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 9th in B1G
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