2025 Western Illinois
4–8 (3–5 Big South–OVC Football Association). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Valparaiso 51–30Sep 13
By 21 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Southeast Missouri State 17–22Nov 15
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | at 12Illinois | L 3–52 | 8% |
| Sep 5 | at Northwestern | L 7–42 | 14% |
| Sep 13 | vs Valparaiso | W 51–30 | 60% |
| Sep 20 | at Eastern Washington | L 31–52 | 36% |
| Sep 27 | vs Eastern Illinois | L 23–31 | 56% |
| Oct 4 | at Tennessee Tech | L 20–66 | 15% |
| Oct 11 | at UT Martin | L 31–32 | 26% |
| Oct 18 | vs Charleston Southern | L 24–29 | 60% |
| Oct 25 | at Tennessee State | W 17–16 | 28% |
| Nov 8 | vs Lindenwood | W 24–21 | 41% |
| Nov 15 | vs Southeast Missouri State | L 17–22 | 44% |
| Nov 22 | at Gardner-Webb | W 29–24 | 19% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Gardner-Webb 29–24; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Big South–OVC Football Association.
In program history: The 41st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 53 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 3–5 tied for 6th in Big South–OVC Football Association
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 277–417
- Coach
- —
- Elo
- 1180 −27 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- −35.3 No. 91 of 129 in FCS
- Recruiting class
- No. 159
- Offensive coordinator
- Brad Wilson
- Defensive coordinator
- Landon Fox
Leaders
| Passing yards | Cason Carswell QB | 2,054 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Cason Carswell QB | 16 TD |
| Rushing yards | Markell Holman RB | 999 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Markell Holman RB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Demari Davis WR | 695 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Alex Williams TE | 8 TD |
| Tackles | Buju Aumua-Tuisavura DB | 16 tkl |
| Sacks | David Dunston DL | 1 sacks |
| Interceptions | Justin Richardson DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2025 class
| Christian Pierce LB | ★★★ | No. 738 |
| Tommy Lamberti OT | ★★★ | No. 2468 |
| Cason Carswell QB | ★★★ | No. 2771 |
| Charlie Stec DE | ★★★ | No. 2771 |
| Luca Siamashvili OT | ★★★ | No. 2994 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2025 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.820 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.803 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.820 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 2.5 | 0.833 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 2.0 | 0.790 |
| Whole class | 8 | 2.6 | 0.813 |
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 111
The 2025 roster111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2025 line; 54 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2025 portal David Borchers DL | ★★★ | from  Nebraska |
 James Durand OL | ★★★ | from  Wisconsin |
 Wyatt Milkovic LB | ★★★ | from  Boise State |
Transfers out 6
 Matthew Henry WR | ★★★ | to  Western Kentucky |
| Cameren Smith RB | ★★★ | to  Charlotte |
| Elijah Aragon WR | ★★★ | to  Coastal Carolina |
| Jerrod Cameron CB | ★★★ | to Texas–Permian Basin |
| Holden Grieger OT | to American River C.C. | |
| Torrance Farmer RB | no new school on file |
2025 Big South–OVC Football Association standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Tech | 8–0 | 11–2 | |
| UT Martin | 6–2 | 6–6 | |
| Gardner-Webb | 5–3 | 7–5 | |
| Lindenwood | 5–3 | 6–6 | |
| Charleston Southern | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Southeast Missouri State | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Western Illinois | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Eastern Illinois | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Tennessee State | 0–8 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.