CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2026 Illinois

3–⁠3 (1–⁠2 Big Ten), coached by Bret Bielema.

Schedule and results

Illinois in 2026, game by game: won vs. UAB 42–23; lost vs. Duke 27–31; won vs. Southern Illinois 48–10; lost at No. 7 Ohio State 19–42; lost vs. Purdue 17–24; won at Michigan State 38–37+38−23Won 42–23 vs. UAB+19UABLost 27–31 vs. Duke-4DukeWon 48–10 vs. Southern Illinois+38Southern Illino…Lost 19–42 at No. 7 Ohio State-23No. 7 Ohio StateLost 17–24 vs. Purdue-7PurdueWon 38–37 at Michigan State+1Michigan State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3vsUABW 42–⁠2378%
Sep 12vsDukeL 27–⁠3154%
Sep 19vsSouthern IllinoisW 48–⁠1080%
Sep 26at7Ohio StateL 19–⁠4223%
Oct 3vsPurdueL 17–⁠2480%
Oct 10atMichigan StateW 38–⁠3755%
Oct 24vsOregonPreview34%
Oct 31atMarylandPreview62%
Nov 6vsNebraskaPreview49%
Nov 13atUCLAPreview32%
Nov 21vsIowaPreview39%
Nov 28atNorthwesternPreview33%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

Record
3–⁠3
Conference
1–⁠2 tied for 12th in Big Ten
AP now
Unranked
Points
191–⁠167
Coach
Bret Bielema
Elo
1533 −37 this season
SP+ rating
5.8 No. 53 of 138; offense No. 31, defense No. 84, special teams No. 4
SRS
2.8 No. 57 of 138 in FBS
Returning
21% of last season’s EPA, No. 98 of 136
Recruiting class
No. 24 roster talent No. 51 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Barry Lunney Jr.
Defensive coordinator
Bobby Hauck
Offense
Spread
Defense
3–⁠3–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense35th of 138
  • Defense136th of 138
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted30th of 138
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted139th of 138
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2049%1.2835th of 138
Defense0.3548%1.29136th of 138
Opponent-adjusted0.17 off
0.26 def		47% off
46% def		—30th off
139th def

Passing and running

Pass successDepth of targetDeep throwsLine yardsStuffed
Offense54%10.0 yds14%3.4011%
Defense52%9.2 yds16%3.0015%
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. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.9own 2811% allowed
Defense4.1own 2912% caused

CORE rating -5.5, 91st of 138 (offense 10.3, defense 15.8).

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 yardsKatin Houser QB1,440 yds
Passing touchdownsKatin Houser QB12 TD
Rushing yardsAidan Laughery RB391 yds
Rushing touchdownsJordan Anderson RB2 TD
Receiving yardsCollin Dixon WR608 yds
Receiving touchdownsCollin Dixon WR9 TD
TacklesMatthew Bailey DB41 tkl
SacksDaniel Brown LB1 sacks
InterceptionsIsmael Kante LB1 INT

Top recruits in the 2026 class

Nick Hankins Jr. CB★★★★No. 135
Champ Smith OL★★★★No. 231
Nas Rankin ATH★★★★No. 308
Kai Pritchard OL★★★★No. 416
Jacob Eberhart LB★★★★No. 422

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2026 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.864
Running backs23.00.871
Receivers53.00.863
Offensive line43.50.891
Defensive line73.00.876
Linebackers53.20.872
Defensive backs33.30.903
Athletes and specialists23.50.865
Whole class293.20.876

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 117

The 2026 roster

117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 20

The 2026 portal
James Finley S★★★★from Northern Illinois
Katin Houser QB★★★from East Carolina
Robert Edmonson LB★★★from Colorado State
Alex Perry WR★★★from Florida International
Darrell Prater DL★★★from Jacksonville State
Isaiah Thomison DL★★★from Bowling Green
Jake Renfro OL★★★from Wisconsin
Jayshon Platt WR★★★from Florida Atlantic
Lavon Williams S★★★from East Texas A&M
William Holmes DE★★★from Utah State
Christian Martin OT★★★from Colorado State
Eddie Kasper WR★★★from Illinois State

And 8 more, lower-rated or unrated.

Transfers out 27

Tomiwa Durojaiye DL★★★★to South Carolina
Cole Rusk TE★★★★to Arizona
Justin Bowick WR★★★★to Oklahoma State
Angelo McCullom DL★★★to Texas A&M
Jojo Hayden LB★★★to Purdue
Kaleb Patterson CB★★★to Kansas State
Curt Neal DL★★★to Purdue
Eli Coenen DL★★★to Michigan State
Jeremiah Warren DL★★★to Pittsburgh
Malik Elzy WR★★★to LSU
Malachi Hood LB★★★to West Virginia
Vernon Woodward III CB★★★to Jacksonville State

And 15 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2026 Big Ten standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
UCLA4–⁠06–⁠0
Ohio State4–⁠06–⁠1
USC3–⁠16–⁠1
Indiana3–⁠16–⁠1
Iowa2–⁠15–⁠1
Northwestern2–⁠15–⁠1
Oregon2–⁠14–⁠2
Minnesota2–⁠14–⁠2
Wisconsin2–⁠14–⁠2
Nebraska2–⁠25–⁠2
Purdue2–⁠23–⁠4
Michigan1–⁠24–⁠2
Illinois1–⁠23–⁠3
Rutgers1–⁠22–⁠4
Washington1–⁠34–⁠3
Penn State0–⁠43–⁠4
Michigan State0–⁠42–⁠5
Maryland0–⁠42–⁠5

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.