Offense
The quarterback position belongs to East Carolina transfer Katin Houser. He had two strong seasons at East Carolina, where he threw for 5,306 yards and 37 touchdowns. Houser also added 13 rushing touchdowns. He knows the Big 10 well, as he started some games at Michigan State in 2023.
The running back room returns the talented duo of Aidan Laughery and Ca’Lil Valentine. The duo combined for 996 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Both have good burst and Laughery offers some power. Kaden Feagin was the second leading rusher last season and has moved to tight end.
The wide receiver room returns experience in Hudson Clement, Collin Dixon, and tight end Christian Abney. Abney is an amazing blocker and on NFL scout’s radar. The additions of Eddie Kasper (Illinois State), Ty Robinson (Ball State), Alex Perry (FIU), and Jayshon Platt (Florida Atlantic) are massive for this unit.
The offensive line room is replacing four starters, but Offensive Line Coach Bart Miller is one of the best in the business. Brandon Henderson, Brandon Hansen, and Nathan Knapik, among others, will be relied upon. The additions of Christian Martin (Colorado State) and Jake Renfro (Wisconsin) are substantial.
Defense
The defensive line room is full of new faces. Pat Farrell and Joe Barna have the most returning experience. The additions of Durrell Prater (Jacksonville State), Isaiah Thomison (Bowling Green), Conner Sullivan (Washington State), Will Holmes (Utah State), and Carter Junki (Penn) are crucial. As is the singing of former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck to install a 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
The linebacker room returns some experience in James Kreutz, Daniel Brown Grant Beerman, and Ismael Kante. The addition of Robert Edmonson (Colorado State) is big as he provides good depth. It will be interesting to see these guys in new roles, in a new scheme.
The secondary returns plenty of experience in Matthew Berry, Xavier Scott, Juice Clarke, Tanner Heckel, Jakwon Morris, and Mac Resetich, among others. The additions of James Finley (Northern Illinois), Lavon Williams (East Texas A&M), and Deuce Fillmore (Georgia State) provide solid depth to an already deep unit.
Specialists
This unit is full of transfers. Kicking duties will belong to Washington transfer Ethan Morzulski. Punting duties will belong to Texas State transfer Lars Rau. Even long snapper Zach Haber transfers in from Arkansas.
2026 Schedule
- 9/3 UAB
- 9/12 Duke
- 9/19 Southern Illinois
- 9/26 at Ohio State
- 10/3 Purdue
- 10/10 at Michigan State
- 10/24 Oregon
- 10/31 at Maryland
- 11/6 Nebraska
- 11/13 at UCLA
- 11/21 Iowa
- 11/28 at Northwestern
Final Analysis
Bret Bielema raised the level of Illinois football to a place not many thought they could be: contending for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Last season, the Illini were one of the most experienced teams in college football. Now they are one of the most inexperienced. With that said, outside of going to Ohio State and hosting Oregon, the schedule is favorable. Another nine-win season is possible in Champaign-Urbana.
