
Football Recruiting Spotlight on Will Vala
By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst
June 17, 2025
(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)
If you gave just about any offensive coordinator an unlimited roster, the first thing he would do is stock up with specialty tight ends. Even if the 7th tight end you add isn't sexy and doesn't have an NFL future, there's nothing quite like a specialty tight end to take advantage of a certain match-up or run a play you design for him when you really need a first down. I wrote this same thing when the Illini signed Carson Goda last summer: look for him to get a touchdown when you least expect it. Sure enough the Illini designed a play for Goda to leak out into the flat after not looking at him all year and he scored the only Illini touchdown against Penn State. I hope to see more of Will Vala than that long-term, but that's the first thing I thought of when I looked into Will Vala's ability. He's the perfect type of guy to put on the field in passing situations and use to get a key play when you really need it. The 6'4 220 pounder from Downers Grove North is a better player that Goda and Illinois had to beat 4 other Big Ten schools as well as a handful of other high majors to gain his commitment. However, even with Illinois likely switching to using tight ends more and more as receivers like Bret Bielema and Barry Lunney did at Arkansas, he's a little limited.
What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?