2026 Illinois State
5–2 (1–2 Missouri Valley Football Conference). The season’s Wikipedia article records 4–2, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat St. Francis (IL) 76–0Aug 29
By 76 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Northern Illinois 28–24Sep 12
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vsSt. Francis (IL) | W 76–0 | 86% |
| Sep 5 | at Western Illinois | W 41–10 | 72% |
| Sep 12 | at Northern Illinois | W 28–24 | 54% |
| Sep 19 | vs Eastern Illinois | W 49–13 | 89% |
| Sep 26 | at Northern Iowa | L 21–28 | 76% |
| Oct 3 | vs South Dakota State | L 14–31 | 63% |
| Oct 17 | at Southern Illinois | W 35–14 | 57% |
| Oct 24 | vs Indiana State | Preview | 86% |
| Oct 31 | vs Murray State | Preview | 91% |
| Nov 7 | at North Dakota | Preview | 45% |
| Nov 14 | at Youngstown State | Preview | 43% |
| Nov 21 | vs South Dakota | Preview | 58% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
- Record
- 5–2
- Conference
- 1–2 6th in Missouri Valley Football Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 264–120
- Coach
- —
- Elo
- 1462 +4 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- −14.6 No. 5 of 128 in FCS
- Recruiting class
- No. 145
- Offensive coordinator
- Mickey Turner
- Defensive coordinator
- Travis Niekamp
Leaders
| Passing yards | Gage Roy QB | 777 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Gage Roy QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Victor Dawson RB | 281 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Chase Kwiatkowski QB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Dylan Lord WR | 358 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Alex Herrera TE | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Tye Niekamp LB | 45 tkl |
| Sacks | Tye Niekamp LB | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Dexter Niekamp LB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Will Strong WR | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Albert Gooden III ATH | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Hudson Samolinski DL | ★★★ | No. 2052 |
| Draivyn Colvin LB | ★★★ | No. 2052 |
| Diesel McFadden LB | ★★★ | No. 2052 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.860 |
| Whole class | 7 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 102
The 2026 roster102 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 54 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2026 portal
Transfers out 8
 C.J. Richard Jr. S | ★★★ | to  Florida State |
| Jake Anderson DL | ★★★ | to  Wisconsin |
| Christian Lorenzo DL | ★★★ | to  North Texas |
| Eddie Kasper WR | ★★★ | to  Illinois |
| Patrick Bauer LB | ★★★ | to  Cincinnati |
| Jamarcus Smith LB | no new school on file | |
| Mason Blakemore RB | to  Kent State | |
| Matt Lawson RB | no new school on file |
2026 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 4–1 | 6–2 | |
| South Dakota | 3–1 | 6–2 | |
| North Dakota | 3–1 | 6–2 | |
| South Dakota State | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
| Northern Iowa | 2–1 | 3–3 | |
| Illinois State | 1–2 | 5–2 | |
| Southern Illinois | 1–3 | 3–5 | |
| Indiana State | 0–3 | 2–5 | |
| Murray State | 0–3 | 1–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.