Illinois Fighting Illini
Big Ten
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #24
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 12.9 (#24)
- SP+ Offense
- 33.3
- SP+ Defense
- 21.7
- SRS
- 12.3
- FPI
- 10.0
- Elo
- 1595
- Talent
- 662
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
8.0p10 6.0 — p90 10.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.5% | |
| Make CFP | 4.3% | |
| Quarterfinal | 1.3% | |
| Semifinal | 0.3% | |
| Natl. final | 0.1% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.1% |
Schedule
proj record 7.9–4.1
Schedule
45th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
52nd
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
42nd
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsUAB | -15.8 | 39-14 | +24.4 | 96% | — |
| 2 | vsDuke | +6.6 | 30-18 | +11.4 | 78% | — |
| 3 | vsSouthern Illinois | FCS | 47-3* | +44.3 | 100% | — |
| 4 | @Ohio State | +30.1 | 15-37 | -22.1 | 6% | — |
| 5 | vsPurdue | -6.1 | 34-19 | +14.4 | 84% | — |
| 6 | @Michigan State | -3.4 | 31-21 | +9.5 | 75% | — |
| 8 | vsOregon | +25.9 | 23-31 | -8.4 | 28% | — |
| 9 | @Maryland | +0.6 | 32-24 | +7.4 | 70% | — |
| 10 | vsNebraska | +6.2 | 32-25 | +7.8 | 70% | — |
| 11 | @UCLA | -8.7 | 32-24 | +7.5 | 70% | — |
| 12 | vsIowa | +19.7 | 29-31 | -2.1 | 44% | — |
| 13 | vsNorthwestern | +5.8 | 31-25 | +6.5 | 67% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 2
2026 · 59
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Katin Houser← East Carolina | SR | 6'3" | 225 | ★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Luke Altmyer | SR | 6'2" | 205 | ★★★★ |
Running Backs · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Ca'Lil Valentine | SO | 5'11" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Kaden Feagin | JR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Aidan Laughery | JR | 5'11" | 200 | — |
Wide Receivers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATH | — | Maurice Smith← Chowan | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 1st | Jayshon Platt← Florida Atlantic | JR | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Hank Beatty | SR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Alex Perry← Florida International | JR | 6'5" | 210 | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Collin Dixon | SO | 6'1" | 210 | — |
| WR | 5th | Hudson Clement | JR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| WR | 6th | Ty Robinson← Ball State | JR | 6'4" | 202 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Alexander Capka-Jones | SR | 6'4" | 190 | — |
| WR | — | Karson Kaiser | FR | 6'1" | 170 | — |
| WR | — | Eddie Kasper← Illinois State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Tanner Arkin | SR | 6'4" | 265 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Jordan Anderson | JR | 6'4" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Davin Stoffel | SO | 6'6" | 260 | — |
| TE | 4th | Christian Abney | JR | 6'6" | 255 | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Josh Gesky | SR | 6'5" | 325 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Christian Martin← Colorado State | SO | 6'6" | 270 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | James Thompson Jr. | SR | 6'6" | 300 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Darrell Prater← Jacksonville State | JR | 6'3" | 300 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Pat Farrell | SO | 6'5" | 280 | — |
| DL | 4th | Isaiah Thomison← Bowling Green | SO | 6'3" | 280 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Gentle Hunt | SR | 5'11" | 305 | — |
| DL | — | Connor Sullivan← Washington State | FR | 6'4" | 270 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Darrell Prater← Jacksonville State | FR | 6'3" | 255 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Carter Janki← Pennsylvania | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 1st | William Holmes← Utah State | SO | 6'4" | 245 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Dylan Rosiek | SR | 6'1" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Robert Edmonson← Colorado State | SO | 6'3" | 210 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | James Kreutz | JR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Alec Bryant | SR | 6'3" | 250 | — |
| LB | 5th | Leon Lowery Jr. | SR | 6'3" | 245 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Kenenna Odeluga | SR | 6'1" | 235 | — |
| LB | 7th | Joe Barna | SO | 6'4" | 265 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Daniel Brown | JR | 6'1" | 250 | — |
| LB | 9th | Ismael Kante | JR | 6'2" | 225 | — |
| LB | 10th | Luke Zardzin | SR | 6'0" | 225 | — |
| LB | 11th | Grant Beerman | FR | 6'5" | 220 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 12th | Carter Smith | FR | 6'3" | 215 | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Deuce Fillmore← Georgia State | JR | 5'10" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Matthew Bailey | JR | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Torrie Cox Jr. | SR | 5'9" | 170 | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Tanner Heckel | SO | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Jaheim Clarke | JR | 6'1" | 175 | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Mac Resetich | JR | 6'0" | 205 | — |
| DB | 6th | Tyler Strain | SR | 5'9" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Xavier Scott | SR | 5'11" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Tyson Rooks | JR | 6'4" | 205 | ★★★ |
| DB | 9th | Andre Lovett Jr. | FR | 6'1" | 175 | ★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Grayson Griffin | SR | 5'11" | 200 | — |
| DB | 11th | Ben Clawson | JR | 6'0" | 205 | — |
| S | 1st | James Finley← Northern Illinois | FR | 6'1" | 183 | ★★★★ |
| S | — | Lavon Williams← East Texas A&M | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 1st | Ethan Moczulski← Washington | JR | 5'11" | 190 | ★★★ |
| LS | — | Zach Haber← Arkansas | SO | 5'10" | 200 | — |
| P | 1st | Keelan Crimmins | SR | 6'3" | 225 | — |
Season History · last 12
1 AP top-10 · 5 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #24 | #9 | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 9-3 | 6-3 | #31 | #16 | 1-0 |
| 2023 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #75 | — | — |
| 2022 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #17 | #14 | 0-1 |
| 2021 | 5-7 | 4-5 | #64 | — | — |
| 2020 | 2-6 | 2-6 | #90 | — | — |
| 2019 | 6-6 | 4-5 | #60 | — | 0-1 |
| 2018 | 4-8 | 2-7 | #97 | — | — |
| 2017 | 2-10 | 0-9 | #96 | — | — |
| 2016 | 3-9 | 2-7 | #94 | — | — |
| 2015 | 5-7 | 2-6 | #68 | — | — |
| 2014 | 6-6 | 3-5 | #68 | — | 0-1 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #57 · 13 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★138 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #45 | 203 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2024 | #49 | 199 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| 2023 | #38 | 206 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| 2022 | #46 | 193 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2021 | #73 | 159 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2020 | #87 | 153 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2019 | #53 | 184 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 2018 | #54 | 186 | 0 | 2 | 21 |
| 2017 | #46 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2016 | #73 | 154 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 19net -8Out 27
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.1 / 3.1
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | James Finley | S | 4★ | ← Northern Illinois |
| ▲ | Katin Houser | QB | 3★ | ← East Carolina |
| ▲ | Robert Edmonson | LB | 3★ | ← Colorado State |
| ▲ | Lavon Williams | S | 3★ | ← East Texas A&M |
| ▼ | Tomiwa Durojaiye | DL | 4★ | → South Carolina |
| ▼ | Cole Rusk | TE | 4★ | → Arizona |
| ▼ | Justin Bowick | WR | 4★ | → Oklahoma State |
| ▼ | Angelo McCullom | DL | 3★ | → Texas A&M |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
7 items
- EA Sports' 'College Football 27' Ratings Released: Who Is Illinois' Top-Rated Player?"College Football 27" ratings were released on Thursday, and the Illini were as curious to learn how they rated as their fans wereILL1d
- Illinois Football is nearly ready for the next step. Is everyone else?The Illini are being objectively underrated compared to their on-field performance.ILL1d
- Whitman reiterates preference for 24-team CFP fieldJun. 26—CHAMPAIGN — The debate continues in college football with no clear-cut indication which way it will go. At issue: How many teams should make the playoffs? The answer depends on who you ask. On Thursday during the annual Josh Whitman roundtable, I put the question to the decade-long Illinois athletic director. Knowing his bread is buttered in the Big Ten, Whitman went with the number ...ILL3d
- Bret Bielema stacking much-needed depth in the Illinois football secondaryIllinois football added another member to the class of 2027 on Tuesday, in hopes of building depth at a crucial position group.ILL5d
- Illinois Football Receive Commitment From 2027 Kicker Ulysses MoralesMorales, who committed to Illinois on Sunday, could enter a wide-open race to be the Illini's placekicker of the futureILL6d
- Illinois football shows recruiting masterclass in latest 2027 commitmentBret Bielema keeps the Illinois football recruiting train going with another commitment on Monday.ILL6d
- Decision time locked in for massive Illinois football recruiting targetIllinois football has been targeting numerous recruits, and on Monday, we will know a key decision for the future.ILL7d