Football

One of the major needs in this 2026 draft for the New England Patriots was pass rushing help and they filled that requirement by trading up for Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 26, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

For a team that won 14 regular season games under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, earned the No. 2 seed in the American Football Conference in the National Football League playoffs and advanced all the way to Super Bowl 60, one would think the New England Patriots defense was creating massive amounts of havoc in the opposing backfields.

The reality is Vrabel, a defensive-minded head coach, and his defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr would likely be the first people to admit New England had a pass rush problem in 2025. The Patriots were near the bottom of the NFL in quarterback sacks, quarterback hurries and quarterback knockdowns leading to them being in the top five of 32 NFL defenses in percentage of blitzes called per game in order to create any backfield disruption at all.

So, after trading up in the first round on Thursday to draft some protection for quarterback Drake Maye, in the form of Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu, with the 28th overall pick in the first round, New England general manager Eliot Wolf elected to do the same thing on Friday night

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer goes undrafted in 2026 NFL Draft. Illini still haven’t had a quarterback selected in NFL draft since Kurt Kittner in 2002. Altmyer signed a free agent tryout deal with the Detroit Lions.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 26, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The run of Illini quarterbacks not hearing their name called during the NFL Draft continues.

Record-setting Illinois passer Luke Altmyer not among one of the 257 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Amongst the seven rounds of the draft over the last three days, 10 quarterbacks were selected by NFL teams including three from Big Ten Conference schools (Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall, Penn State’s Drew Allar at No. 76 overall and Athan Kaliakmanis, who played at both Minnesota and Rutgers, at 223rd overall). 

Shortly after the draft concluded on Saturday evening, IlliniGuys.com was able to confirm what NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero first reported that Altmyer had signed a free agent tryout deal with Detroit Lions. The Lions did not select a quarterback in the 2026 draft and its depth chart currently includes just two quarterbacks under contract - 31-year-old projected starter Jared Goff and 33-year-old projected backup Teddy Bridgewater. 

Illinois safety Miles Scott is selected in the seventh […]

Illinois two-year left tackle starter J.C. Davis was selected […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema sees two-year left tackle starter J.C. Davis likely kicking inside at guard once he’s drafted into a National Football League franchise.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 25, 2026

While Bret Bielema can’t possibly predict when and where his two-year starting left tackle will be drafted today, he has a prediction that it won’t be to play the position he mastered at Illinois.

The six-year Illini head coach, who signed Davis out of the transfer portal from New Mexico prior to the 2024 season and then sold Davis in his Oakland Calif., home on Christmas Eve to return to Illinois for the 2025 campaign, believes Davis will be a interior offensive lineman in the National Football League.

“I thought (Davis’ return to Illinois) could improve his draft status. And there's no doubt in my mind we've done that,” Bielema said in a Zoom session with local media on Tuesday.

The New England Patriots traded up into the second […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

April 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Class of 2028 offensive tackle Joseph Frierdich, a standout from Carbondale, received a memorable scholarship offer from Bret Bielema during a recent visit to Illinois Fighting Illini football, and the moment left him stunned.

“On my visit on April 8, right in the middle of practice, coach Bielema walked up to me and my father. We were just talking football in general, and out of nowhere, coach said, 'I want to offer you a full-ride scholarship to play here.' I was so shocked at first and didn’t catch what he just told us,” Frierdich told IlliniGuys.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound lineman has already drawn significant attention on the recruiting trail. His film shows really good technique, great lateral movement, and an ability to use his hands effectively, especially in space, traits that have made him one of the more intriguing young offensive tackles in his class.

Gesky among several Illini players hoping to hear their name called over the next three days in Pittsburgh during the 2026 NFL Draft.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 23, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Josh Gesky has high hopes of joining a select group of athletes this weekend.

The former Illinois offensive guard is not only hoping to hear his name called at some point in Pittsburgh during the 2026 National Football League Draft but by doing so, he’ll be one of the few professional football players who have been diagnosed as Type I diabetic.

Gesky, who graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in public health, was diagnosed at six years old with Type I diabetes, a chronic disorder that causes the pancreas to not produce enough the hormone of insulin needed to allow sugar to enter the cells inside your blood for humans to produce the proper amount of energy.

Moreland is the second executive in the last four […]

--Indiana will close out their first spring session as […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema says “that one is real” when referencing but not officially naming the addition of junior college defensive lineman Deon Williams.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 21, 2026

CHAMPAIGN — In the midst of his Zoom media session with local reporters Tuesday afternoon, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema hinted his program had received a verbal commitment from a junior college defensive lineman.

Bielema was referencing his staff’s anticipation at the arrival of defensive tackle Deon Williams from City College of San Francisco.

“We added another guy through the juco world who will be joining us who I’m really excited about,” Bielema said as he ran down the individual defensive line improvement on Tuesday.

Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp can’t wait for Collin Dixon to emerge as a go-to target in this 2026 offensive scheme.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 14, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — Entering the spring before his fourth season at Illinois, the one thing Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp can guarantee is Collin Dixon is going to consistently be on the football field but it’s the where part that is still being figured out.

“Collin Dixon is an expert in everything of this offense,” Stepp said Monday in a media session inside the Smith Center. “I promise he knows it better than I do. Collin Dixon can play all three spots.”

The positional versatility of being able to play all three of the wide receiver positions inside Barry Lunney Jr.’s 11 personnel offensive scheme has been the key to Dixon, a 6-foot-1 and 215-pound target, getting 23 starts over the last two seasons and he’ll be expected to take one of those starting roles entering the 2026 season.
Dixon, who redshirted his first season at Illinois to learn the offense and get his body physically able to withstand the physicality that Bielema requires out of his wide receivers, has spent the last two seasons being a jack of all trades type receiver in Champaign.

Dixon finished the 2025 campaign with 35 receptions for 548 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season, which was tied for the team lead. However, instead of trying to get him expertise in one role, Stepp believes Dixon’s versatility is his best weapon to staying on the field as Illinois has brought in several less productive but high upside options from the transfer portal this offseason.

Zeno Jo, IlliniGuys Staff Writer April 13, 2026 CHAMPAIGN, […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

April 8, 2026

The move had been rumored for a while, but the timing of Northern Illinois' safety James Finley to Illinois was a surprise to most Illini fans. Finley did not initially enter the transfer portal, but after NIU head coach Thomas Hammock left the school to take a job with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, Finley took advantage of his late opportunity and moved downstate to Champaign. Illinois was Finley's only visit and it turned into a quick commitment. The slender 6'1, 185 pounder played both corner and safety for the Huskies last year but will be a safety in Champaign.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?
Finley is an elite playmaker with great hands and body control. That much stands out on film. But,

With four starters to replace and a veteran transfer […]