Defensive back, Illinois, 2024–26
Tanner Heckel
- Number
- No. 16
- Height
- 5′11″
- Weight
- 195 lb
- Class (2026)
- Junior
- Hometown
- Lyndon, KS
Tanner Heckel plays defensive back for Illinois. Last time out, at Michigan State: 7 tackles.
2026 so far
15 tackles
Last game: 7 tackles at Michigan State, W 38–37
Next game: vs. Oregon, Oct 24
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Defense
* 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 5 games, 15 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | vs. Duke | L 27–31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | vs. Southern Illinois | W 48–10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | at Ohio State | L 19–42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | vs. Purdue | L 17–24 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 10 | at Michigan State | W 38–37 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 Illinois 13 games, 36 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs. Western Illinois | W 52–3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 6 | atDuke | W 45–19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 13 | vs. Western Michigan | W 38–0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 20 | at Indiana | L 10–63 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 27 | vs. USC | W 34–32 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4 | atPurdue | W 43–27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 11 | vs.Ohio State | L 16–34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 25 | at Washington | L 25–42 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 1 | vs. Rutgers | W 35–13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 15 | vs. Maryland | W 24–6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22 | at Wisconsin | L 10–27 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 29 | vs. Northwestern | W 20–13 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. Tennessee | W 30–28 | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
2024 Illinois 3 games, 3 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28 | at Penn State | L 7–21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | vs.Purdue | W 50–49 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | vs.Michigan State | W 38–16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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