Football

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

February 4, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy New Era Prep)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois football program continues to build momentum on the recruiting trail, adding its third late commitment in three days as wide receiver Leslie Mosley Jr. announced his pledge to the Illini.

The recent surge began Sunday with cornerback Caden Considine from Byron, Illinois. It continued with Mount Zion wide receiver Jacob Harvey flipping his commitment from Illinois State on Tuesday. Today, Illinois added Mosley Jr., a 2026 prospect from West Palm Beach, Florida, giving the program another key piece in the upcoming class.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

February 4. 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Recruiting momentum can shift in an instant, and for Mount Zion wide receiver Jacob Harvey, that moment came when Illinois entered the picture.

Harvey originally planned to attend Illinois State and play for the Redbirds, but a late push from the Illini staff changed the trajectory of his recruitment. Illinois ultimately convinced the in-state standout to stay home and join the program, giving the Illini another late addition to their growing class.

Harvey, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver from Mount Zion High School, becomes the second late addition for Illinois in recent days, joining cornerback Caden Considine of Byron, Illinois.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

February 3, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Bret Bielema has always loved tight ends. Wherever he's been, that's been a constant. Barry Lunney has also loved his tight ends at his three college stops. However, the manner in which they've used those tight ends has been anything but consistent. At Wisconsin and Arkansas, Bielema has used tight ends as blockers, but has often had an occasional guy who's a receiver-first as well. Lunney's offenses at Arkansas and UTSA have been receivers first, but guys who can block a little too. Bielema's first OC Tony Petersen filled the roster with blocking tight ends, and Lunney has used primarily blockers since he's arrived too. However, Tip Reiman and Tanner Arkin are gone and there's an opportunity to change things up a bit. What does that mean for 2026? Well, read on.

Newcomers
Officially, there's only one new player at the position: freshman Will Vala.

For the first time since Dec. 2022, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will need to fill a coordinator spot on coaching staff after losing Aaron Henry to Notre Dame. IlliniGuys.com have broken down a potential list of candidates here. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 2, 2026

NOTE: It should be known this hot board will be updated based on sourced information during the search process as Illinois head coach Bret Bielema attempts to find his third defensive coordinator hire since Bielema’s arrival in Champaign on Dec. 2020. However, as of now (late evening of Feb. 1), this is a list in no particular order fully based on nothing more than speculation and should not be used as anything more than a guideline on potential candidates. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For the third time since accepting to be Illinois’ head coach in Dec. 2020, Bret Bielema will need to hire a defensive play-caller to his coaching staff just a few months before 2026 spring practices are slated to begin on the University of Illinois campus. 

One of the few logical ways IlliniGuys.com felt to best separate potential candidates for this hot board was in two categories. Before the 2021 season, Bielema publicly discussed his desire to hire coordinators who he’d never worked with and had no previous ties with in his coaching career. Despite obviously filling his assistant coach positions with people he’d either coached, worked with in some capacity or interviewed for previous openings he’d had at either Wisconsin or Arkansas, (defensive line coach Terrance Jamsion, offensive line coach Bart Miller, then-defensive backs coach Aaron Henry, linebackers coach Andy Buh, wide receivers coach George McDonald and chief of staff Mark Taurisani), the Illini head coach said he felt it would be a unhealthy start to hire coordinators he’d had a previous relationship with because he wanted those spots to A) represent a new philosophical beginning to Bielema’s restart in the college game and B) be strictly merit-based hires. Enter the hirings of former Appalachian State offensive coordinator Tony Petersen, former Missouri defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and former Air Force special teams coordinator Ben Miller. The results of this philosophy were mixed as by the end of the 2022 regular season, none of these three men were in these jobs as Petersen was fired after just one season, Walters left to become Purdue’s head coach after two seasons at Illinois and Miller was forced to take a medical leave of absence from the position after being diagnosed with colon cancer. In each of the subsequent searches following the departure of Petersen and Walters, Bielema reversed course on his philosophy and elected to go with people who he’d worked with in the past and had a deep connection with professionally and personally. Barry Lunney Jr. reunited with Bielema in 2022 after Lunney spent five years as the tight ends coach at Arkansas under Bielema from 2013-17. To replace Walters after the 2022 season, Bielema elected to quickly with an in-house promotion of Aaron Henry, who was offered the full-time play-caller role before the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa.

Therefore, based on the five-year history of Bielema’s behavior in this decision-making spot, a logical way to categorize this hot board for Bielema’s third defensive coordinator hire should be split between three categories: 1) Those with a previous connection; 2) Those without any previous ties to the Illini head coach; 3) An in-house promotion

After three years calling the defenses at Illinois, Aaron […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 31, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Back in November, Illinois was just the second program to offer St. Laurence linebacker Sean Rice, who, since making the switch to his new position, has seen production – and interest – grow in a big way. He caught up with IlliniGuys writer Zeno Jo during the program’s Junior Day earlier in January to talk about his recruitment process.

Since visiting Illinois in November, Rice’s list of Division I offers has grown from two to 11. He attributes that growth to the switch from defensive line to linebacker, which came, in large part, thanks to his coaches. He calls the decision to switch positions “by far” one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

After three years at Illinois, Robby Discher has elected to leave Bret Bielema’s staff to join Ryan Day’s operation at Ohio State.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

January 31, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When Illinois opens its 2026 Big Ten Conference schedule on Sept. 26 at Ohio State, Robby Discher will be on the sidelines coaching but it will be on the home side.

Discher has agreed to join Ryan Day’s coaching staff to be the Buckeyes special teams coordinator leaving Illini head coach Bret Bielema in need of replacing two position coach spots, one of which is one of his three coordinators who he values on his staff.

Bielema had previously said that he expected all three of the coordinators on his staff to return for the 2026 season but Discher has elected to leave for Ohio State’s operation that is 79-12 overall and 54-5 in the Big Ten in the seven seasons of Day’s leadership. Discher’s hiring in Columbus, Ohio marks the first time Ohio State will have a full-fledged special teams coordinator since it fired Parker Fleming after the 2023 season. Ohio State’s special teams were overseen for the past two seasons by quality control coach Rob Keys and program assistant Gunner Daniel.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 30, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini will start the 2026 season with the same three backs that figured to lead them in the 2025 season: Ca'Lil Valentine, Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery. However, with the recent news that the Illini are experimenting with Feagin as a tight end next year and the addition of two more excellent prospects, I don't expect 2026 to be more of the same for this group. For one thing, Valentine passed Feagin as the primary back as the year went on and he figures to take an even bigger role in 2026. Valentine has added 25 pounds since he arrived in Champaign, and with a little more weight he could be in line for a run to the NFL next season.

Newcomers
Javari Barnett from Tampa Bay Tech flipped back to Illinois from his Alabama commitment on signing day and Nelsyn Wheeler from Omaha Millard South exploded into a high level prospect after transferred to one of the top teams in Nebraska. Barnett was one of my favorite early commitments, so I wasn't surprised when Alabama swooped in and talked him out of his Illini pledge. However, Barnett had an injury plagued senior year in which he didn't really progress as a player, so I also wasn't terribly surprised when he slipped back out of his Illini commitment.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 28, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy East Carolina Athletics)

I know you're all expecting recruiting spotlights on each of our newcomers, but with the constant comings and goings I decided it was better to break down the post-portal roster position by position. And, since everyone was most anxious to learn who our quarterback would be, I'm starting there.

The newcomer: Katin Houser, transfer from ECU. I really thought the Illini nailed this one. Typically a P4 program without unlimited dollars is looking for a transfer QB who was highly rated but failed at his first school or a guy who did well against lesser competition but is looking to move up a level in his last year of eligibility. In Houser, the Illini got the best of both worlds. He's a guy who had the ability to earn a 4-star rating coming out of high school, yet he also shone at ECU when he transferred after Michigan State's new coach Jonathan Smith brought a new QB with him to East Lansing. Houser redshirted in his first year and then took over as the primary starter in 2023. However, Michigan State endured a brutal season that saw the Spartans start off decently but then fall apart down the stretch. Houser took over the starting job in week 4 and generally played like a talented player who wasn't ready yet.

The Illinois football team's 2026 Big Ten schedule was […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 26, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Hoosier Huddle)

Welcome to Part 3 of the Cignetti Recipe. Now that I've done a deep dive on Curt Cignetti and in his staff, I thought I'd look into the players that have benefitted from Cignetti's new dynasty at Indiana.

Most people would tell you that the Indiana turnaround was all about Cignetti bringing his best players from James Madison with him. However, only 13 of the 31 incoming transfers to Indiana in 2024 followed Cignetti and his staff. And I'm sure everyone noticed that James Madison has continued to excel with the players that Cignetti left behind so clearly some good players stayed and the cupboard wasn't bare in Harrisonburg. New JMU coach Bob Chesney took much of his staff with him from Holy Cross and there's only one staff member left over from the Cignetti era, so it stands to reason that the Cignetti-coached Dukes remaining at JMU are still very talented. Not only that, but only two Hoosiers were drafted in 2025.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 25, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – During last week’s men’s basketball game against Minnesota, the seats behind the home baseline at State Farm Center were filled with a group of 2027 recruits, with each of them sitting next to the coaches actively recruiting them. Among them was Evanston Township High School athlete Justin Johnson.

Currently rated as a three-star recruit, Johnson has attracted interest from nine Division I schools. IlliniGuys’ Zeno Jo was at State Farm Center on Saturday and spoke with Johnson, who said he was there for his first Illini basketball game. Sitting next to him for most of the game was Illini defensive backs coach Corey Parker.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A year and a half ago, Illinois became one of the first Division I schools and the first power conference school to offer Chicago native and Brother Rice standout defensive lineman Brayden Parks. Fast forward to present day, Parks has become not just one of the highest-rated players in the state, but one of the highest-rated defensive linemen in the entire nation.

When Parks spoke to IlliniGuys back in September, he’d racked up over 40 offers, with some of college football’s bluebloods chasing his signature. While Illinois did hop on the Parks train early, the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, and Ohio State have added to his ever-growing list of offers since then.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 23, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Wide Open Country)

Welcome to Part 2 of the Cignetti Recipe: The Staff.

You may have seen that as a condition of Curt Cignetti's recent in-season extension that he ensured that he would basically have as much money as he wanted to keep whatever staff he wanted. On one hand, that makes sense because a staff is an underrated aspect to a program's success. On the other hand, it's a little surprising to see that Indiana would pay top dollar for the guys that have stuck with Cignetti as he's risen through the ranks. Coordinators Bryant Haines and Mike Shanahan have been with Cignetti at all of his head coaching stops, and the money is Cignetti's attempt to share the wealth since they both started making $10,000 as IUP assistants.

Haines is only 40 years old, and like Cignetti he has a brother in coaching. His brother Tyler is the head coach at DII Catawba. He's a far better communicator than Cignetti and is a future head coaching candidate, so the money helps Cignetti by ensuring that Haines doesn't leave for a head coaching job before he gets a perfect opportunity, not that it stopped Haynes from interviewing for the Michigan job. Shanahan (no relation to the hall of fame coach of the same name) is only 36, and after a brief playing career that included a cup of coffee in the NFL, he took a job at IUP and he's stuck with Cignetti ever since. Shanahan's expertise is with wide receivers and he retains that position coach position at Indiana, but he took the offensive reins at the end of Cignetti's time at James Madison and is still the OC (though Cignetti is very hands-on with the job). He too is a very personable guy and will have a shot at a big-time head coaching job before too long. 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

January 23, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy MaxPreps)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois is beginning to turn more attention toward the 2027 recruiting class as the program continues to evaluate long-term talent on the high school front.

The Big Ten has shown recruits across the country that leaving SEC territory to play in the league is not only realistic but increasingly attractive. With the last three national champions coming from Michigan, Ohio State, and most recently, the Indiana Hoosiers, the conference’s profile has never been stronger.

Illinois took another step in that direction this week, extending an offer to Darren White, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle from Lake Nona High School in Orlando, Florida.