Football

Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry’s first humbling message to […]

Illinois will be ranked in the top 15 of […]

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular August 4, 2025 It’s […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

August 3, 2025

There's still nearly six months until the final Class of 2026 signing day on February 4, 2026, but Illinois jumped into the Class of 2027 already with what might be the highest rated recruit of the Bielema era when its all said and done.  Kamden Lopati of Salt Lake City West High School, who finished his sophomore year of high school with eye popping stats of 3,050 yards, 25 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and 647 rushing yards to boot against the toughest competition the state of Utah has to offer.  Not only that, but Lopati already has a college-ready physique at 6'2" and 215 pounds and plenty of arm strength to handle the windy days in Champaign.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Jamison has seven new players in his defensive line room who were not on the Illini 2024 roster to get fully implemented into a three-man front before the Aug. 29 season opener vs. Western Illinois. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 2, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — Good evening and welcome to the second preseason camp practice for the Illinois program for the 2025 season in the fifth campaign of Illini head coach Bret Bielema that is one of eight practices that will begin under the lights in Memorial Stadium.

Exactly like Friday night, tonight was simply a 30-minute viewing period after the team stretching pre-practice period but, as per usual, did not involve any full-team activities but highlighted the individual positional work early in this camp. In accordance with NCAA and Big Ten Conference rules, Friday’s practice and tonight’s practice was just in helmets, shorts and spider pads (basic cushioned pads that are used on non-contact days) so there’s obviously nothing to be gleamed from the line-of-scrimmage play. 

Illinois third-year starting center Josh Kreutz has a reference of several filled notebooks based on his experience with the Illini in a tactic he learned from his NFL All-Pro father.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 2, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — If you walk into Josh Kreutz’s house near the University of Illinois campus, you might find stacks and stacks of notebooks over the last four previous years of his experience as an Illini football player.

“I don’t know everything, that’s for sure. I do think I’ve gotten a grasp of certain important things,” Kreutz said. “I can go back into my notebooks from 2023 if say, we play a certain defense like a boom defense or a two-gap defense. I have those notebooks that I can refer back to. I mean, I don’t think what kind of defense Western Illinois plays this season but I have (notebooks) where I can find my notes from when I’ve played against something similar. I know I’ll do that.”

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 1, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — Good evening and welcome to the first preseason camp practice for the Illinois program for the 2025 season in the fifth campaign of Illini head coach Bret Bielema, which is one of eight practices that will begin under the lights in Memorial Stadium.

Tonight was simply a 30-minute viewing period after the team stretching pre-practice period but, as per usual, did not involve any full-team activities but highlighting the individual positional work early in this camp. Per NCAA and Big Ten Conference rules, tonight’s practice and Saturday’s practice was just in helmets, shorts, and spider pads (basic cushioned pads that are used on non-contact days) so there’s nothing to be gleaned from the line-of-scrimmage play.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer is at his highest playing weight after putting on 25-30 pounds of strength in this offseason and finally weighing in at between 215-220 pounds.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — Before Luke Altmyer got on Shad Khan’s private plane to head for Las Vegas for the 2025 Big Ten Football Media Days at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, he was very happy at what he saw looking down as he weighed himself inside the Smith Family Football Complex.

No, it wasn’t the mental outlook for most non-athlete citizens, the Illinois third-year starting quarterback wanted to see a bigger number.

Illinois will have 15 players from the transfer portal and incoming first-year players that will be experiencing the routine of Bret Bielema’s practice program for the first time starting tonight.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 1, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — When the calendar flips to August 1, Bret Bielema treats this moment like everybody else feels about Christmas morning.

The Illinois fifth-year head coach simply can’t wait to open up the brand new pieces of his roster and quickly install them into his home as a completed set.

“I can’t ever forget this even when we have a lot of guys returning because as a coach you are always excited to, not that they’re possessions, but you love to work with new people, new toys, new opportunities and see what they are,” Bielema said on Thursday in a preseason media session inside the Smith Family Football Complex.

‘Ready to Roll’ - Illinois head coach Bret Bielema confirms all of the players held out of spring practices have been medically cleared for contact to be active for preseason practices in August.

By Matt Stevens - July 31, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will be making six more cuts to his 2025 roster between the Friday night start of preseason practice and the season-opening game against Western Illinois on Aug. 29.

When the initial settlement of the House v. NCAA settlement was made a few months ago, Bielema thought he’d be operating with a roster as small as 105 players, which he said was actually 10 players less than the last three seasons he’s been leading the Illini football program. However, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken denied the initial settlement forcing both sides to agree to a clause where roster opportunities for non-scholarship athletes would be allowed to be legislatively grandfathered in (in a “designated student-athletes” title) for the duration of their college careers. Every university that wishes to opt in to the revenue-sharing payments from the House vs. NCAA settlement, will be allowed to submit the names of those “designated student-athletes”, who will not be counted toward the roster limits rule for college football.

“After spring ball, I thought I was going to have to get to 105, so that’s why I had some conversations, which moved some guys on,” Bielema said on Thursday in a summer media session inside the Smith Family Football Complex. “Then literally like two weeks later they said, ‘Ruh roh, we might be able to add more guys.’ Super excited about these 116. They’ve been with us all summer.”

Only major question leading into the start of Illinois’ preseason practices for the 2025 season is who can emerge to replace Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin as outside wide receiver options.

By Matt Stevens- IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 31, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer is possibly the first person to admit and best person to describe the safety blanket of comfort to having a pair of experienced, talented receivers on the outside.

It’s not inaccurate to suggest Altmyer had a breakout campaign in 2024 because when things got sped up, complicated or difficult to identify while in the pocket, Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin were always open - even when it appeared they were covered up by the opposing secondary.

“You got to have that one or two guys that just believe that when a quarterback puts the football up in the air, that ball belongs to them and only them,” the Illini third-year starting quarterback said last week during Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas. “That’s what I said with Pat and Zakhari. They never had a doubt.”

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 31, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Just days after landing a major commitment from four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati of West Valley City, Utah, Illinois football is turning its attention closer to home. One of the top offensive linemen in the 2027 class, Cameron Wagner, is just 11 miles from campus, and the Illini are making a strong push.

Wagner, a 6-foot-6, four-star offensive lineman from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in Saint Joseph, is ranked by On3 as the No. 7 prospect in the state of Illinois. With a national recruitment already in full swing, Wagner’s list of suitors includes some of the most storied programs in college football.

IlliniGuys caught up with Wagner as he continues navigating a busy recruiting process that already features offers from Nebraska, Iowa, Penn State, Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State, Louisville, Florida, Oklahoma, and Auburn.

For the third straight season since Ryan Walters left the Illini staff, Bielema’s Illini will face a defense led by their former coordinator from 2021-22.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Purdue Athletics)

LAS VEGAS — If anybody can relate and sympathize for a possible reflection moment that Ryan Walters had after being fired from his first head coaching job, it’s his former boss Bret Bielema.

Walters was terminated after two seasons leading the Purdue program to a 5-19 overall record where he had left Bielema’s Illini coaching staff. Last week during his media session at the 2025 Big Ten Football Media Days at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Bielema described how much his termination at Arkansas, which was the first and only time he’s been fired as a head football coach, changed him professionally.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular July 29, 2025 B1G […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 29, 2025

(Cover photo player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Bret Bielema and his Illinois football staff made a major statement Sunday night, landing one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Kamden Lopati, the first commitment in the Illini's 2027 recruiting class.

Lopati, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback from Salt Lake City, is ranked by ESPN as a four-star prospect. He is listed as the No. 6 quarterback in the country and the No. 2 overall player in Utah. Though only heading into his junior year at West High School, Lopati already holds several Power Five offers. But after his unofficial visit to Champaign, the decision became clear.

“My first contact was with Coach Eddie Simpkins (Director of Offensive Player Personnel), he reached out to me and remembered me when he was at Oklahoma State,” Lopati said. “Coach Art (Sitkowski) came out to Salt Lake City, and I threw for him and a few other college coaches; it just started from there.