Running back, Illinois, 2022–26
Aidan Laughery
Lettered 2023–25 (school media guide)
- Number
- No. 21
- Height
- 5′11″
- Weight
- 200 lb
- Class (2026)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Gibson City, IL
Aidan Laughery plays running back for Illinois. Last time out, at Michigan State: 17 carries, 70 yards; 4 catches, 24 yards, 1 TD. Laughery leads Illinois in rushing yards this season.
2026 so far
391 rushing yards, 1 TD
Last game: 17 carries, 70 yards; 4 catches, 24 yards, 1 TD at Michigan State, W 38–37
Next game: vs. Oregon, Oct 24
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
172rushing yards, career highvs. Northwestern, 20243rushing touchdowns, career highvs. Northwestern, 2024Rushing
* The season in progress, so far.
Receiving
Returns
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Illinois | 21 | RB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2023 | Illinois | 21 | RB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2024 | Illinois | 21 | RB | Yr 3 | ||
| 2025 | Illinois | 21 | RB | Yr 4 | ||
| 2026 | Illinois | 21 | RB | Sr. (Yr 5) | 5′11″ | 200 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Illinois | 3 | -1.24 | – | – | -3.7 | – | – |
| 2023 | Illinois | 18 | 0.14 | – | – | 2.5 | – | – |
| 2024 | Illinois | 109 | 0.15 | 48th (n=434) | 0.16 | 16.7 | 14% | 0.23 |
| 2025 | Illinois | 85 | 0.03 | 28th (n=576) | 0.10 | 2.2 | 14% | 0.11 |
| 2026 | Illinois | 75 | 0.22 | 74th (n=478) | 0.10 | 16.2 | 20% | 0.16 |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Rushing detail
| Season | Team | Success | Line yards | Second level | Open field | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Illinois | 43% | 2.90 | 0.90 | 1.60 | 19% |
| 2026 | Illinois | 44% | 3.80 | 1.00 | 1.80 | 5% |
Where his yards came from, per carry: line yards are the ones credited to the blockers (the first few, and losses), second level the yards 5 to 10 past the line, open field those beyond 10. Success: carries that kept the offense on schedule. Stuffed: carries stopped at or behind the line. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.
Game by game
2026 Illinois 6 games, 391 rushing yards, 1 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs. | W 42–23 | 8 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 17 |
| Sep 12 | vs. | L 27–31 | 10 | 37 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| Sep 19 | vs. | W 48–10 | 4 | 93 | 1 | 77 | – | – |
| Sep 26 | at | L 19–42 | 11 | 113 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 1 |
| Oct 3 | vs. | L 17–24 | 12 | 49 | 0 | 13 | 1 | −4 |
| Oct 10 | at | W 38–37 | 17 | 70 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 24 |
2025 Illinois 9 games, 382 rushing yards, 3 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs. | W 52–3 | 9 | 101 | 2 | 57 | 2 | 22 |
| Sep 6 | at | W 45–19 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 6 | – | – |
| Sep 27 | vs. | W 34–32 | 7 | 25 | 0 | 7 | – | – |
| Oct 11 | vs. | L 16–34 | 8 | 50 | 1 | 23 | 4 | 12 |
| Oct 25 | at | L 25–42 | 9 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Nov 1 | vs. | W 35–13 | 9 | 41 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| Nov 22 | at | L 10–27 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 5 | – | – |
| Nov 29 | vs. | W 20–13 | 9 | 37 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 11 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. | W 30–28 | 13 | 77 | 0 | 28 | – | – |
2024 Illinois 12 games, 589 rushing yards, 4 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs. | W 45–0 | 10 | 79 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 7 |
| Sep 7 | vs. | W 23–17 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 5 | – | – |
| Sep 20 | at | W 31–24 | 4 | 30 | 0 | 21 | 1 | −3 |
| Sep 28 | at | L 7–21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Oct 12 | vs. | W 50–49 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 7 |
| Oct 19 | vs. | W 21–7 | 9 | 54 | 0 | 29 | – | – |
| Oct 26 | at | L 9–38 | 12 | 69 | 0 | 34 | – | – |
| Nov 2 | vs. | L 17–25 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 14 |
| Nov 16 | vs. | W 38–16 | 10 | 37 | 0 | 11 | – | – |
| Nov 23 | at | W 38–31 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| Nov 30 | vs. | W 38–28 | 12 | 172 | 3 | 64 | – | – |
| Dec 31 ✦ | vs. | W 21–17 | 16 | 67 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
2023 Illinois 8 games, 7 returns, 133 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 30–28 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sep 8 | at | L 23–34 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sep 16 | vs. | L 13–30 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 12 |
| Sep 23 | vs. | W 23–17 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 19 | – | – |
| Sep 30 | at | L 19–44 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Oct 14 | at | W 27–24 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| Oct 21 | vs. | L 21–25 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 15 | – | – |
| Nov 25 | vs. | L 43–45 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 17 | – | – |
2022 Illinois 1 game, 9 rushing yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22 | vs. | W 31–0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 5 | – | – |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.
