Linebacker, Illinois, 2025–26
Ismael Kante
Lettered 2025 (school media guide)
- Number
- No. 26
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 235 lb
- Class (2026)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Brooklyn Park, MN
Ismael Kante plays linebacker for Illinois. Last time out, at Michigan State: 8 tackles. Kante leads Illinois in interceptions this season.
2026 so far
37 tackles, 1 INT
Last game: 8 tackles at Michigan State, W 38–37
Next game: vs. Oregon, Oct 24
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
10tackles, career highvs. Purdue, 2026Defense
* The season in progress, so far.
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
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.
Game by game
2026 Illinois 6 games, 37 tackles, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs. UAB | W 42–23 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 12 | vs. Duke | L 27–31 | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | vs. Southern Illinois | W 48–10 | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | at Ohio State | L 19–42 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | vs. Purdue | L 17–24 | 10 | 7 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 10 | at Michigan State | W 38–37 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 Illinois 5 games, 8 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20 | at Indiana | L 10–63 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4 | atPurdue | W 43–27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22 | at Wisconsin | L 10–27 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 29 | vs. Northwestern | W 20–13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. Tennessee | W 30–28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.