2023 Illinois
5–7 (3–6 Big Ten), coached by Bret Bielema. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Florida Atlantic 23–17Sep 23
By 6 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Indiana 48–45Nov 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs Toledo | W 30–28 | 59% |
| Sep 8 | at Kansas | L 23–34 | 53% |
| Sep 16 | vs 7Penn State | L 13–30 | 36% |
| Sep 23 | vs Florida Atlantic | W 23–17 | 66% |
| Sep 30 | at Purdue | L 19–44 | 48% |
| Oct 6 | vs Nebraska | L 7–20 | 62% |
| Oct 14 | at Maryland | W 27–24 | 23% |
| Oct 21 | vs Wisconsin | L 21–25 | 42% |
| Nov 4 | at Minnesota | W 27–26 | 26% |
| Nov 11 | vs Indiana | W 48–45 | 67% |
| Nov 18 | at Iowa | L 13–15 | 20% |
| Nov 25 | vs Northwestern | L 43–45 | 58% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Northwestern 45–43; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 8th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 90th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
- Record
- 5–7
- Conference
- 3–6 tied for 8th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 294–353
- Coach
- Bret Bielema
- Elo
- 1465 −77 this season
- SP+ rating
- -2.5 No. 75 of 133; offense No. 92, defense No. 45, special teams No. 70
- SRS
- −2.5 No. 75 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 32% of last season’s EPA, No. 106 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 38 roster talent No. 63 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Barry Lunney Jr.
- Defensive coordinators
- Aaron Henry and Terrance Jamison
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- Multiple 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.10 | 45% | 1.14 | 63rd of 133 |
| Defense | 0.14 | 44% | 1.12 | 86th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.13 off 0.14 def | 46% off 44% def | — | 58th off 88th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.9 | own 26 | 20% allowed |
| Defense | 4.1 | own 32 | 15% caused |
CORE rating -0.7, 67th of 133 (offense 3.5, defense 4.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Luke Altmyer QB | 1,883 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Luke Altmyer QB | 13 TD |
| Rushing yards | Reggie Love III RB | 567 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Reggie Love III RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Isaiah Williams WR | 1,055 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Patrick Bryant WR | 7 TD |
| Tackles | Dylan Rosiek LB | 82 tkl |
| Sacks | Jer’Zhan Newton DL | 7.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Miles Scott DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Malik Elzy WR | ★★★★ | No. 227 |
| Saboor Karriem S | ★★★★ | No. 346 |
| Kaden Feagin ATH | ★★★★ | No. 380 |
| Kenari Wilcher ATH | ★★★ | No. 718 |
| Collin Dixon WR | ★★★ | No. 824 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.869 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.3 | 0.873 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.859 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.863 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 3.0 | 0.851 |
| Athletes and specialists | 4 | 3.3 | 0.853 |
| Whole class | 22 | 3.1 | 0.858 |
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.
Drafted in 2024
The 2024 draft| Rd 2 | Jer’Zhan Newton DT | Washington Commanders |
| Rd 3 | Isaiah Adams OT | Arizona Cardinals |
| Rd 3 | Tip Reiman TE | Arizona Cardinals |
| Rd 6 | Casey Washington WR | Atlanta Falcons |
Roster 120
The 2023 roster120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 7
The 2023 portal Luke Altmyer QB | ★★★★ | from  Ole Miss |
 Nicario Harper S | ★★★ | from  Louisville |
 John Paddock QB | ★★★ | from  Ball State |
 Denzel Daxon DL | ★★★ | from  Ohio |
 Tanner Arkin TE | ★★★ | from  Colorado State |
 Clayton Bush S | ★★★ | from  Southern Illinois |
 Demetrius Hill S | ★★★ | from  Florida International |
Transfers out 11
 Brian Hightower WR | ★★★ | to  California |
| Shammond Cooper LB | ★★★★ | to  Akron |
| Verdis Brown DL | ★★★★ | to  Campbell |
| Calvin Hart Jr. LB | ★★★ | to  Oregon State |
| D.D. Snyder S | ★★★ | to Ball State |
| Daniel Edwards Jr. CB | ★★★ | to  Western Kentucky |
| Khmari Thompson WR | ★★★ | to  Arkansas State |
| Matt Fries OT | ★★★ | to  Monmouth |
| Naivyan Cargill TE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Prince Green CB | ★★★ | to  Georgia Southern |
| Raashaan Wilkins DL | ★★★ | to  UConn |
All-Big Ten
2 first teamFirst team
- Isaiah WilliamsWRCoaches-1; Media-1
Johnny NewtonDLCoaches-1; Media-1
From Wikipedia’s 2023 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2023 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Michigan | 9–0 | 15–0 | 1 |
 Ohio State | 8–1 | 11–2 | 10 |
| Penn State | 7–2 | 10–3 | 13 |
| Iowa | 7–2 | 10–4 | 24 |
| Northwestern | 5–4 | 8–5 | |
| Wisconsin | 5–4 | 7–6 | |
| Maryland | 4–5 | 8–5 | |
 Rutgers | 3–6 | 7–6 | |
| Minnesota | 3–6 | 6–7 | |
| Illinois | 3–6 | 5–7 | |
| Nebraska | 3–6 | 5–7 | |
| Purdue | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
 Michigan State | 2–7 | 4–8 | |
| Indiana | 1–8 | 3–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.