a paltry 51^st last year in the FBS at 4.55 yards per carry.  Of course, the major problem, especially in the two losses at the end of the year, was the offensive line. Fortunately, the Buckeyes will retain four of their five offensive linemen, but in addition to better run production, the challenge is to find a fix for the issues in pass protection that emerged late last year. After allowing just six sacks over the regular season, the Buckeyes surrendered five each in losses in the Big Ten championship game and College Football Playoff, contributing to the early exit in the quarterfinals. Left tackle Austin Siereveld made six starts at left guard in 2024 and would be a candidate to return to the interior. Right tackle Phillip Daniels is another option to move inside at right guard, the lone vacant starting spot after Tegra Tshabola transferred to Kentucky. Redshirt sophomore tackle Ian Moore looks like a promising prospect, and with a good spring practice, could cement a starting role. Tavien St. Clair will be the backup for Julian Sayin, as prior backup Lincoln Keinholz transferred to Louisville. The Buckeyes picked up junior QB Justyn Martin in the transfer portal from Maryland. Of course, the best receiver in the country, junior Jeremiah Smith returns along with experienced Brandon Innis and David Adolph, and the Buckeyes return leading rusher, sophomore Bo Jackson, along with Isaiah West and Anthony Rohers. TEs Max Klare and Will Kacmarek have departed, but the additions of Hunter Welching and Mason Williams will help to offset those losses. Welching had a breakout year at Northwestern in 2025 that ended with 28 receptions for 296 yards and two touchdowns and Williams follows Kacmarek as the second Ohio University tight end in three years to come to Ohio State.

Defensive lineman Kenyatta Jackson Jr. decided to stay at Ohio State for another year, but the loss of top performers like Caden Curry, Kaden McDonald, and C.J. Hicks meant the Buckeyes needed to dip in the transfer portal. This resulted in a couple of good finds. James Smith, from Alabama, was widely considered to be the top defensive lineman in the portal and John Walker, who started at DT at Central Florida last year. But, eight backup defensive linemen entered the portal, so depth could be a concern here. Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles are off to the NFL, so the defense will welcome Wisconsin transfer Christian Allegro and Alabama transfer Qua Russaw. They look to join returnees Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn at the linebacker positions. Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Devin Sanchez are the most experienced returnees in the defensive backfield, as Caleb Downs, Davison Igbinosun and Sonny Styles are departed and Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West entered the portal. Freshman Georgia transfer Dominick Kelly looks promising. Earl Little Jr. from Florida State and Terry Moore from Duke will attempt to step in for Downs. 

 

While Joe McGuire returns as their punter, the Buckeyes needed both a kicker and long snapper to replace Jayden Fielding and John Ferlmann. They brought in two through the portal with Connor Hawkins, a kicker from Baylor who was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last fall, and Dalton Riggs, a long snapper from Central Florida.

 

Spring practice culminates in the annual spring game in the ‘Shoe April 18.

MY THOUGHTS.....2025 season

 

The 2025 Ohio State football season was one of peaks and valleys.  Entering as the defending national champions and seeming primed for a run to win a second straight title, the Buckeyes, who were ranked at the top of the polls from the second week of the season, crashed and burned late and ended the season on a two-game losing streak. 

                The peaks included sophomore and brand-new starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who emerged as a Heisman candidate, ultimately finishing as a Heisman finalist.  Sayin ended up having one of the highest QB efficiency rating in college football, throwing for over 3600 yards and 32 touchdowns against only eight interceptions.  Jeremiah Smith entered the season as one of the best receivers in the country and continued that trend, leading the way with 87 receptions for 1243 yards and twelve touchdowns.  Carnell Tate emerged as the perfect complement to Smith, with 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine scores.  Purdue transfer TE Max Klare added a different option to the passing attack and delivered 43 receptions for 448 yards and two scores and Brandon Innis proved to be a viable target with 36 catches for 271 yards and three scores.  On the defensive side, Arvell Reese burst on the scene as he made plays all over the field in racking up 69 tackles, good for second on the team,  Sonny Styles led the defense with 82 tackles.  Caleb Downs picked up where he left off in 2024 as a ball-hawking defensive back, with 68 tackles and two interceptions, while Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald made important contributions on the defensive line with 66 and 65 tackles respectively.  However, there were pitfalls, notably on the offensive line.  Although newcomer Bo Jackson managed over 1000 yards and C.J. Donaldson showed his tough inside running, the offensive line was never able to consistently generate success in their run blocking efforts and fell apart the last two games, giving up ten sacks in those two games.  The defense was rock solid nearly the entire season, rarely giving up more than one touchdown per game, but were unable to get off the field at critical times against Indiana and Miami.

                The transfer portal has now opened and as of this writing, nine players have announced their intention to enter, starting with WR Bryson Rodgers announcement on Dec 18.  TE Jelani Thurman followed shortly after the conclusion of the Cotton Bowl, while New Years Day witnessed the decisions by QB Lincoln Kienholz, RB Sam Dixon, RB James Peoples, WR Damrion Witten, CB Bryce West and defensive linemen C.J. Hicks, Dominic Kirks and Logan George.  In addition, outstanding defensive back Caleb Downs will declare for the NFL draft.  As of this writing, Ohio State is hoping to get the top linebacker in the transfer portal to come here; Pittsburgh’s Rasheem Biles, who was born and raised in Columbus.

                Looking to next season, not only will there be challenges in improving offensive line play, but the departure of Brian Hartline leaves quite a void to be filled on the coaching staff.  The Buckeyes pay a visit to Austin to play Texas the second game and have tough road games at Indiana and at USC, while Oregon and Michigan come to town.  So, the schedule is not an easy one.  But the 2025 Buckeyes went further than I thought they would.  At the beginning of the season, I figured they would go 9-3 after losing many experienced players off their national championship team.  But these Buckeyes made an impressive run through the regular season.  They gutted out an opening win against a top-ranked Texas team with many new faces in the lineup and ended the regular season dominating Michigan on their home field.  They defeated seven teams that were in bowls and thanks to new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, rebuilt one of the best defenses in 2024 and made it even better in 2025, while Julian Sayin has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation with one of the best receiving corps anywhere.  So, the team has quite a few exciting, proven players coming back in 2026.

2025 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2)(9-1)

14          Texas                               7

70          Grambling State             0

37          Ohio University              9

24          at Washington                 6

42          Minnesota                         3

34          at Illinois                           16

34          at Wisconsin                    0

38          Penn State                        14

34          at Purdue                          10

48          UCLA                                   10

42          Rutgers                                9

27          at Michigan                       9

10          Indiana                              13 (B1G Championship)

14          Miami                                 24 (Cotton Bowl: CFP Quarterfinal)

MY THOUGHTS.....Miami

 

The issues that cropped up during the B1G Championship game loos to Indiana reared their ugly head once again in Dallas as the Ohio State Buckeyes crashed and burned against the Miami Hurricanes, ending their season.

                The Buckeyes fell into an early hole they were unable to get out of.  The offensive line issues were completely exposed as Julian Sayin was sacked five times and threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.  The well-coached Miami defense came in with a plan and executed that plan, holding the Ohio State offense to a paltry 1.88 yards per carry on the ground and a sad 45 total yards rushing.  The sad rushing attack managed a mere two runs over ten yards.  Bo Jackson had 55 yards on the ground, and the lone rushing touchdown and C.J. Donaldson managed a couple of decent runs, gaining 31 yards.  Sayin was picked one other time as he ended up with 287 yards through the air and a touchdown throw to Jeremiah Smith.  Smith led the receiving effort with seven catches for 157 yards, perhaps the only bright spot in this dismal performance. 

                The Ohio State defense played well at times but had trouble getting off the field in key third-down situations, particularly in the fourth quarter when a stop could’ve gotten the offense the ball back with a decent chance to pull the game out.  Davison Igbinosun led the defensive effort with ten tackles, while Caleb Downs and Kayden McDonald each had eight.  Eddrick Houston also played well, garnering two sacks and so did Sonny Styles, with two tackles for loss including a sack.

                The Buckeyes thus return home after concluding their season with a 12-2 record. 

CFP Quarterfinal: Cotton Bowl: Ohio State v Miami

Bowl Games