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1 // FIGHTINGILLINI.COM // @ILLINIFOOTBALL // #ILLINI

OPENING KICK

• Here We Go: Year three of the Lovie Smith era begins Saturday as the Fighting Illini open their 129th year of football when Kent State comes to Memorial Stadium for an 11 a.m. kick on Big Ten Network.

• We’ve Met Before: Saturday will be the second meeting on the gridiron between the Fighting Illini and Kent State. The first meeting was a 52-3 Illini victory at Memorial Stadium to open the 2015 season.

• Bush Named Starter: Lovie Smith officially announced on Monday that graduate transfer AJ Bush Jr. will be the Fighting Illini’s game one starter. Bush is a 6-4, 225-pound left-hander from Alpharetta, Georgia, and Norcross High School. He began his college career in 2014 at Nebraska before transferring to Iowa Western in 2016 and Virginia Tech last season.

• NFL Experience: Lovie Smith’s Illini staff has 60 seasons of combined NFL head and assistant coach experience, the most in college football for the third consecutive year, easily outpacing second-place LSU’s total of 48.

• Home Sweet Home: Illinois has 20 consecutive home-opening wins, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation behind only Florida (28), Oklahoma State (22) and Wisconsin (22). Illinois is 90-33-5 all-time in home-openers.

• Starting Off Right: The Illini have an all-time record of 81-42-5 in season-openers and are 58-27-4 when opening the season at home. The Illini have won their last 12 season-openers at Memorial Stadium dating back to 1997.

In fact, the Illini have won... » 7 straight season-openers (last loss 2010 vs. Missouri in St. Louis) » 12 straight season-openers at Memorial Stadium (last loss 1997 vs. Southern Mississippi) » 20 straight home-openers (last loss 1997 vs. Southern Mississippi)

• Boys of Summer: The Illini are 25-5 in Aug./Sept. home games dating back to the start of 2007.

• Youth Movement, Part Two: For the second straight year, Illinois will put one of the youngest teams in the nation on the field (roster breakdown as of Aug. 24, 2018).

» 2018 class breakdown: 8 seniors, 16 juniors, 39 sophomores, 39 freshmen (32 true-frosh, 7 RS frosh)

» The 8 seniors and 24 total upperclassmen are both the fewest in the nation

» With 78 underclassmen – 39 sophomores and 39 freshmen (32 true-frosh and 7 RS freshmen) – out of 102 players, the Illini roster has the highest percentage of underclassman in the nation – 76.5%

» 38 out of the 102 players on the roster are newcomers

» Only five players enter 2018 with more than 10 career starts, and only one has more than 15 – Nick Allegretti 24, Mike Dudek 15, Stanley Green 14, Jamal Milan 11

» Illinois’ four fifth-year seniors – Nick Allegretti, Mike Dudek, Chase McLaughlan and Austin Roberts – is tied for the third fewest nationally behind only UConn (2) and Auburn (3). (All 5 years at one school)

» The 2017 Illini squad had just nine seniors, tied for the second-least in FBS.

» Illinois played (22) and started (16) more true freshmen than any team in the country in 2017.

» 2018 Illini youth by the numbers:

GAME ONESaturday, Sept. 1, 2018 // 11:01 a.m. CT kick // BTN

Champaign, Ill. // Memorial Stadium (60,670)

TELEVISION BROADCAST | Big Ten Network » Mike Monaco (PBP) & J Leman (analysis) + Bryan Carter

(producer) & Andrew Bloustein (director).

» BTN will televise multiple games at 11 am CT on Sept. 1. Get local channel info at http://bit.ly/BTNGameFinder. The game also will be streamed live at BTN2Go.com.

RADIO BROADCAST | Fighting Illini Sports Network » Brian Barnhart (PBP), Martin O’Donnell (analysis),

Jason Davis (sidelines) & Steve Kelly (Pre/HT/Post)

» The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, SiriusXM (382) satellite radio and at FightingIllini.com in both English and Mandarin Chinese.

GAMEDAY LINKSGameday Information: FightingIllini.com/gameday

TICKET INFORMATIONTickets are available for Saturday’s game against Kent State starting at $20 at the UI Athletic Ticket office, by calling 1-866-ILLINI-1 or online at FightingIllini.com.

ILLINOIS SCOREBOARDSept. 1 . . . . . Kent State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 am (BTN)Sept. 8 . . . . . Western Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 pm (BTN)Sept. 15 . . . . vs. South Florida (Soldier Field) . . . 2:30 pm (BTN)Sept. 21 . . . . Penn State (HOF Weekend). . . . . . . . . . 8 pm (FS1)Oct. 6 . . . . . . at Rutgers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDOct. 13 . . . . . Purdue (Homecoming) . . . . . . 2:30/3 pm (TV TBD)Oct. 20 . . . . . at Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 am (TV TBD)Oct. 27 . . . . . at Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDNov. 3 . . . . . . Minnesota (Dads Day) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDNov. 10 . . . . . at Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDNov. 17 . . . . . Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDNov. 24 . . . . . at Northwestern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDDec. 1 . . . . . . Big Ten Championship Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDAll times Central … rankings AP/Coaches poll on week of game

KENT STATE SCOREBOARDSept. 1 . . . . . at Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 am (BTN)Sept. 8 . . . . . Howard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:30 pm (ESPN+) Sept. 15 . . . . at Penn State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 am (FS1)Sept. 22 . . . . at Ole Miss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDSept. 29 . . . . at Ball State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDOct. 6 . . . . . . Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:30 pm (ESPN+)Oct. 13 . . . . . at Miami (Ohio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBDOct. 20 . . . . . Akron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:30 pm (ESPN+)Oct. 30 . . . . . at Bowling Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 pm (TV TBD)Nov. 6 . . . . . . at Buffalo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 pm (ESPNU)Nov. 15 . . . . . Toledo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 pm (CBSS)Nov. 23 . . . . . Eastern Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBD

WHERE TO FIND...Notes 1-8SID Contact Info 2Media Information 2Pronunciation Guide 8Academic Notes 9Records to Watch 10Key Player Quick Facts 11Updated Rosters 12-13Roster Breakdown 14The Last Time 15Performance Center Info 16Player Bios 17-44

KENT STATE GAME PROMOTIONS• Family 4-Pack Tickets – Four tickets for $49 total

• Lovie Beard Givaway – For first 5,000 UI students

• Tailgating at Grange Grove – 8-11 am (Interactive games, food trucks and live music)

• Illini Walk – 8:30 am through Grange Grove

• Dana Howard HOF Recognition – Illini great Dana Howard is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame

FIGHTINGILLINI.COM#ILLINI

@IlliniFootball @IlliniAthletics

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F O O T B A L L G A M E N O T E S

ILLINOIS (0-0) KENT STATE (0-0)

Percent of Underclassmen76.5% Illinois (78/102)75.2% Appalachian State (88/117)72.1% Cincinnati (80/111)71.7% UCLA (76/106)

Fewest Upperclassmen24 Illinois29 Appalachian State30 UCLA31 Cincinnati

Fewest Seniors8 Illinois9 Ball State, SMU10 WKU, Arizona12 Auburn, Utah

2018 ILLINOIS FOOTBALL // GAME NOTES


THE ILLINOIS-KENT STATE SERIES

• Saturday’s game will be the second meeting between Illinois and Kent State.

• Illinois beat Kent State 52-3 in the programs’ first ever meeting Sept. 5, 2015. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 4, but it was postponed to Saturday after a lightning delay.

• Illinois scored 45 points on its first 42 plays, opening a 28-0 lead after the first quarter and a 38-0 lead at halftime in the 2015 meeting.

• QB Wes Lunt was 11-of-19 passing for 162 yards and four touchdowns in the 2015 meeting.

• Nick Allegretti, Sam Mays, Jamal Milan and Austin Roberts are the only current Illini to have played against Kent State in 2015.

ILLINOIS-KENT STATE CONNECTIONS

• Kent State coach Sean Lewis attended Richards High School in Illinois, about a two-hour drive from Memorial Stadium.

• Kent State offensive coordinator Andrew Sowder was a student assistant at Baylor when Illinois beat the Bears 38-14 in the 2010 Texas Bowl. It was Sowder’s first job in coaching.

SAINT NICK

Junior OL Nick Allegretti is primed for another big season on and off the field.

» Named to AFCA Good Works Team preseason watch list for the second straight year, one of the most pres-tigious off-the-field honors in college football, honoring a student-athlete’s dedication to volunteerism, community involvement and enriching the lives of others.

» Is the team’s Uplifting Athletes chapter president and Lift for Life organizer, helping to raise over $88,000 for rare disease research and awareness over the last two years. Also is very active in the Tom Jones Challenger Baseball League.

» Has made 24 consecutive starts, the longest streak on the team.

» Played 760 of 762 offensive snaps in 2017 (99.7%), most on the team, and led the team with 782 snaps in 2016.

» A 2017 team captain, Allegretti was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick on the offensive line.

DUDEK, WHERE’S MY CAR?

Current fifth-year senior and former freshman All-American WR Mike Dudek is healthy and ready for a big 2018 after playing only seven games over the last three seasons.

» After producing the most prolific season for a freshman receiver in school history in 2014, Dudek suffered season-ending knee injuries during spring ball in both 2015 and 2016.

» Returned to action Sept. 2, 2017, 981 days since his last play on Dec. 26, 2014, at the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

» Missed the last four games and five of the last six games of 2017 with two separate injuries.

» Ranked third on the team in catches (24) and fourth in receiving yards (262) in 2017 despite missing five full games and halves of two other games. Dudek also averaged a team-high 10.8 yards per punt return.

» Caught a 16-yard touchdown on the Illini’s second drive of the season-opening win over Ball State, his first catch over two years. He had 102 all-purpose yards in the victory.

» Has at least two catches in all 20 career games he has played, tied for the fifth-longest active streak in FBS at the end of 2017.

» During his freshman season in 2014, Dudek hauled in 76 receptions for 1,038 yards to shatter Arrelious Benn’s previous freshman marks of 54 catches and 676 yards in 2007.

» Dudek was a 2014 first-team Freshman All-American by ESPN.com, Scout and 247sports after leading FBS freshmen in receiving yards (79.8 ypg). He led the B1G in receptions (50) and receiving yards (716) during conference games and ranked fifth in FBS with 354 fourth-quarter receiving yards and tied for third nationally with 10 plays of 15+ yards in the fourth quarter.

» Dudek became the eighth player in school history to record a 1,000 yard season as a receiver, ranking seventh on the UI single season list with 1,038 yards.

MEDIA INFORMATIONMONDAY’S SELECTED PLAYERSIllini coordinators and players will be available on Monday at about 1:15 pm following head coach Lovie Smith’s press conference on the 8th floor of the Memorial Stadium Press Box. The players this week are QB AJ Bush, DL Tymir Oliver, OL Alex Palczewski and DL Bobby Roundtree.

POST-PRACTICE INTERVIEWSThe first 30 minutes of practice are open to the media on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (8-8:25 a.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday). Interviews will take place after practice at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Media are asked to wait in the player’s lounge on the north end of the stadium until notified by Athletics Communications staff that practice is over. (enter through the alley between ARC and Memorial Stadium).

PHONE INTERVIEWSThe best time for phone interviews is on Monday between 1:15 and 2 p.m. after Smith’s press conference or on Tuesday and Wednesday after practice (approx. 9:30 a.m.). Other arrangements can be made with advance notice. Requests for phone interviews must be made at least 24 hours in advance to Derek Neal ([email protected]).

PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEOVideo files (MP4) of Coach Smith’s weekly press confer-ence will be available for download on Box.com by 4 p.m. CT each Monday. Email [email protected] for the link.

TELECONFERENCE ACCESSContact the Athletics Communication Office (217-333-1391) for weekly teleconference access information.

Contact Adam Augustine ([email protected]) for Big Ten Coaches’ Teleconference information.

UI ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION STAFFKENT BROWN, Co-Football Contact (Coaches) Phone: 217-244-6533 (o) / 217-493-9795 (c) Email: [email protected]

DEREK NEAL, Co-Football Contact (Players) Phone: 217-244-3707 (o) / 309-241-0804 (c) Email: [email protected]

BRETT MOORE, Assistant Football Contact Phone: 217-244-2092 (o) / 309-212-6367 (c) Email: [email protected]

CREDENTIAL WEBSITE: FIGHTINGILLINI.COM/media

27 MONDAY

Smith Press Conference (1 pm, Press Box, L8)

Coordinators and Select Players Available (1:15-2 pm, Press Box, L8)

28 TUESDAY

Post-practice availability - Offensive players who

weren’t at Monday availability.

(approx. 9:30 am)

Smith B1G Teleconference (12:04 pm)

29 WEDNESDAY

Post-practice availability - Defensive & special

teams players who weren’t at Monday availability.

(approx. 9:30 am)

30 THURSDAY

No availability

31 FRIDAY

No availability

1 SATURDAY

GAME DAYIllinois vs. Kent State (11 am CT, BTN)

Postgame player/coach availability

2 SUNDAY

Off Day – No availability

ILLINOIS WEEKLY MEDIA SCHEDULE // KENT STATE GAME



2017 TEAM STAT COMPARISON

2017 Season Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . ILL . . . . . . . KENTOverall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10 . . . . . . . 2-10Conference Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-8 . . . . . . . . 1-7Total Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280.4 . . . . . . .275.2Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.4 . . . . . . . .12.8First Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 . . . . . . . . 169Rushing Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105.6 . . . . . . .152.5Passing Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.8 . . . . . . .122.7Time of Possession . . . . . . . . . . . . .28:15 . . . . . . .31:26Third-Down Conversion . . . . . . . 58-173 . . . . . 50-174Points Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.5 . . . . . . . .35.1Yards Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418.2 . . . . . . .408.3Rushing Yards Allowed . . . . . . . . .218.3 . . . . . . .213.3Passing Yards Allowed . . . . . . . . . .199.9 . . . . . . .195.1

2017 STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING LEADERS (YPG)Epstein . . . . . . . . .69.2 Rankin. . . . . . . . . . 40.8Thomas . . . . . . . . .58.2 Crum . . . . . . . . . . . 31.0

PASSING LEADERS (YPG)George, Jr. . . . . . .181.9 Bollas . . . . . . . . . 103.0

RECEIVING LEADERS (YPG)Smalling . . . . . . . .42.5 Harrell . . . . . . . . . 28.8Dudek . . . . . . . . . .37.4 Rankin. . . . . . . . . . 25.9Dorsey . . . . . . . . .32.9 Carrigan . . . . . . . . 23.4

INTERCEPTION LEADERS (TOTAL)Wiliams, B. . . . . . . . .3 Monday . . . . . . . . . . . 5Six tied . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Seven tied . . . . . . . . . 1

SCORING LEADERS (TOTAL)McLaughlin . . . . . . . 53 Hynes. . . . . . . . . . . . 41Epstein . . . . . . . . . . 24 Rankin. . . . . . . . . . . 30Bonner . . . . . . . . . . 24 Carrigan . . . . . . . . . 18

ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YPG)Epstein . . . . . . . . .84.8 Rankin. . . . . . . . . . 66.8Thomas . . . . . . . . .58.2 Carrigan . . . . . . . . 58.7Brown, D. . . . . . . .52.2 Price . . . . . . . . . . . 50.0

TACKLES (TOTAL)Phillips . . . . . . . . . . 85 Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . 98Green, S.. . . . . . . . . 70 Lawrence-Burke. . . 76Two tied . . . . . . . . . 65 Alexander . . . . . . . . 52

TACKLES FOR LOSS (TOTAL)Crawford . . . . . . . . .5.5 Alexander. . . . . . . . 10.0Two tied . . . . . . . . .4.5 Cunningham . . . . . 10.0

* 2018 returners in bold

ILLINI STORYLINES

• Future Coaches: Illini RB Reggie Corbin got a taste of coaching this past summer. Corbin, along with Illini teammates Justice Williams and Del’Shawn Phillips, led the Seahawks to an undefeated 5-0 record in the inaugural season of the Tuscola Flag Football League. The trio connected with nine-year old Illini superfan Colton Rahn, who has cerebral palsey, this past winter when a group of football student-athletes drove to Tuscola to cheer on Colton’s basketball team.

• First-time Footballer: Sophomore punter Blake Hayes, a native of Melbourne, Australia, had never played in or attended a college football game until making his Illini debut against Ball State on Sept. 2. Hayes played Australian rules football before training at ProKick Australia for two years in hopes of getting a college scholarship in the United States. It paid off, as the Aussie earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a true-freshman, averaging 42.0 yards per punt.

• Facebook Find: Facebook was a key part in the recruitment of sophomore safety Bennett Williams, at least according to Illini defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson. Nickerson was a teammate of Bennett’s father, Garey Williams, at Cal and the two are connected on Facebook. Nickerson says he would see highlights of Bennett on Garey’s Facebook page and became more impressed as he got older, eventually leading to his recruitment to Illinois. Williams earned true-freshman All-America honors after making 64 tackles and leading the team with three interceptions in 2017.

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF

RB Dre Brown and WR Mike Dudek both returned to action in 2017 after missing at least two-straight seasons due to injury. They both head into 2018 healthy and ready for big things.

Dre Brown » One of the top signees in the 2015 recruiting class, Brown was poised for playing turn as a true freshmen before going down with an ACL injury prior to the season. In all he missed nearly two-and-a-half seasons after enduring 2 torn ACLs, 2 sprained MCLs, a stress fracture and 4 knee surgeries before making his Illini debut Oct. 7, 2017, at Iowa as part of the kick return unit. He got his first offensive snaps and carries Oct. 14 at Rutgers. He had a breakout game at Ohio State, rushing for a career-high 76 yards on 15 carries (5.1 ypc) and finished the season with 138 yards on 31 carries (4.5 ypc).

Mike Dudek » After producing the most prolific season for a freshman receiver in school history in 2014, Dudek suffered season-ending knee injuries during spring ball in both 2015 and 2016, missing both seasons. He returned to action in the 2017 season-opener against Ball State, 981 days since his last game action. Midway through the 2017 season Dudek was leading the team in catches and receiving yards, but he missed five of the last six games due to injuries.

NO. 1 IN NFL EXPERIENCE...AGAIN

Lovie Smith’s Fighting Illini coaching staff is loaded with experience from the NFL level, boasting 60 years of coach-ing in the NFL – the most of any college staff in the country for the third straight season.

Illini NFL Experience by the Numbers: » 86 Years NCAA Coaching Experience » 60 Years NFL Coaching Experience » 37 Years NFL Playing Experience » 3 Super Bowl Appearances » 1 Super Bowl Title » 1 NFL Coach of the Year » 1 NCAA Championship

Six members of the full time coaching staff have NFL coaching experience: » Lovie Smith – 19 seasons (11 head coach, 8 assistant/coordinator) » Gill Byrd –13 seasons (assistant coach) » Bob Ligashesky – 12 seasons (assistant coach/coordinator) » Luke Butkus – 8 seasons (assistant coach) » Andrew Hayes-Stoker – 5 seasons (assistant coach) » Hardy Nickerson – 3 seasons (assistant coach)

GRADS ON GRADS ON GRADS

The 2018 Fighting Illini roster features six student-athletes that have already earned a bachelor’s degree and are working toward a second bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree this fall.

Student-Athlete Bachelor’s Degree Degree Pursuing Nick Allegretti Accountancy (Dec. ’17) Recreation, Sport & Tourism AJ Bush Jr. Sociology (Aug. ’18 at Virginia Tech) Recreation, Sport & Tourism Reggie Corbin Communication (May ’18) Recreation, Sport & Tourism Mike Dudek Marketing & Business Process Mngt (Dec. ’17) Technology Management Chase McLaughlin Technical Systems Management (May ’18) Technology Management

Justice Williams Business Management (Aug. ’18) Business Administration

DID YOU KNOW? • The Illini played 22 true freshmen in 2017,

16 of which started at least one game. Both

totals led the nation.

• Illinois has 20 consecutive home-opening

wins, the fourth longest active streak in the

nation.



ILLINI AT HOME UNDER THE LIGHTS

The Fighting Illini will have at least two home night games at Memorial Stadium this season – vs. Western Illinois on 9/8 and vs. Penn State on 9/21. It marks the sixth time ever and the second year in a row that Illinois will play two prime time home games in the same season. The Illini are 15-11 all time in night games at Memorial Stadium (start after 6 p.m.). Date Opponent Time Result9/4/82 Northwestern 6 p.m. W, 49-139/17/83 Stanford 6 p.m. W, 17-79/1/84 Northwestern 6 p.m. W, 24-169/22/84 Michigan State 7 p.m. W, 40-79/14/85 Southern Illinois 6 p.m. W, 28-259/6/86 Louisville 6 p.m. W, 23-09/20/86 #6 Nebraska 6 p.m. L, 14-599/12/87 #15 Arizona State 6 p.m. L, 7-219/5/92 Northern Illinois 6 p.m. W, 30-149/6/97 Southern Mississippi 6 p.m. L, 7-249/12/98 Middle Tennessee State 6 p.m. W, 48-209/23/00 #10 Michigan 6:30 p.m. L, 31-3510/22/05 #12 Penn State 6 p.m. L, 10-639/2/06 Eastern Illinois 6 p.m. W, 42-1710/14/06 Ohio 6 p.m. L, 17-209/8/07 Western Illinois 6 p.m. W, 21-010/20/07 #25 Michigan 7 p.m. L, 17-2710/18/08 Indiana 6:30 p.m. W, 55-139/12/09 Illinois State 6 p.m. W, 45-179/11/10 Southern Illinois 7 p.m. W, 35-39/17/11 #22 Arizona State 6 p.m. W, 17-149/22/12 Louisiana Tech 7 p.m. L, 24-5210/19/13 #25 Wisconsin 7 p.m. L, 32-56 9/10/16 North Carolina 6:30 p.m. L, 23-429/9/17 Western Kentucky 7 p.m. W, 20-79/29/17 Nebraska 7 p.m. L, 6-289/8/18 Western Illinois 6:30 p.m. 9/21/18 Penn State 8 p.m.

LINEBACKER U, IT’S NOT WHERE YOU THINK IT IS

• Like many Illini teams over the years, the 2018 Illini defense is expected to have big production from its lineback-ing corps, led by senior Del’Shawn Phillips, who led the team with 85 tackles in 2017.

• Illinois’ history at the linebacker position is up there with any program in the nation. It begins with the greatest linebacker in football history, Dick Butkus, who was a two-time All-American and led the Fighting Illini to a 1964 Rose Bowl win over Washington. Illinois boasts two Butkus Award winners, Dana Howard in 1994 and Kevin Hardy in 1995, several first-team All-Americans like Darrick Brownlow (1990), Simeon Rice (1994 & ’95) and J Leman (2007), not to mention second-team All-American Scott Studwell (1976) and NFL legend Ray Nitschke.

2018 BIG TEN STANDINGS BIG TEN OVERALLWEST DIVISION W L Pct. W L Pct. LAST WEEK THIS WEEKILLINOIS 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Kent StateIowa 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Northern Illinois Minnesota 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. New Mexico St. (8/30)Nebraska 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. AkronNorthwestern 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- at Purdue (8/30)Purdue 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Northwestern (8/30)#4/7 Wisconsin 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Western Kentucky (8/31)

EAST DIVISION W L Pct. W L Pct. LAST WEEK THIS WEEKIndiana 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- at Floria InternationalMaryland 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Texas #14/14 Michigan 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- at Notre Dame#11/12 Michigan State 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Utah State (8/31)#5/3 Ohio State 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Oregon State#10/9 Penn State 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Appalachian StateRutgers 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Texas State

ILLINOIS NONCONFERENCE OPPONENTS CONFERENCE OVERALL TEAM W L Pct. W L Pct. LAST WEEK THIS WEEKKent State 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- at IllinoisWestern Illinois (FCS) 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Montana State (8/30)South Florida 0 0 - 0 0 -- -- vs. Elon

NATIONAL RANKINGSASSOCIATED PRESS (Preseason)Rk Team Record Pts1 Alabama(42) 0-0 15052 Clemson(18) 0-0 14763 Georgia 0-0 13504 Wisconsin(1) 0-0 12715 Ohio State 0-0 12566 Washington 0-0 12157 Oklahoma 0-0 11738 Miami 0-0 10279 Auburn 0-0 101310 Penn State 0-0 101211 Michigan State 0-0 87712 Notre Dame 0-0 80413 Stanford 0-0 77814 Michigan 0-0 77315 USC 0-0 54316 TCU 0-0 53317 West Virginia 0-0 51118 Mississippi State 0-0 45019 Florida State 0-0 38420 Virginia Tech 0-0 35121 UCF 0-0 31222 Boise State 0-0 29223 Texas 0-0 21624 Oregon 0-0 14825 LSU 0-0 106Others receiving votes: South Carolina 96, Florida 68, Utah 60, Oklahoma State 51, Florida Atlantic 38, Arizona 28, NC State 22, Texas A&M 21, Boston College 18, Northwestern 13, Kansas State 10, Iowa State 8, Houston 6, Memphis 3, Iowa 2, Troy 2, Fresno State 1, Arkansas State 1, Kentucky 1

COACHES (Preseason)Rk Team Record Pts1 Alabama(61) 0-0 16212 Clemson(3) 0-0 15473 Ohio State(1) 0-0 14584 Georgia 0-0 14525 Oklahoma 0-0 12886 Washington 0-0 12457 Wisconsin 0-0 12438 Miami 0-0 10919 Penn State 0-0 105010 Auburn 0-0 100411 Notre Dame 0-0 89212 Michigan State 0-0 87013 Stanford 0-0 76814 Michigan 0-0 75215 USC 0-0 69116 TCU 0-0 53017 Virginia Tech 0-0 52418 Mississippi State 0-0 40719 Florida State 0-0 32820 West Virginia 0-0 31021 Texas 0-0 26522 Boise State 0-0 26123 UCF 0-0 25924 LSU 0-0 25425 Oklahoma State 0-0 168Others receiving votes: South Carolina 138, Florida 135, Oregon 105, Utah 81, Texas A&M 67, Northwestern 67, Kansas State 35, Florida Atlantic 27, Memphis 23, Boston College 23, NC State 22, Arkansas State 19, Troy 19, Appalachian State 16, San Diego State 15, Kentucky 8, Iowa State 8, Iowa 8, Washington State 7, South Florida 6, Duke 5, Fresno State 4, Louisville 3, Arizona 2, Houston 2, Army 1, Northern Illinois 1

* Illinois’ 2018 opponents in bold.



WALK-ONS EARNING THEIR $$$

• Coach Lovie Smith had a special gift for two Illini walk-ons on Christmas 2017. LB Jimmy Marchese and TE Bobby Walker both were informed on Christmas Day that they had earned scholarships for the 2018 season. Both players will be fourth-year juniors for the 2018 and are in pace to graduate in Dec. 2018.

• Redshirt junior walk-on kicker Chase McLaughlin was surprised with a scholarship during 2017 spring ball. McLaughlin, a Cypress, Texas, native, has hit 24-of-34 field goals and 43-of-43 extra points in two-seasons at starting kicker (2016 & ‘17).

SMITH FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE CENTER COMING IN 2019

Dramatic upgrades are coming soon to the Fighting Illini football facilities. Currently under construction is a brand-new 107,000 square foot, $79.2 million football performance center next to the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility, and adjacent to Memorial Stadium. Construction broke ground in December 2017, with the project scheduled for completion prior to the start of the 2019 season.

On Aug. 28, 2018, the H.D. Smith Foundation, led by Dale and Chris Smith, announced a donation of $20 million to the University of Illinois Foundation, with $15 million dedicated to the Fighting Illini Football Performance Center. In recognition of the gift, the building will forever be named the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center.

More information on the project can be found at http://illinoisrenaissance.com.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Rod Smith Takes Over: Lovie Smith handed over the reigns of the offense to Rod Smith (no relation) for the 2018 season. Rod Smith came to Champaign-Urbana in Janurary after six seasons as co-offensive coordinator with the Arizona Wildcats, and previous OC stints at Michigan, Indiana and USF. He brings more than 22 years of coaching experience to Illinois and has coached in 10 bowl games.

• Smalling Comes Up Big: Sophomore WR Ricky Smalling made big plays during his freshman season.

» Smalling’s 16.45 yards per catch in 2017 ranked fourth in the Big Ten and third among all true freshmen in FBS, behind only Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb (17.54) and TCU’s Jalen Reagor (17.45).

» Became the sixth Illini true-freshman in program history to have a 100-yard receiving game with five catches for 111 yards against Rutgers on Oct. 14, 2017.

» Led the team with 510 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 31 catches in 2017.

• Dorsey Dealing: Sophomore TE Louis Dorsey was another true freshman making big plays last season.

» Dorsey’s 107 receiving yards against Indiana on Nov. 10, 2017, were the most by a true freshman tight end in Illinois history, the seventh most by any tight end in Illinois history.

» His 77-yard TD catch vs. the Hoosiers is the longest reception in Illinois history by a true freshman.

» His 18.0 yards per catch would have led all FBS true freshmen in 2017, but his 1.83 receptions per game fell just short of the NCAA stats minimum (2.0).

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Punching It Out: The Illini forced 17 fumbles in 2017 to rank second in the nation in forced fumbles per game (1.42), behind only Wyoming (1.69). The total of 17 forced fumbled tied for fouth-most overall, behind Wyoming (22), Utah State (18) and Texas A&M (18).

» Junior S Stanley Green has six forced fumbles in his 2-year Illini career which is tied for seventh-most in program history (dating back to 1990), and is T-1st in the B1G (Maryland’s Jermaine Carter, Jr.) and T-10th in FBS over the last two seasons. He’s had three forced fumbles in each season.

• All-American Guy: Safety Bennett Williams was named to ESPN.com’s true-freshman All-America team in 2017. His 64 tackles were fifth-most on the team and the second most in the Big Ten by a freshman. Williams also picked off a team-high three passes, broke up two more, and had 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

• Phillips All Over the Field: LB Del’Shawn Phillips, a junior college transfer in his first season at Illinois in 2017, ranked 8th in the Big Ten in tackles per game (7.7). He had a Big Ten-best 16 tackles in the week one win over Ball State, his Illini debut. Against fifth-Wisconsin, he had a team-high 14 tackles, including a career-high 2.0 TFLs.

• Fast Start for Roundtree: True freshman DE Bobby Roundtree was a force during his freshman season in 2017. He had 3.0 sacks through his first three college games and finished the season with a team-high four sacks. His 0.33 sacks/game were among the national leaders for true freshmen. For the season he has 50 tackles, most among Illini defensive linemen.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

• Punter from Down Under: True-freshman Australian punter Blake Hayes was a bright spot for the Illini in 2017.

» Ranked fourth in FBS in punting average among true freshmen (42.0).

» In Big Ten play, ranked third in the Big Ten in punting average (42.7) and third net punting (40.0)

» Averaged 52.4 yards per punt on five kicks at Minnesota – the sixth-best single game average in UI history.

» A native of Melbourne, Hayes came to the States in June having never attended an American football game.

UNIVERSITY QUICK FACTSLocation: Urbana-Champaign Founded: 1867 Enrollment: 44,880 Colors: Orange & Blue Nickname: Fighting Illini Conference (Division): Big Ten (West) President: Timothy L. Killeen Chancellor: Robert J. Jones Director of Athletics: Josh Whitman Stadium: Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf – 60,670)

FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS2017 Record: 2-10, 0-9 (7th Big Ten West Division) Offensive Formation: Multiple Defensive Formation: 4-3

2017 Starters Returning/Lost: 16/8 Off: 7/4 Def: 7/4 ST (PK/P): 2/02017 Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 41/18 Off: 17/9 Def: 20/9 ST (PK/P): 4/0

All-Time Record (Years): 602-585-51 (128)All-Time Big Ten Record (Years): 341-426-32 (122)Memorial Stadium Record (Years): 270-236-14 (95)Big Ten Championships (Last): 15 (2001)National Championships (Last): 5 (1951)Bowl Appearances (Last): 18 (2014 Heart of Dallas)All-Time Bowl Record: 8-10 (.444)

FOOTBALL CONTACT INFORMATIONOffice Phone: 217-333-1400 Mailing Address: Memorial Stadium1402 South First St, NE Tower, Champaign, IL 61820

FOLLOW THE #ILLINIFightingIllini.comTwitter: @IlliniFootballInstagram: @IlliniFootballFacebook: Fighting Illini Football

ILLINI COACHING STAFFOn the Field Lovie Smith .............................................................Head CoachHardy Nickerson ........................... Asst. HC/Def. Coordinator/LBGill Byrd ..................... Def. Passing Game Coordinator/SafetiesBob Ligashesky ............................... Special Teams CoordinatorLuke Butkus ........................................................ Offensive LineAustin Clark ........................................................Defensive LineAndrew Hayes-Stoker .........................................Wide ReceiversCory Patterson ...........................................................Tight EndsMiles Smith ......................................................Defensive BacksZach Grant .................................. Offensive Graduate AssistantPeter Collins ...................................................Defensive AnalystBob McClain ................................................... Offensive AnalystKingsley Osei-Asibey ......................................Defensive AnalystJake Zweig ............................................. Special Teams Analyst

In Coaches Booth Rod Smith ..........................................Offensive Coordinator/QBThad Ward ..........................................................Running BacksJake Ellsworth .............................Defensive Graduate AssistantJoe Fotu .......................................Defensive Graduate AssistantRob Delaney ................................ Offensive Graduate AssistantCody Gibson ................................................... Offensive AnalystRobert Wright ...................................................Defensie Analyst



CAREER STARTS LIST (returning players)

PLAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ’17 . ’16 . . ’15 . ’14 . .TOTAllegretti, Nick . . . . . . . . . 12. . .12 . . .0 . . . -- . . .24Dudek, Mike . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . -- . . -- . . . 9 . . .15Green, Stanley . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . 7 . . -- . . . -- . . .14Milan, Jamal . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . 5 . . .0 . . . -- . . .11Palczewski, Alex . . . . . . . . 11. . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . .11Hobbs, Nate . . . . . . . . . . . 10. . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . .10Oliver, Tymir . . . . . . . . . . . 10. . . 0 . . -- . . . -- . . .10Phillips, Del’Shawn . . . . . . 10. . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . .10Smalling, Ricky . . . . . . . . . 10. . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . .10Boyd, Larry . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .9Roundtree, Bobby . . . . . . . .9 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .9Watkins, Cameron. . . . . . . .7 . . . 2 . . -- . . . -- . . . .9Jackson, Kenyon . . . . . . . . .3 . . . 5 . . -- . . . -- . . . .8Kramer, Doug . . . . . . . . . . .8 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .8Dorsey, Louis. . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . -- . . -- . . --- . . . .7Lowe, Vederian . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .7Williams, Bennett . . . . . . . .7 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .7Harding, Dele . . . . . . . . . . .5 . . . 0 . . -- . . . -- . . . .5Reams, Caleb . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . 1 . . -- . . . -- . . . .4Woods, Jamal . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .4Bonner, RaVon . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .3Epstein, Mike . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .3Adams, Tony . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .2Corbin, Reggie . . . . . . . . . .0 . . . 2 . . -- . . . -- . . . .2Gay, Isaiah . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .2Marchese, Jimmy. . . . . . . . .2 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .2Mays, Sam . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 . . . 1 . . .1 . . . -- . . . .2Thomas, Cam . . . . . . . . . . .2 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .2Brown, Dre . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Davis, Trenard. . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .1DeGroot, Dawson. . . . . . . . .1 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Hansen, Jake. . . . . . . . . . . -- . . . 1 . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Knight, James . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Martin, Zeke . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . 0 . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Roberts, Austin . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . 0 . . .0 . . . -- . . . .1Shogbonyo, Ayo . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . -- . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Solomon, Adam . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . 0 . . -- . . . -- . . . .1Williams, Justice . . . . . . . . .0 . . . 1 . . -- . . . -- . . . .1-- = Redshirted/did not play/not on squad; 0 = Played, didn’t start

CAREER BIG PLAYS (Rush/Pass/Rec/PR over 20 yds & KOR/Def over 40 yds)

Player . . . . . . . . . . . Run . Pass. . Rec. . Def. . . ST . . . . TotDudek . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . 1. . . 21. . . . 0. . . . 1 . . . . 25Smalling . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . 0. . . 10. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . 10C. Thomas. . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . 6. . . . 0. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . 10Corbin . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . 0. . . . 4. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . . 9Dorsey . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . 0. . . . 7. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . . 7Epstein . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . 0. . . . 1. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . . 3Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . 0. . . . 3. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . . 3D. Brown . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . 0. . . . 0. . . . 0. . . . 2 . . . . . 3Mays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . 0. . . . 3. . . . 0. . . . 0 . . . . . 3TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . 7. . . 49. . . . 0. . . . 3 . . . . 73

» An Australian Rules Football player in his homeland, Hayes trained for American football at Prokick Australia.

• Chase McLongkick: In two seasons as primary kicker, junior PK Chase McLaughlin has been rock-solid, hitting 24-of-34 field goals and 43-of-43 PATs combined in 2016 and ’17. Last season, he connected on 12-of-17 field goals and 17-of-17 PATs. On kickoffs, he had touchbacks on 31 of 42 attempts. In 2016, he kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal against Minnesota, tied for the fourth-longest in school history.

• Hobbs Nobbing: DB Nate Hobbs returned a blocked extra point for two points in the first quarter at USF, marking the Illini’s first defensive extra point since Kevin Mitchell (75 yards) at Ohio State, 11/5/2005

• It’s a Block-Off: Illinois opened the season with a 24-21 win over Ball State on Sept. 2 thanks to a walk-off blocked field goal by DT Jamal Milan. The 6-3, 300-pound Milan got his paw on the Cardinals’ 54-yard attempt as time expired, sealing victory for the Orange and Blue. It was the first FG block of his career and the first by an Illini first since Rob Bain vs. Western Michigan 9/17/16.

• For the season, Illinois had three blocked kicks (two field goals and one PAT) in 2017 to rank 19th in FBS and second in the Big Ten. All three blocks came in the first three games of the season.

ALL OVER THE NFL

• A total of 20 former Fighting Illini are in NFL training camps (as of Aug. 20) – WR Geronimo Allison (Packers), DT Chunky Clements (Rams), DE James Crawford (Packers), CB Vontae Davis (Bills), OL Christian DiLauro (Browns), FS Clayton Fejedelem (Bengals), RB Josh Ferguson (Colts), CB Justin Hardee (Saints), TE Michael Hoomanawanui (Saints), OL Ted Karras (Patriots), TE Matt LaCosse (Broncos), DE Corey Liuget (Chargers), LB Whitney Mercilus (Texans), LB Hardy Nickerson (Bengals), DE Carroll Phillips (Jaguars), DE Dawuane Smoot (Jaguars), DT Akeem Spence (Dolphins), WR Malik Turner (Seahawks), DE Jihad Ward (Cowboys) and DB Tavon Wilson (Lions).

• In 2017, 21 former Illini were on NFL rosters during the regular season.

• Illinois has had at least one player drafted in 42 of the last 46 years and has 241 all-time NFL Draft picks.

LOVIE’S ILLINI

• Long-time NFL head coach Lovie Smith returns to the Illinois sidelines for the third season in 2018.

• Smith is the 25th head football coach at Illinois and is the first African-American head football coach in program history.

• Smith was hired as Fighting Illini head coach on March 7, 2016, by Director of Athletics Josh Whitman, who was on his third day on the job as Illinois AD.

• After spending 19 years in the NFL, including 11 years as a head coach, the 2016 season was the first for Lovie at a college since 1996.

• Smith led the Chicago Bears for nine seasons from 2004-12 and was 81-63 (.563), including three division titles, two NFC Championship Game appearances (2006 and 2010) and a berth in Super Bowl XLI.

• The AP Coach of the Year in 2005, Smith’s 81 wins with Chicago are the third-most in Bears history.

• Prior to coming to Illinois, Smith spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the Bucs improved from two victories in 2014 to six wins in 2015.

WHITMAN IN CHARGE

• Former Fighting Illini tight end Josh Whitman was announced as Director of Athletics at Illinois in February, 2016. His first order of business? Hiring Lovie Smith as head coach just two days after officially starting the job.

• Whitman was named the university’s 14th permanent director of athletics on Feb. 17 and officially started on March 5. On March 7, he made national headlines by hiring coaching icon Lovie Smith to lead the football program.

• Since those whirlwind first few days, Whitman has formulated an aggressive agenda, including launching the University’s Athletics Hall of Fame and planning for a new $79.2 million football performance center, as well as several other multi-million dollar facility improvements. He has hired six new head coaches, starting with Lovie Smith.

• At the time of his hiring, Whitman was 37 years old, making him the youngest athletics director in the Autonomy 5

• Prior to coming back to Illinois, Whitman served as director of athletic as Washington University in St. Louis and UW-LaCrosse and also practiced law in Washington, D.C.

• Whitman has two Illinois degrees. He graduated with Bronze Tablet honors in 2001 while earning a bachelor’s degree in finance. In 2008, he graduated summa cum laude from the Illinois College of Law. He worked in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Illinois while earning his law degree.

• A native of West Lafayette, Ind., Whitman was a four-year starting tight end and two-time First Team Academic All-American on the gridiron for Illinois. He then spent parts of four seasons as a player in the NFL, including stints with the Chargers, Dolphins, Seahawks and Bills.



NEW FACES

The Illini coaching staff has several new faces this year.

» Rod Smith – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Coacing vet comes to Illinois after six seasons as Co-OC at Arizona. Had previous stints at Indiana, Michigan, USF, West Virginia and Clemson.

» Gill Byrd – Passing Game Coordinator/Safeties: Spent 13 years as an NFL DB coach, most recently with the Buffalo Bills in 2017

» Austin Clark – Defensive Line: Spent the last two seasons as assistant defensive line coach at Southern Cal

» Cory Patterson – Tight Ends: Turned around the Trinity Catholic High School program in St. Louis

» Miles Smith – Defensive Backs: Son of Lovie Smith worked on his dad’s staff in Tampa Bay

BUTKUS IS BACK

Luke Butkus is in his second stint as offensive line coach at his alma mater. Butkus was a two-time All-Big Ten selection for the Fighting Illini from 1997-2001, and served as a captain of the 2001 Big Ten championship squad that advanced to the Sugar Bowl. Butkus first returned to Champaign to coach the offensive line in 2012 before spending the next three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an offensive line coach. He returned to Illinois in 2016 to join Lovie Smith’s Staff. Luke is the nephew of former Illinois and Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus, who starred at Illinois from 1962-64.

LB GREAT DANA HOWARD TO BE INDUCTED INTO CFB HALL OF FAME IN 2018

• One of those all-time great Illinois linebackers, Dana Howard, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. He’ll be honored on the field at the Sept. 1 season opener against Kent State.

• Howard will be the 17th Fighting Illini in the hall of fame, joining college football legends Red Grange (inducted 1951), Dick Butkus (inducted 1983) and most recently David Williams (inducted 2005).

• Howard won the Butkus Award in 1994 as the nation’s top linebacker, Illinois’ first major national award.

• Howard, who left Champaign as the Big Ten’s all-time leading tackler, was one of the best collegiate defenders of the 1990’s. He recorded at least 147 tackles in each of his four seasons from 1991-94 and totaled 595 career tackles, along with 30 TFLs, 10 sacks, four interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.

• The East St. Louis, Illinois, native was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and 1994 and was named a first team All-American in both seasons. Howard was a consensus All-American during his Butkus Award winning senior season in 1994.

ILLINI ATHLETICS HALL OF FAMERS

Members of the 2018 Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame, including CFB Hall of Fame linebacker Dana Howard, will be officially inducted on Sept. 22 at State Farm Center, the day after the Illini host Penn State on Friday night.

» Class of 2018: Alex Agase (1941-42, ‘46), Charles Carney (1918-22), Ray Eliot (1942-59), Jim Grabowski (1963-65) and Dana Howard (1991-94).

» Class of 2017: Dick Butkus (1962-64), Dike Eddleman (1943, 47-49), Red Grange (1923-25), George Halas (1916-18), George Huff (1901-1936), Buddy Young (1944 & ‘46) and Robert Zuppke (1913-41).

UPLIFTING ATHLETES RAISES RECORD MONEY

• Fighting Illini players raised over $49,000 for rare disease research and awareness, a new event record, with their seventh annual Lift for Life fundraiser through Uplifting Athletes on July 8, 2018. The Illini are inspired by former Illini OL Andrew Carter, whose playing career was cut short by Acoustic neuroma – a rare, slow-growing tumor of the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. Senior OL Nick Allegretti serves as president of the UI chapter of Uplifting Athletes and helped organize the event, which featured the entire Fighting Illini team participating in a strongman competition at Memorial Stadium. In seven years, the Illini have raised nearly $150,000 to help fight rare diseases, including over $88,000 in the last two years alone. Find more on Andrew Carter’s story here: http://bit.ly/CarterFeature.

GRANGE GROVE THE PLACE TO BE ON GAME DAY

• Grange Grove, the grassy area directly west of Memorial Stadium, will once again be THE place for Illini fans on football game days. Opened in 2015, Grange Grove is a free, high-energy tailgating area in the shadows of Memorial Stadium.

• Grange Grove opens at 7 a.m. on game days for public tailgating. Programming in the area, including live music and children’s areas, starts approximately three hours before kickoff. The tailgating lot will close at 10pm or an hour after the conclusion of the game (for night games).

• More information on Grange Grove can be found at http://fightingIllini.com/GrangeGrove

2019 // FINALAug. 31 AkronSept. 7 @ UConnSept. 14 Eastern MichiganSept. 21 NebraskaSept. 28 OPENOct. 5 @ MinnesotaOct. 12 MichiganOct. 19 Wisconsin (HC)Oct. 26 @ PurdueNov. 2 Rutgers (Dads Day)Nov. 9 @ Michigan StateNov. 16 OPENNov. 23 @ IowaNov. 30 NorthwesternDec. 7 B1G Championship

2020 // FINALSept. 5 Florida AtlanticSept. 12 UConnSept. 19 Bowling GreenSept. 26 OPENOct. 3 @ RutgersOct. 10 @ NebraskaOct. 17 PurdueOct. 24 MinnesotaOct. 31 @ WisconsinNov. 7 IowaNov. 14 @ IndianaNov. 21 Ohio StateNov. 28 @ NorthwesternDec. 5 B1G Championship

2021 // FINALSept. 4 UTSASept. 11 @ VirginiaSept. 18 MarylandSept. 25 @ PurdueOct. 2 CharlotteOct. 9 OPENOct. 16 @ Penn StateOct. 23 WisconsinOct. 30 RutgersNov. 6 @ MinnesotaNov. 13 NebraskaNov. 20 @ IowaNov. 27 NorthwesternDec. 4 B1G Championship

2022 // FINALSept. 3 @ WisconsinSept. 10 VirginiaSept. 17 WyomingSept. 24 ChattanoogaOct. 1 Michigan StateOct. 8 MinnesotaOct. 15 @ Penn StateOct. 22 OPENOct. 29 @ MichiganNov. 5 PurdueNov. 12 IowaNov. 19 @ NebraskaNov. 26 @ Northwestern

2023 // FINALSept. 2 ToledoSept. 9 @ KansasSept. 16 Penn StateSept. 23 Florida AtlanticSept. 30 @ PurdueOct. 7 NebraskaOct. 14 WisconsinOct. 21 @ MarylandOct. 28 IndianaNov. 4 OPENNov. 11 @ MinnesotaNov. 18 @ IowaNov. 25 Northwestern

2024 // FINALAug. 31 PurdueSept. 7 KansasSept. 14 Central MichiganSept. 21 Eastern IllinoisSept. 28 @ Ohio StateOct. 5 OPENOct. 12 @ Penn StateOct. 19 IowaOct. 26 RutgersNov. 2 @ WisconsinNov. 9 @ NebraskaNov. 16 OPENNov. 23 MinnesotaNov. 30 @ Northwestern

2025 // 2 non-conf & open TBAAug. 30 NebraskaSept. 6 @ DukeSept. 13 TBDSept. 20 TBDSept. 27 Penn StateOct. 4 @ IowaOct. 11 TBDOct. 18 MichiganOct. 25 @ PurdueNov. 1 TBDNov. 8 @ Michigan StateNov. 15 WisconsinNov. 22 @ MinnesotaNov. 29 Northwestern

2026 // 1 non-conf & B1G TBASept. 12 DukeSept. 26 Missouri

2027 // 2 non-conf & B1G TBASept. 18 @ Missouri

2028 // 2 non-conf & B1G TBASept. 16 Missouri

2029 // 2 non-conf & B1G TBASept. 15 @ Missouri

FUTURE ILLINOIS SCHEDULES

2018-19 BIG TEN BOWL POSSIBILITIESJan. 7 CFP National Championship GameDec. 29 CFB Playoff Semifinals (Cotton & Orange)

Jan. 1 Rose Bowl vs. Pack-12Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl vs. SECJan. 1 Outback Bowl vs. SECDec. 31 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl B1G/ACC/ND vs. SECDec. 31 SDCCU Holiday Bowl vs. Pac-12Dec. 31 San Francisco Bowl vs. Pac-12Dec. 28 Franklin American Music City Bowl B1G/ACC vs. SECDec. 27 New Era Pinstripe Bowl vs. ACC/NDDec. 26 Quick Lane Bowl vs. ACC/NDDec. 26 Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Conference USA



CAMPING AT HOME

After holding preseason training camp off campus at “Camp Rantoul” for nearly two decades, the Illini held their entire 2018 training camp on campus for the third straight year. For the second straight year, training camp was held at the UI Campus Recreation Fields bordered by Florida Ave. and Goodwin Ave. in Urbana, just blocks from Memorial Stadium. In 2016, training camp was held at the grass practice fields next to Memorial Stadium.

ILLINI GAMES BROADCAST IN CHINESE ONCE AGAIN

• Illinois Athletics and the Fighting Illini Radio Network, under the direction of Fighting Illini Sports Properties, will once again broadcast in Mandarin Chinese online through FightingIllini.com. It will mark the fourth straight season of Mandarin broadcasts at Illinois, a trend the Illini started in 2015.

• The broadcast will be led by Jiajun (Jaden) Li and Diwen (Stephen) Shi for the second straight year.

• Over 5,800 students from China attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the largest group of inter-national students on campus. The number of Chinese students attending Illinois has gradually increased from 850 students in the fall of 2005 to more than six times that number today.

ILLINI NCAA & B1G RANKINGS (2017)TEAM RANKINGS (129 teams ranked)CATEGORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NCAA . . . B1G . . . STAT3rd Down Conversion Pct . . . . . . . . . . . . 110th. . . . .10th . . . . .3353rd Down Conversion Pct Defense . . . . . 105th. . . . .13th . . . . .4374th Down Conversion Pct . . . . . . . . . . . . 105th. . . . .13th . . . . .4004th Down Conversion Pct Defense . . . . . 115th. . . . .14th . . . . .667Blocked Kicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19th. . . . . 2nd . . . . . . 3Blocked Kicks Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1st. . . . . .1st . . . . . . 0Blocked Punts Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1st. . . . . .1st . . . . . . 0Completion Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120th. . . . .12th . . . . .496Defensive TDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47th. . . . . .4th . . . . . . 2Fewest Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95th. . . . .12th . . . . . 85Fewest Penalties Per Game . . . . . . . . . . 107th. . . . .14th . . . . 7.08Fewest Penalty Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94th. . . . .11th . . . . 768Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game . . . . . . . 106th. . . . .12th . . . . 64.0First Downs Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82nd. . . . .12th . . . . 269First Downs Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125th. . . . .13th . . . . 174Fumbles Lost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43th. . . . . .6th . . . . . . 7Fumbles Recovered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27th. . . . . .4th . . . . . 10Kickoff Return Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32nd. . . . . .6th . . . 19.27Kickoff Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99th. . . . . .9th . . 19..25Net Punting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36th. . . . . .4th . . . 39.29Passes Had Intercepted . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125th. . . . .14th . . . . . 19Passes Intercepted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77th. . . . .11th . . . . . . 9Passing Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106th. . . . .10th . . . 174.8Passing Yards Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34th. . . . . .6th . . . 199.9Passing Yards per Completion . . . . . . . . . 64th. . . . . .6th . . . 12.49Punt Return Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28th. . . . . .4th . . . . 4.77Punt Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86th. . . . . .9th . . . . 6.17Red Zone Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53rd. . . . . .6th . . . . .814Red Zone Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28th. . . . . .4th . . . . .889Rushing Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116th. . . . .14th . . . 218.5Rushing Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122nd. . . . .14th . . . 105.6Sacks Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125th. . . . .14th . . . . 3.50Scoring Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91st. . . . .12th . . . . 31.5Scoring Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126th. . . . .14th . . . . 15.4Tackles for Loss Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . 118th. . . . .14th . . . . 7.17Team Passing Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . 125th. . . . .13th . . . 98.12Team Passing Efficiency Defense . . . . . . 78th. . . . .13th . . 132.90Team Sacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102nd. . . . .11th . . . . 1.58Team Tackles for Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115th. . . . .12th . . . . . 4.4Time of Possession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102nd. . . . .13th . 28:14Total Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85th. . . . .12th . . . 418.4Total Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126th. . . . .13th . . . 280.4Turnover Margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106th. . . . .12th . . . -0.58Turnovers Gained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60th. . . . . .8th . . . . . 19Turnovers Lost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115th. . . . .14th . . . . . 26Winning Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116th. . . . .14th . . . . .167

NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (Top-75)CATEGORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLAYER . . .STAT . . RANKForced Fumbles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crawford. . . . . . .33 . . . . .8th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. Green. . . . .0.30 . . . .24thFumbles Recovered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crawford. . . . . . . 2 . . T-26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Milan. . . . . . . 2 . . T-26thPunting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Hayes. . . . .42.0 . . . .57thYards Per Reception . . . . . . . . . . . .R. Smalling. . . .16.45 . . . .58thInterceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Williams. . . . . . . 3 . . . . 71stField Goals per game . . . . . . . . . . .McLaughlin. . . . .1.00 . . . .68thInterceptions per game . . . . . . . . . . B. Williams. . . . . .0.3 . . . .73rdField Goal percentage . . . . . . . . . . .McLaughlin. . . . . .706 . . . 72nd

BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (Top-10)CATEGORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLAYER . . .STAT . . RANKForced Fumbles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crawford. . . . .0.33 . . . T-1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. Green. . . . .0.30 . . . . .5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nelson. . . . .0.20 . . . . .7thYards Per Reception . . . . . . . . . . . .R. Smalling. . . .16.45 . . . . .4thFumbles Recovered . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Crawford . . . . . .0.22. . . . . . 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Milan. . . . .0.20 . . . . .5thPunting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Hayes. . . . .42.0 . . . T-7thField Goals Per Game . . . . . . . . .C. McLaughlin. . . . .1.00 . . . t-7thTotal Tackles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. Phillips. . . . . .7.7 . . . . .8thField Goals Percentage . . . . . . . .C. McLaughlin. . . . . .706 . . . .10th

WEEKLY COACHES RADIO SHOWThe Lovie Smith radio show airs live from Buffalo Wild Wings in Savoy every Monday evening of a game week from 7-8 p.m. on the Illini Sports Network. Hosted by Fighting Illini football play-by-play voice Brian Barnhart, the live show allows University of Illinois students and the Champaign-Urbana community the opportunity to meet coaches and ask questions about the Illinois football program.

2018 PRONUNCIATION GUIDENick Allegretti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .al-uh-GRET-eeAlec Andrea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ann-DRAY-uhNolan Bernat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . burr-KNATChristian Bobak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bo-BACKRa’Von Bonner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RAY-vonVerdis Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ver-disJake Cerny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SIR-neeD’Ante’ Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dee-ON-TAYTrenard Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tre-NARDMike Dudek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DOO-deckPreston Engel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EN-gullMike Epstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ep-STEENCarmoni Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . car-MAH-neeDele Harding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAY-LAYVederian Lowe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vuh-DARE-ee-anJimmy Marchese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mar-CASEMichael Marchese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mar-CASEJartavius Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jar-TAY-vee-usAlec McEachern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mc-CARE-unShaedon Meadors . . . . . . . . SHAY-den medd-ersJamal Milan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . muh-LANMarc Mondesir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mon-duh-SEERDrew Murtaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . murr-tawKievan Myers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KEY-vonnJakari Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . juh-CAR-eeLere Oladipo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . luh-RAYTymir Oliver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TIE-MEERAlex Palczewski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pal-CHESS-keyAlex Pihlstrom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PILL-strumAyo Shogboyo . . . . . . . . . . .EYE-oh shog-BAHN-yoEthan Tabel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tuh-BELLCoran Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kor-AHNKhalan Tolson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KAY-lahnReuben Unije . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .YOU-nuh-szjayDelano Ware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dee-LAY-no



CHARTING THE ILLINILONGEST DRIVESDRIVES ILLINOIS OPPONENTby # of plays -- --by # of yards -- --Time of Possession -- --

RED ZONE STATS (inside the 20) ILLINOIS OPPONENTTimes inside the 20 -- --Total Scores -- -- Touchdowns -- -- Field Goals -- --Lost on Downs/Turnover/Punt -- --Lost on Missed/Blocked Field Goals -- --End of Game or Half -- --Scoring Percentage -- --Scoring Percentage (TDs only) -- --Percent of Total Drives -- --

FIELD POSITION ILLINOIS OPPONENTDrives Started -- --Cumulative Starting Yardlines -- --Average Starting Field Position -- --Times Started Inside the 20 -- --Drives Started in Plus Territory --

POINTS AFTER TURNOVERS ILLINOIS OPPONENTTurnovers Forced -- --Total Scores -- --Scoring Percentage -- --Points off Turnovers -- --

HIGHEST SCORING QUARTERS 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH OT FINAL2018 season -- -- -- -- -- --Lovie Smith Era 14, UNC & Murray St. 21, Murray State 10, Rutgers & MSU 14, MSU (’16) & USF (’17) 0, Purdue 52, Murray State

ILLINOIS ACADEMICSGRADS ON GRADS ON GRADS

The 2018 Fighting Illini roster features six student-athletes that already earned a bachelor’s degree prior to the season.

Student-Athlete Bachelor’s Degree Degree Pursuing Nick Allegretti Accountancy (Dec. ’17) Recreation, Sport & Tourism AJ Bush Jr. Sociology (Aug. ’18 at Virginia Tech) Recreation, Sport & Tourism Reggie Corbin Communication (May ’18) Recreation, Sport & Tourism Mike Dudek Marketing & Business Process Mngt (Dec. ’17) Technology Management Chase McLaughlin Technical Systems Management (May ’18) Technology Management Justice Williams Business Management (Aug. ’18) Business Administration

MAKING THE GRADE

The Illini continue to excel in the classroom.

• A total of 29 football student-athletes earned degrees in 2017-18, including six that are on the 2018 roster pursuing second degrees or master’s degrees.

• Illini players have earned 141 degrees in the last four years – 29 in 2018, 32 in 2017, 42 in 2016 and 38 in 2015.

• Illinois Academic All-Big Ten selections has exploded in recent years. Prior to 2012, the school record was 12 (2000 & 2009). Since then, the Illini have had 18 (2012), 21 (2013), 29 (2014), 31 (2015), a program-record 35 in 2016, and, most recently, 32 in 2017.

• For at least 12 consecutive semesters, at least 39 football student-athletes have posted at least a 3.0 grade-point-average, including 59 in Spring 2016.

Semester 3.0+ GPAs Team GPA Fall 2012 42 2.71 Spring 2013 51 2.87

Fall 2013 43 2.84 Spring 2014 41 2.90

Fall 2014 56 2.97 Spring 2015 60 2.98

Fall 2015 58 2.92 Spring 2016 59 3.06

Fall 2016 45 2.81 Spring 2017 47 2.90

Fall 2017 39 2.75 Spring 2018 42 2.82



ILLINOIS INDIVIDUAL CAREER

CAREER FORCED FUMBLES (since 1990)1. Simeon Rice, 1992-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132. Whitney Mercilus, 2009-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113. Dana Howard, 1990-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84. Mason Monheim, 2012-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Earnest Thomas III, 2011-2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Kevin Hardy, 1992-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77. Stanley Green, 2016-present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Justin Harrison, 2004-07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 J Leman, 2004-07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Derrick Strong, 2000-03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Michael Young, 1997-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tyrone Washington, 1992-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CAREER FIELD GOALS (since 1945)1. Chris White, 1983-85. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .532. Chris Richardson, 1991-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523. Jason Reda, 2004-07. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .514. Mike Bass, 1980-82. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .415. Derek Dimke, 2008-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Doug Higgins, 1987-90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397. Dan Beaver, 1973-76. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .388. Taylor Zalewski, 2012-15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359. Neil Rackers, 1996-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3410. Chase McLaughlin, 2015-present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 John Gockman, 2001-03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

CAREER FIELD GOAL ACCURACY(min. 20 att.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCT FG1. Derek Dimke, 2008-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .848 39-462. Peter Christofilakos, 1999-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .840 21-253. Jason Reda, 2004-07. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .750 51-684. Mike Bass, 1980-82. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .745 41-555. Chris White, 1983-85. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .736 53-726. Chris Richardson, 1991-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .712 52-737. Chase McLaughlin, 2015-present. . . . . . . . . . .706 24-348. Doug Higgins, 1987-1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .684 39-579. Neil Rackers, 1996-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .667 34-5110. Taylor Zalewski, 2012-15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .636 35-55

CAREER PUNTING AVERAGE1. Steve Weatherford, 2002-05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.52. Blake Hayes, 2017-present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.03. Steve Fitts, 1998-2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.684. Justin DuVernois, 2011-2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.625. Ryan Tabloff, 1996-97. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.96. Anthony Santella, 2007-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.87. Bill Brown, 1958-60. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.38. Ryan Frain, 2012-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.19. J.C. Caroline, 1953-54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.710. Brett Larsen, 1992-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.5

RECORDS TO WATCHEntering 2018 season



KEY PLAYER QUICK FACTS – OFFENSEQB 1 AJ Bush Jr. (Sr., 6-4, 225) Graduate transfer from Virginia Tech ... Joined the Illini Aug. 3 for the start of training camp ... Played at Nebraska and Iowa Western CC

QB 10 Cam Thomas (So., 6-2, 200) Became fourth Illini true freshman to start at QB ... Ranked No. 35 dual-threat QB recruit by ESPN

RB 21 Ra’Von Bonner (So., 5-11, 210) Missed last four games with an injury ... Career-high 62 yards rushing vs. Rutgers ... Ranked No. 79 RB in the nation by Scout and No. 82 by ESPN

RB 25 Dre Brown (Jr., 5-11, 215) Former four-star recruit ... Wears No. 27 (two sevens) in honor of his father, who wore No. 77 and passed away when Dre was eight years old

RB 2 Reggie Corbin (Jr., 5-10, 190) 14th in the nation in yards/carry among freshmen (6.08) in 2016 ... 2x Rugby national champ in high school

RB 26 Mike Epstein (So., 6-0, 200) Became fifth true freshman in program history to lead the team in rushing yards (346 in 2018) ... Missed last seven games with an injury

WR 18 Mike Dudek (Sr., 5-11, 195) 2+ catches in all 20 games he has played ... ESPN.com True-Freshman All-American in 2014 ... Interned at a bank this summer

WR 9 Sam Mays (Sr., 6-3, 200) One start in 2016 and one start in 2015 ... Game-winning touchdown with 1:35 left vs. Michigan State in 2016

WR 4 Ricky Smalling (So., 6-1, 205) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team ...Fourth true freshman in program history to lead the team in receiving yards (501) ... Former four-star recruit

WR 6 Dominic Stampley (So., 5-10, 175) Champaign native (Centennial HS) transferred to Illinois from Coffeyville CC in Kansas

WR 32 Justice Williams (Jr., 6-3, 215) Moved from LB to WR during 2018 spring ball … 15 career tackles at LB & special teams …Has bachelor’s degree in business management

TE 87 Daniel Barker (Fr., 6-4, 245) Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals ... Ranked No. 66 tight end in the nation by 247Sports

TE 19 Lou Dorsey (So., 6-6, 225) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team ... 395 receiving yards was the eighth-most by a tight end in Illinois single-season history

TE 36 Austin Roberts (Sr., 6-2, 245) Primarily used for blocking ... Academic All-Big Ten as a biology major ... Plans to be a doctor

TE 83 Bobby Walker (Jr., 6-4, 240) Former walkon was awarded scholarship in December 2017 … First career reception against Nebraska in 2017

T 79 Vederian Lowe (So., 6-6, 315) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team honorable mention ... Seven starts as a true freshman in 2017

G 55 Kendrick Green (r-Fr., 6-4, 300) Played defensive line during redshirt season in 2017 ... Switched to offensive line in spring 2018

C 65 Doug Kramer (So., 6-2, 305) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team honorable mention ... Eight starts as a redshirt freshman in 2017

G 53 Nick Allegretti (Sr., 6-4, 320) 24 straight starts ... Team captain last season ... AFCA Good Works Team watch list

T 63 Alex Palczewski (So., 6-6, 300) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team honorable mention ... Started the final 11 games as a true freshman in 2017

KEY PLAYER QUICK FACTS – DEFENSEDE 99 Owen Carney (So., 6-3, 255) Miami, Fla., native … Played in 10 games last year as a true-freshman … Had six tackles and one QB hurry in 2017

DE 92 Isaiah Gay (So., 6-3, 225) Third-youngest player to start a game in FBS in 2017 ... Two starts as a true freshman in 2017

DE 97 Bobby Roundtree (So., 6-5, 255) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team ... Nine starts as a true freshman in 2017 ... Tied for the team lead in sacks (4.0) in 2017

DT 93 Calvin Avery (Fr., 6-2, 300) Four-star recruit … Highest ranked recruit of 2018 Illinois signing class at No. 156 nationally … Dallas native played at Bishop Dunne

DT 95 Kenyon Jackson (Jr., 6-0, 290) Eight starts in his first two seasons ... Father, Keith, was a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection

DT 55 Jamal Milan (Jr., 6-3, 305) Missed part of training camp with an injury ... Blocked FG in final seconds vs. Ball State in 2017

DT 90 Lere Oladipo (r-Fr., 6-3, 205) Pronounced luh-RAY oh-la-DEE-po … Redshirted 2017 season … Three-star recruit … Ranked No. 35 DE recruit in nation by Rivals

DT 96 Tymir Oliver (Jr., 6-4, 290) Team captain last season ... Played in all 12 games with 10 starts last season ... Tied for second on the team in TFLs (4.5) in 2017

DT 91 Jamal Woods (So., 6-2, 265) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team honorable mention ... Four starts as a true freshman in 2017

LB 35 Jake Hanson (So., 6-1, 230) Injured during training camp last season and missed all 12 games ... Played in all 12 games with one start as a true freshman in 2016

LB 9 Dele Harding (Jr., 6-1, 230) Played in eight games with four starts in 2017 ... Second on the team in special teams tackles (4) in 2017

LB 3 Del’Shawn Phillips (Sr. ,6-2, 230) Illinois’ only senior on defense ... Team-leader in tackles in 2017 (85) ... Ranked eighth in the B1G tackls per game (7.7) in 2017

CB 6 Tony Adams (So., 6-0, 190) Played in five games before season-ending injury in 2017 ... First Illini true freshman to start opener at CB since Vontae Davis in 2006

CB 8 Nate Hobbs (So., 6-0, 185) 2017 BTN.com All-Freshman Team ... Started 10 games as a true freshman ... High jumped 6’9” and long jumped 22’ 11.25” in high school

CB 21 Jartavius Martin (Fr., 6-0, 190) Three-start recruit ... Ranked No. 101 safety in the nation by ESPN

CB 31 Cameron Watkins (So., 6-0, 190) First career INT at Minnesota ... Nine career starts, including seven in 2017 ... Tied for third on the team in pass breakups (3) in 2017

CB 22 Dylan Wyatt (Fr., 6-0, 180) California native played at St. Mary’s College HS … Named St. Mary’s Athlete of the Year as a senior

S 29 Christian Bobak (So., 6-0, 200) Walk-on started out as a running back before moving to defense last in 2017 … Majoring in finance

S 30 Sydney Brown (Fr., 6-0, 195) Canada native moved to Florida to play high school football at St. Stephens Episcopal ... Florida state finalist in the 400m, 4x400m and 4x100m

S 7 Stanley Green (Jr., 5-11, 200) 2017 All-Big Ten honorable mention ... Six career forced fumbles, three as a sophomore and three as a freshman

S 26 Kerby Joseph (Fr., 6-1, 190) Three-star recruit … Orlando, Fla., native played a Jones HS … Had offers from Mississippi, Syracuse and USF

S 15 Delano Ware (Fr., 6-0, 200) Pronounced dee-LAY-no … Three-start recruit ... Richomnd, California, native played at El Cerrito HS

S 4 Bennett Williams (So., 6-0, 205) Father, Garey, played at California with Illini DC Hardy Nickerson ... Nickerson recruited Williams after watching his father’s videos on Facebook

KEY PLAYER QUICK FACTS – SPECIAL TEAMSK 43 Chase McLaughlin (Sr., 6-1, 190) 24-34 FG, 43-43 PAT in his career ... 53-yard FG vs. Minnesota in 2016 is fourth longest in Illini history ... Mechanical engineering major

K 17 James McCourt (So., 6-1, 220) Backup kicker and punter ... Has not played in a game

P 14 Blake Hayes (So., 6-6, 230) College debut was first football game he ever attended ... Melbourne, Australia native ... Played Australian rules football for 3 years in HS

LS 56 Ethan Tabel (So., 6-0, 215) Snapped for field goals in 11 of 12 games in 2017 ... Redshirted in 2016 as a true freshman



NO NAME POS HT WT YR ELIG. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL/PREVIOUS COLLEGE6 Tony Adams DB 6-0 190 So. 4-3 Belleville, Ill./St. Louis University HS53 Nick Allegretti OL 6-4 320 Sr. 1-1 Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East 27 Alec Andrea DB 5-11 170 Fr. 5-4 Barrington, Ill./Barrington93 Calvin Avery DL 6-2 330 Fr. 5-4 Dallas, Tex./Bishop Dunne87 Daniel Barker TE 6-4 245 Fr. 5-4 Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Deerfield Beach28 Nolan Bernat DB 5-10 190 Jr. 3-2 Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett HS/College of Dupage29 Christian Bobak DB 6-0 200 So. 3-3 Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central21 Ra’Von Bonner RB 5-11 210 So. 4-3 Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore76 Larry Boyd OL 6-6 310 So. 4-3 St. Louis, Mo./Trinity Catholic25 Dre Brown RB 5-11 215 Jr. 2-2 DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb30 Sydney Brown DB 6-0 195 Fr. 5-4 Bradenton, Fla./St. Stephens Episcopal School94 Verdis Brown DL 6-4 325 Fr. 5-4 Chicago, Ill./IMG Academy (Fla.)1 AJ Bush Jr. QB 6-4 225 Sr. 1-1 Alpharetta, Ga./Norcross HS/Virginia Tech99 Owen Carney Jr. DL 6-3 255 So. 4-3 Miami, Fla./Miami Central80 Edwin Carter WR 6-3 180 Fr. 5-4 Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood73 Jake Cerny OL 6-5 305 So. 3-3 Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City West51 Sean Coghlan LB 6-0 220 r-Fr. 4-4 Chicago, Ill./St. Rita2 Reggie Corbin RB 5-10 200 Jr. 2-2 Upper Marlboro, Md./Gonzaga College34 PC Daniel II DB 6-1 205 Fr. 5-4 Chicago, Ill./IMG Academy (Fla.)14 Drake Davis QB 5-11 195 Fr. 5-4 Naperville, Ill./Naperville North15 Trenard Davis WR 6-0 195 Jr. 2-2 Boynton Beach, Fla./American Heritage School 24 Dawson DeGroot DB 6-1 200 So. 4-3 Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers19 Lou Dorsey TE 6-6 235 So. 4-3 Jacksonville, Fla./Jean Ribault18 Mike Dudek WR 5-11 195 Sr. 1-1 Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley5 Milo Eifler LB 6-2 220 So. 3-3 Berkeley, Calif./Bishop O’Dowd/U. of Washington58 Preston Engel OL 6-0 270 Fr. 5-4 Normal, Ill./Normal Community26 Mike Epstein RB 6-0 200 So. 4-3 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas62 Ron Gaines III LS 6-5 290 Fr. 5-4 Chicago, Ill./Simeon75 Kurt Gavin OL 6-4 305 So. 3-3 Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East92 Isaiah Gay DL 6-3 225 So. 4-3 Nashville, N.C./Northern Nash5 Carmoni Green WR 6-1 190 So. 4-3 Miami, Fla./Miami Central55 Kendrick Green OL 6-4 300 r-Fr. 4-4 Peoria, Ill./Peoria7 Stanley Green DB 5-11 200 Jr. 3-2 East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis Senior38 Caleb Griffin PK 6-3 200 Fr. 5-4 Danville, Ill./Danville35 Jake Hansen LB 6-1 230 So. 3-3 Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake23 Ron Hardge III DB 6-1 180 Fr. 5-4 Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons9 Dele Harding LB 6-1 230 Jr. 3-2 Elkton, Md./Eastern Christian 14 Blake Hayes P 6-6 230 So. 4-3 Melbourne, Australia/Brighton8 Nate Hobbs DB 6-0 185 So. 4-3 Louisville, Ky./Louisville Male47 Jacob Hollins LB 6-2 220 Fr. 5-4 Fresno, Calif./Central East37 Zac Holman WR 6-1 190 Sr. 1-1 Cronulla, Australia/De La Salle Cronulla33 Ezekiel Holmes DL 6-3 225 Fr. 5-4 Wichita Falls, Tex./Hirschi84 Jordan Holmes WR 6-0 180 Fr. 5-4 Columbia, Ill./Columbia95 Kenyon Jackson DL 6-0 290 Jr. 3-2 Little Rock, Ark./Parkview Arts & Science Magnet88 Brandon Jones TE 6-5 240 So. 3-3 Columbia, Mo./Hickman26 Kerby Joseph DB 6-1 190 Fr. 5-4 Orlando, Fla./Jones10 James Knight LB 5-10 215 So. 4-3 East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis65 Doug Kramer OL 6-2 305 So. 3-3 Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central79 Vederian Lowe OL 6-6 315 So. 4-3 Rockford, Ill./Auburn41 Jimmy Marchese LB 6-2 220 Jr. 2-2 Vernon Hills, Ill./Stevenson42 Michael Marchese DB 6-4 210 So. 4-3 Vernon Hills, Ill./Stevenson21 Jartavius Martin DB 6-0 190 Fr. 5-4 Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh Acres71 Zeke Martin OL 6-5 300 Jr. 2-2 Medina, Ohio/Medina 9 Sam Mays WR 6-3 200 Sr. 2-1 Missouri City, Texas/The Kinkaid School 17 James McCourt PK/P 6-1 220 So. 3-3 Parkland, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas46 Alec McEachern LB 6-1 225 r-Fr. 4-3 Plainfield, Ill./Benet Academy43 Chase McLaughlin PK 6-1 190 Sr. 1-1 Cypress, Texas/Cypress Woods55 Jamal Milan DL 6-3 305 Jr. 2-2 Chicago, Ill./Al Raby 16 Cam Miller QB 6-1 215 So. 3-3 Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice54 Marc Mondesir DL 6-2 235 So. 4-3 Chicago, Ill./St. Rita

NO NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POS1 AJ Bush Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . QB2 Reggie Corbin . . . . . . . . . RB3 Jakari Norwood . . . . . . . . RB3 Del’Shawn Phillips . . . . . LB4 Ricky Smalling . . . . . . . .WR4 Bennett Williams . . . . . . DB5 Milo Eifler . . . . . . . . . . . . LB5 Carmoni Green . . . . . . . .WR6 Tony Adams . . . . . . . . . . DB6 Dominic Stampley. . . . . .WR7 Stanley Green . . . . . . . . . DB7 Coran Taylor . . . . . . . . . . QB8 Nate Hobbs . . . . . . . . . . . DB8 MJ Rivers II . . . . . . . . . . . QB9 Dele Harding. . . . . . . . . . LB9 Sam Mays . . . . . . . . . . . .WR10 James Knight . . . . . . . . . LB10 Cam Thomas. . . . . . . . . . QB11 Carlos Sandy. . . . . . . . . .WR12 Matt Robinson . . . . . . . . QB13 Caleb Reams . . . . . . . . .WR14 Drake Davis . . . . . . . . . . QB14 Blake Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . P15 Trenard Davis . . . . . . . . .WR15 Delano Ware . . . . . . . . . . DB16 Cam Miller . . . . . . . . . . . QB17 James McCourt . . . . . . .PK/P17 Kendall Smith . . . . . . . . . DB18 Mike Dudek . . . . . . . . . . .WR19 Lou Dorsey . . . . . . . . . . . TE20 Nick Walker. . . . . . . . . . . DB21 Ra’Von Bonner . . . . . . . . RB21 Jartavius Martin . . . . . . . DB22 Kenyon Sims . . . . . . . . . . RB22 Dylan Wyatt. . . . . . . . . . . DB23 Ron Hardge III. . . . . . . . . DB24 Dawson DeGroot . . . . . . . DB25 Dre Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . RB26 Mike Epstein . . . . . . . . . . RB26 Kerby Joseph . . . . . . . . . . DB27 Alec Andrea. . . . . . . . . . . DB28 Nolan Bernat. . . . . . . . . . DB29 Christian Bobak . . . . . . . DB30 Sydney Brown . . . . . . . . . DB31 Cameron Watkins . . . . . . DB32 Justice Williams . . . . . . .WR33 Ezekiel Holmes . . . . . . . . DL34 PC Daniel II. . . . . . . . . . . DB35 Jake Hansen . . . . . . . . . . LB36 Austin Roberts . . . . . . . . TE37 Zac Holman . . . . . . . . . .WR38 Caleb Griffin . . . . . . . . . . PK41 Jimmy Marchese . . . . . . . LB42 Michael Marchese. . . . . . DB43 Chase McLaughlin . . . . . PK44 Drew Murtaugh . . . . . . . . LB45 Khalan Tolson . . . . . . . . . LB46 Alec McEachern . . . . . . . LB47 Jacob Hollins. . . . . . . . . . LB48 Julian Pearl. . . . . . . . . . . DL

2018 ILLINOIS FOOTBALL ROSTER (As of 8/27/18)



44 Drew Murtaugh LB 6-3 225 So. 3-3 Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South72 Kievan Myers OL 6-5 330 Fr. 5-4 Dallas, Tex./Dishop Dunne86 Donny Navarro WR 5-11 190 So. 4-3 Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley HS/Valparaiso3 Jakari Norwood RB 5-10 185 Fr. 5-4 Pompano Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach90 Lere Oladipo DL 6-3 275 r-Fr. 4-4 Huntley, Ill./Huntley96 Tymir Oliver DL 6-4 290 Jr. 3-2 Philadelphia, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic63 Alex Palczewski OL 6-6 300 So. 4-3 Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect81 Griffin Palmer TE 6-5 245 So. 3-3 St. Charles, Mo./De Smet Jesuit98 Deon Pate DL 6-2 280 r-Fr. 4-4 Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian Academy48 Julian Pearl DL 6-6 250 Fr. 5-4 Danville, Ill./Danville3 Del’Shawn Phillips LB 6-2 230 Sr. 2-1 Highland Park, Mich./Cass Tech/Garden City CC89 Alex Pihlstrom TE 6-6 250 r-Fr. 4-4 Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West13 Caleb Reams WR 6-2 240 Jr. 2-2 Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township8 MJ Rivers II QB 6-4 215 Fr. 5-4 Frisco, Tex./Lone Star36 Austin Roberts TE 6-2 245 Sr. 1-1 Rice Lake, Wis./Rice Lake12 Matt Robinson QB 6-1 185 Fr. 5-4 San Juan Capistrano, Calif./J Serra Catholic97 Bobby Roundtree DL 6-5 255 So. 4-3 Largo, Fla./Largo11 Carlos Sandy WR 5-9 175 Fr. 5-4 Dania Beach, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons52 Ayo Shogbonyo DL 6-2 240 So. 3-3 Arlington, Tex./Mansfield Summitt22 Kenyon Sims RB 5-11 200 Fr. 5-4 San Diego, Calif./Lincoln66 Jordyn Slaughter OL 6-5 315 Fr. 5-4 Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic4 Ricky Smalling WR 6-1 205 So. 4-3 Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice 17 Kendall Smith DB 6-1 200 So. 4-3 Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook52 Adam Solomon OL 6-6 305 Jr. 2-2 Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard 85 Cam Stacy WR 5-11 200 Fr. 5-4 Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South6 Dominic Stampley WR 5-10 175 So. 3-3 Champaign, Ill./Centennial HS/Coffeyville CC (Kan.)68 Jake Stover OL 6-3 300 r-Fr. 4-4 Chicago, Ill./St. Rita56 Ethan Tabel LS 6-0 215 So. 3-3 Barrington, Ill./Barrington7 Coran Taylor QB 6-2 205 Fr. 5-4 Peoria, Ill./Peoria10 Cam Thomas QB 6-2 200 So. 4-3 Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic82 Dylan Thomas WR 5-11 180 Fr. 5-4 Monticello, Ill./Monticello45 Khalan Tolson LB 6-0 220 Fr. 5-4 St. Petersburg, Fla./Admiral Farragut Academy74 Andrew Trainer OL 6-7 305 So. 3-3 Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School70 Reuben Unije OL 6-6 290 Fr. 5-4 Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academy (Fla.)83 Bobby Walker TE 6-4 240 Jr. 2-2 Golf, Ill./Loyola Academy20 Nick Walker DB 5-10 185 So. 4-3 St. Louis, Mo./Miller Career Academy/Cisco College15 Delano Ware DB 6-0 200 Fr. 5-4 Richmond, Calif./El Cerrito31 Cameron Watkins DB 6-1 200 Jr. 2-2 Nashville, Tenn./Pearl-Cohn4 Bennett Williams DB 6-0 205 So. 4-3 Campbell, Calif./St. Francis32 Justice Williams WR 6-3 215 Jr. 2-2 Frisco, Texas /Wakeland91 Jamal Woods DL 6-2 265 So. 4-3 Hueytown, Ala./Hueytown22 Dylan Wyatt DB 6-0 180 Fr. 5-4 Oakland, Calif./St. Mary’s College HS

NOTE: Eligibility - first number is years left on clock, second number is seasons of eligibilty remaining (i.e. 5-4 means 5 years to play 4 seasons)

51 Sean Coghlan . . . . . . . . . LB52 Ayo Shogbonyo . . . . . . . . DL52 Adam Solomon . . . . . . . . OL53 Nick Allegretti . . . . . . . . . OL54 Marc Mondesir . . . . . . . . DL55 Kendrick Green . . . . . . . . OL55 Jamal Milan . . . . . . . . . . DL56 Ethan Tabel . . . . . . . . . . LS58 Preston Engel . . . . . . . . . OL62 Ron Gaines III . . . . . . . . . LS63 Alex Palczewski. . . . . . . . OL65 Doug Kramer. . . . . . . . . . OL66 Jordyn Slaughter . . . . . . . OL68 Jake Stover . . . . . . . . . . . OL70 Reuben Unije . . . . . . . . . OL71 Zeke Martin. . . . . . . . . . . OL72 Kievan Myers. . . . . . . . . . OL73 Jake Cerny. . . . . . . . . . . . OL74 Andrew Trainer . . . . . . . . OL75 Kurt Gavin. . . . . . . . . . . . OL76 Larry Boyd. . . . . . . . . . . . OL79 Vedarian Lowe . . . . . . . . OL80 Edwin Carter. . . . . . . . . .WR81 Griffin Palmer . . . . . . . . . TE82 Dylan Thomas . . . . . . . . .WR83 Bobby Walker . . . . . . . . . TE84 Jordan Holmes . . . . . . . .WR85 Cam Stacy . . . . . . . . . . .WR86 Donny Navarro . . . . . . . .WR87 Daniel Barker . . . . . . . . . TE88 Brandon Jones . . . . . . . . TE89 Alex Pihlstrom. . . . . . . . . TE90 Lere Oladipo . . . . . . . . . . DL91 Jamal Woods. . . . . . . . . . DL92 Isaiah Gay. . . . . . . . . . . . DL93 Calvin Avery . . . . . . . . . . DL94 Verdis Brown. . . . . . . . . . DL95 Kenyon Jackson. . . . . . . . DL96 Tymir Oliver. . . . . . . . . . . DL97 Bobby Roundtree. . . . . . . DL98 Deon Pate . . . . . . . . . . . . DL99 Owen Carney Jr. . . . . . . . DL

2017 ILLINOIS FOOTBALL ROSTER

ILLINOIS COACHING STAFFLovie Smith Head CoachHardy Nickerson Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/LinebackersRod Smith Offensive Coordinator/QuarterbacksGill Byrd Passing Game Coordinator/SafetiesBob Ligashesky Special Teams CoordinatorLuke Butkus Offensive LineAustin Clark Defensive LineAndrew Hayes-Stoker Wide RecieversCory Patterson Tight EndsMiles Smith Defensive BacksThad Ward Running Backs



2018 ILLINOIS NEWCOMERS (as of 8/27/18)SENIORS (8)AJ Bush Jr.Nick AllegrettiMike DudekZac HolmanSam MaysChase McLaughlinDel’Shawn PhillipsAustin Roberts JUNIORS (16)Nolan BernatDre BrownReggie CorbinTrenard DavisStanley GreenDele HardingKenyon JacksonJimmy MarcheseZeke MartinJamal MilanTymir OliverCaleb ReamsAdam SolomonBobby WalkerCameron WatkinsJustice Williams SOPHOMORES (39)Tony AdamsChristian BobakRa’Von BonnerLarry BoydOwen Carney Jr.Jake CernyDawson DeGrootLou DorseyMilo EiflerMike EpteinKurt GavinIsaiah GayCarmoni GreenJake HansenBlake HayesNate HobbsBrandon JonesJames KnightDoug KramerVederian LoweMichael MarcheseJames McCourtCam MillerMarc MondesirDrew MurtaughDonny NavarroAlex PalczewskiGriffin Palmer

Robby RoundtreeAyo ShogbonyoRicky SmallingKendall SmithDominic StampleyEthan TabelCam ThomasAndrew TrainerNick WalkerBennett WilliamsJamal Woods

RS FRESHMEN (7)Sean CoghlanKendrick GreenAlec McEachernLere OladipoDeon PateAlex PihlstromJake Stover

TRUE FRESHMEN (32)Alec AndreaCalvin AveryDaniel BarkerSydney BrownVerdis BrownEdwin CarterPC Daniel IIDrake DavisPreston EngelRon Gaines IIICaleb GriffinRon Hardge IIIJacob HollinsEzekiel HolmesJordan HolmesKerby JosephJartavius MartinKievan MyersJakari NorwoodJulian PearlMJ Rivers IIMatt RobinsonCarlos SandyKenyon SimsJordyn SlaughterCam StacyCoran TaylorDylan ThomasKhalan TolsonReuben UnijeDelano WareDylan Wyatt

2018 ROSTER BY CLASS

QUARTERBACKS (7)AJ Bush Jr.Drake DavisCamren MillerMJ Rivers IIMatt RobinsonCoran TaylorCam Thomas

TIGHT ENDS (7)Daniel BarkerLou DorseyBrandon JonesGriffin PalmerAlex PihlstromAustin RobertsBobby Walker

WIDE RECEIVERS (15)Edwin CarterTrenard DavisMike DudekCarmoni GreenZac HolmanJordan HolmesSam MaysDonny NavarroCaleb ReamsCarlos SandyRicky SmallingCam StacyDominic StampleyDylan ThomasJustice Williams

RUNNING BACKS (6)Ra’Von BonnerDre BrownReggie CorbinMike EpsteinJakari NorwoodKenyon Sims

OFFENSIVE LINE (16)Nick AllegrettiLarry BoydJake CernyPreston EngelKurt GavinKendrick GreenDoug KramerVederian LoweZeke MartinKievan MyersAlex PalczewskiJordyn SlaughterAdam SolomonJake StoverAndrew TrainerReuben Unije

DEFENSIVE LINE (15)Calvin AveryVerdis BrownOwen Carney Jr.Isaiah GayEzekiel HolmesKenyon JacksonJamal MilanMarc MondesirLere OladipoTymir OliverDeon PateJulian PearlBobby RoundtreeAyo ShogbonyoJamal Woods

LINEBACKERS (11)Sean CoghlanMilo EiflerDele HardingJake HansenJacob HollinsJames KnightJimmy MarcheseAlec McEachernDrew MurtaughDel’Shawn PhillipsKhalan Tolson

DEFENSIVE BACKS (19)Alec AndreaTony AdamsNolan BernatChristian BobakSydney BrownPC Daniel IIDawson DeGrootStanley GreenRon Hardge IIINate HobbsKerby JosephMichael MarcheseJartavius MartinKendall SmithNick WalkerDelano WareCameron WatkinsBennett WilliamsDylan Wyatt

LONG SNAPPERS (2)Ron Gaines IIIEthan Tabel PUNTERS (2)Blake HayesJames McCourt KICKERS (3)Caleb GriffinJames McCourtChase McLaughlin

2018 ROSTER BY POSITION

SIGNEES (24)NO NAME POS HT WT YR ELIG. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL 93 Calvin Avery DL 6-2 330 Fr. 5-4 Dallas, Tex./Bishop Dunne87 Daniel Barker TE 6-4 245 Fr. 5-4 Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Deerfield Beach30 Sydney Brown DB 6-0 190 Fr. 5-4 Bradenton, Fla./St. Stephens Episcopal School94 Verdis Brown* DL 6-4 295 Fr. 5-4 Chicago, Ill./IMG Academy (Fla.)80 Edwin Carter WR 6-3 180 Fr. 5-4 Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood23 Ron Hardge III DB 6-1 180 Fr. 5-4 Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons47 Jacob Hollins LB 6-2 220 Fr. 5-4 Fresno, Calif./Central East33 Ezekiel Holmes DL 6-3 225 Fr. 5-4 Wichita Falls, Tex./Hirschi26 Kerby Joseph DB 6-1 190 Fr. 5-4 Orlando, Fla./Jones21 Jartavius Martin DB 6-0 190 Fr. 5-4 Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh Acres72 Kievan Myers OL 6-5 330 Fr. 5-4 Dallas, Tex./Dishop Dunne3 Jakari Norwood* RB 5-10 175 Fr. 5-4 Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach48 Julian Pearl DL 6-6 250 Fr. 5-4 Danville, Ill./Danville8 MJ Rivers II QB 6-4 215 Fr. 5-4 Frisco, Tex./Lone Star12 Matt Robinson QB 6-1 185 Fr. 5-4 San Juan Capistrano, Calif./J Serra Catholic11 Carlos Sandy WR 5-9 175 Fr. 5-4 Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons22 Kenyon Sims RB 5-11 195 Fr. 5-4 San Diego, Calif./Lincoln66 Jordyn Slaughter OL 6-5 315 Fr. 5-4 Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic7 Coran Taylor QB 6-2 205 Fr. 5-4 Peoria, Ill./Peoria45 Khalan Tolson LB 6-0 220 Fr. 5-4 St. Petersburg, Fla./Admiral Farragut Academy70 Reuben Unije* OL 6-6 300 Fr. 5-4 Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academy (Fla.)20 Nick Walker* DB 5-10 175 So. 4-3 St. Louis, Mo./Miller Career Academy/Cisco College15 Delano Ware DB 6-0 200 Fr. 5-4 El Cerrito, Calif./El Cerrito22 Dylan Wyatt DB 6-0 180 Fr. 5-4 Oakland, Calif./St. Mary’s College HS

SCHOLARSHIP TRAINING CAMP ADDITIONS FOR 2018 (4)NO NAME POS HT WT YR ELIG. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL 1 AJ Bush Jr. QB 6-4 225 Sr. 1-1 Alpharetta, Ga./Norcross HS/Virginia Tech5 Milo Eifler LB 6-2 220 So. 3-3 Berkeley Calif./Bishop O’Dowd/U. of Washington38 Caleb Griffin PK 6-3 200 Fr. 5-4 Danville, Ill./Danville6 Dominic Stampley WR 5-10 175 So. 3-3 Champaign, Ill./Centennial/Coffeyville CC (Kan.)

WALK-ONS ADDED TO ROSTER FOR 2018 (9)NO NAME POS HT WT YR ELIG. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL 27 Alec Andrea DB 5-11 170 Fr. 5-4 Barrington, Ill./Barrington34 PC Daniel II* DB 6-1 205 Fr. 5-4 Chicago, Ill./IMG Academy (Fla.)14 Drake Davis QB 5-11 195 Fr. 5-4 Malden, Ill./Naperville North58 Preston Engel OL 6-0 270 Fr. 5-4 Normal, Ill./Normal Community62 Ron Gaines III LS 6-5 290 Fr. 5-4 Chicago, Ill./Simeon84 Jordan Holmes WR 6-0 180 Fr. 5-4 Columbia, Ill./Columbia86 Donny Navarro WR 5-11 190 So. 4-3 Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley HS/Valparaiso85 Cam Stacy WR 5-11 200 Fr. 5-4 Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South82 Dylan Thomas WR 5-11 180 Fr. 5-4 Monticello, Ill./Monticello

* Early enrollee, Jan. 2018



THE LAST TIMEAN ILLINOIS PLAYER HAD ...Rushing250 yards rushing: 330, Mikel Leshoure vs. Northwestern, 11/20/2010200 yards rushing: 330, Mikel Leshoure vs. Northwestern, 11/20/2010150 yards rushing: 180, Ke’Shawn Vaughn at Purdue, 11/7/2015125 yards rushing: 146, Kendrick Foster vs. Michigan State, 11/5/2016100 yards rushing: 111, Mike Epstein vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017Back-to-back 175-yard rushing games: Rashard Mendenhall (189 vs. Ball State, 10/27/2007 & 201 at Minnesota, 11/3/2007)Three consecutive 100-yard rushing games: Mikel Leshoure, 11/6/2010-12/29/2010 (5 games)Five consecutive 100-yard rushing games: Mikel Leshoure, 11/6/2010-12/29/2010 (5 games)2 rushers with 175 yards: Harvey (215), Havard (175) vs. Middle Tennessee, 9/12/19982 rushers with 100 yards: Vaughn (180) and Ferguson (133) at Purdue, 11/7/201580+ yard rushing play: 80, Daniel Dufrene at Ohio State, 11/10/200770+ yard rushing play: 78, Ke’Shawn Vaughn at Purdue, 11/7/2015Two 40+ runs in one quarter: 56 and 56 (2nd), Kendrick Foster vs. Murray State, 9/3/2016True-freshman rushed for 100 yards: Mike Epstein, 111 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017True-freshman rushed for 100 yards in first career game: E.B. Halsey, 139 vs. Missouri, 8/30/200340 rushing attempts: 40, Antoineo Harris at Wisconsin, 11/9/200230 rushing attempts: 33, Mikel Leshoure vs. Northwestern, 11/20/20102 rushers with 2 TDs: Scheelhaase (2) & Young (2) vs. SDSU, 9/10/20118 TDs rushing: Howard Griffith (8) vs. Southern Illinois, 9/22/1990 4 TDs rushing: Antoineo Harris (4) vs. Indiana, 10/27/20023 TDs rushing: Mikel Leshoure (3) vs. Baylor, 12/29/20102 TDs rushing: Mike Epstein (2) vs. Ball State, 9/2/20172 TDs rushing by a QB: Chayce Crouch (2) vs. Purdue, 10/8/2016

Receiving200 yards receiving: 200, Mike Dudek vs. Purdue, 10/4/2014150 yards receiving: 164, Malik Turner at Northwestern, 11/26/2016100 yards receiving: 107, Louis Dorsey vs. Indiana, 11/11/20172 receivers with 100 yards receiving: Turner (164) and Hardee (125) at Northwestern, 11/26/2016Running back with 100+ yards receiving: 100, Josh Ferguson vs. Northwestern, 10/28/201570+ yard pass play: 77, Louis Dorsey from Jeff George, Jr. vs. Indiana, 11/11/201760+ yard pass play: 77, Louis Dorsey from Jeff George, Jr. vs. Indiana, 11/11/201750+ yard pass play: 77, Louis Dorsey from Jeff George, Jr. vs. Indiana, 11/11/201710+ receptions: 11, Malik Turner at Northwestern, 11/26/20162 receivers with 2 TDs: Will Judson and Chris Duvalt vs. Missouri, 8/30/20083 receiving TDs: A.J. Jenkins (3) vs. Northwestern, 10/1/2011Offensive lineman caught a pass: Jeff Allen, (1 rec., 2 yds) vs. Southern Illinois, 9/11/2010Offensive lineman scored a TD: Corey Lewis, fumble recovery in end zone at Indiana, 11/9/2013

Passing600 yards passing: 621, Dave Wilson at Ohio State, 11/8/1980500 yards passing: 621, Dave Wilson at Ohio State, 11/8/1980400 yards passing: 456, Wes Lunt vs. Western Kentucky, 9/6/2014300 yards passing: 308, Jeff George, Jr. vs. Rutgers, 10/14/2017Consecutive 300-yard passing games: Nathan Scheelhaase at Penn State (321, 11/2/2013) and at

Indiana (450, 11/9/2013)Three consecutive 300-yard passing games: Jason Verduzco vs East Carolina (352,8/31/1991), at Missouri

(431, 9/14/1991) and vs. Houston (341, 9/21/1991)6 TDs passing: Dave Wilson at Ohio State, 11/8/1980 5 TDs passing: Nathan Scheelhaase (5) vs. Miami (OH), 9/28/2013 4 TDs passing: Wes Lunt (4) vs. Kent State, 9/5/20153 TDs passing: Wes Lunt (3) vs. Murray State, 9/3/2016Two 65-plus yard TD passes in the same game: N. Scheelhaase, 77 & 67 yds to A.J. Jenkins at Indiana, 10/8/1110+ consecutive completions in a game: Wes Lunt (11) at Iowa, 10/10/2015Non-QB with passing TD: Josh Ferguson vs. Penn State, 9/29/2012

Defense20 Tackles: J Leman (20) vs. Missouri, 9/1/200719 Tackles: Clayton Fejedelem (19) vs. Wisconsin, 10/24/20154 interceptions: Mike Gow (4) vs. Stanford, 9/21/19743 interceptions: Eugene Wilson (3) vs. Penn State, 11/10/20012 interceptions: Hardy Nickerson (2) vs. Purdue, 10/8/20163+ sacks in a game: Whitney Mercilus (3.0) at Indiana, 10/8/20114+ TFLs in a game: TJ Neal Jr. (4.0) vs. Northwestern, 10/28/20154+ PBUs in a game: Jaylen Dunlap (4) vs. Michigan State, 11/5/20163+ PBUs in a game: Jaylen Dunlap (4) vs. Michigan State, 11/5/20163+ PBUs in back-to-back games: Jaylen Dunlap vs. Minnesota (3) and Michigan State (4), 10/29/16-11/5/16Interception by a lineman: Michael Buchanan vs. Western Michigan, 9/1/2012Interception return for TD: Julian Jones (10 yards) vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017Two players with interception returns for TD in a game: Pat Nixon-Youman (68 yards), Jonathan Brown (66 yards) vs.

Indiana, 10/23/2010Fumble recovery for TD: Ahmari Hayes (54 yards) at Ohio State, 11/18/2017Scored on a safety: Smoot TFL vs. North Carolina 9/10/2016Defensive extra point: Nate Hobbs (75 yards) at USF, 9/15/2017

Total Offense/All-Purpose500 yards total offense: 503, Juice Williams vs. Minnesota, 10/11/2008 400 yards total offense: 439, Wes Lunt vs. WKU, 9/6/2014300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing: 431 (310-121), Juice Williams at Michigan, 10/4/2008300 all-purpose yards: 328, A.J. Jenkins vs. Northwestern, 10/1/2011200 all-purpose yards: 200, Mike Dudek vs. Purdue, 10/4/20143 total TDs: Josh Ferguson (3: 2 rush, 1 rec.) vs. Texas State, 9/20/20142 TDs in 1 minute: Ke’Shawn Vaughn at Purdue (3rd quarter), 11/7/2015

Special Teams5 field goals: Doug Higgins vs. Michigan State, 10/20/1990 4 field goals: Derek Dimke (4) at Penn State, 10/9/20103 field goals: Chase McLaughlin (3) at Iowa, 10/7/2017Made 50+ yard field goal: Chase McLaughlin (53) vs. Minnesota, 10/29/2016Blocked a punt: Caleb Day vs. Middle Tennessee, 9/26/2015Blocked punt for a touchdown: Caleb Day (block), Clayton Fejedelem (TD) vs. Middle Tennessee, 9/26/2015Blocked two field goals: Terrell Washington vs. NIU, 9/8/2001Blocked two PATs: Rob Bain at Penn State, 10/31/2015Blocked a field goal: Isaiah Gay at USF, 9/15/2017Blocked a PAT: Tito Odenigbo at USF, 9/15/2017Punt return for TD: V’Angelo Bentley (67 yards) vs. OSU, 11/16/2013Kickoff return for TD: V’Angelo Bentley (100 yards) vs. Southern Illinois, 8/31/2013Blocked FG returned for TD: Travis Williams (66 yards) vs. Illinois State, 9/6/2003Two-point conversion: Mike Dudek pass from Jeff George, Jr. at USF, 9/15/2017Two two-point conversions in the same game: 2 at Ohio State, 11/3/2012 (Russell pass to LaCosse; Russell rush) AN OPPOSING PLAYER HAD ...250 yards rushing: 256, Jordan Canzeri, Iowa, 10/10/2015200 yards rushing: 256, Jordan Canzeri, Iowa, 10/10/2015150 yards rushing: 173, Justin Jackson, at Northwestern, 11/26/2016Three 100-yard rushers: J. Jackson (106), J. Moten IV (105), D. Johnson (101) at USF 9/15/201775+ yard rushing play: 79, Justin Jackson, vs. Northwestern, 11/25/1750+ yard rushing play: 79, Justin Jackson, vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Two 40+ TD runs in one quarter: Carlos Hyde (51, 55 in 4th), Ohio State, 11/16/2013 400 yards passing: 408, Scott Rislov, San Jose State, 9/21/2002300 yards passing: 330 Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee, 9/26/201580+ yard pass play: 80, Louisiana Tech (Cody Sokol to Ken Dixon), 12/26/201470+ yard pass play: 80, Louisiana Tech (Cody Sokol to Ken Dixon), 12/26/201450+ yard pass play: 52, Northwestern (Clayton Thorson to Bennett Skowronek), 11/25/17Non-QB with passing TD: Nick Scott to Christian Hackenberg at Penn State, 10/31/2015200 receiving yards: 246, Roy Roundtree, Michigan, 11/6/2010150 receiving yards: 175, Eddie Battles, Middle Tennessee, 9/26/2015100 receiving yards: 110, Nacarius Fant, Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017Two 100-yard receivers: Eddie Battles (175), Richie James (141), Middle Tennessee, 9/26/20154 field goals: Michael Geiger, Michigan State, 11/5/2016Three 50+ yard field goals: Tim Douglas (51, 58, 51), Iowa, 9/26/1998Punt return for TD: R. McCarron (55 yards), Iowa, 11/19/2016Kickoff return for TD: S. Vault (89 yards), Northwestern, 11/29/2014

INT return for TD: John Celestin (31 yards), at Minnesota, 10/20/2017Blocked punt for a TD: Ben Kuznia (3 yards), Minnesota, 11/7/2009Fumble recovery for TD: Samdup Miller (3 yards), Northwestern, 10/25/2017Safety: Team (tackle in end zone), MInnesota, 10/29/2016

AN ILLINOIS TEAM HAD ...80 points: 87 vs. Illinois Wesleyan (87-3), 10/5/191270 points: 79 vs. Illinois State (79-6), 9/16/194460 points: 65 at Michigan (65-67), 11/6/201050 points: 52 vs. Murray State (52-3), 9/3/201640 points: 48 at Purdue (48-14), 11/7/201530 points: 31 vs Michigan State (31-27), 11/5/160 points: Iowa (0-28), 11/19/20160 points in 1st half: at Ohio State (0-38), 11/18/20170 points in 2nd half: vs. Northwestern (7-42), 11/25/2017Did not score a touchdown: vs. Nebraska (6-28), 9/29/2017400 rushing yards: 519 vs. Northwestern, 11/20/2010300 rushing yards: 315 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16200 rushing yards: 200 at Iowa, 10/7/2017Fewer than 100 rushing yards: 89 at Ohio State, 11/18/2017Negative yards net rushing: -27 vs. Arizona, 9/18/1993400 passing yards: 450 vs. Purdue, 10/4/2014300 passing yards: 308 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/2017Fewer than 100 passing yards: 16 at Ohio State, 11/18/20174 TD catches by tight ends: 4 vs. Miami (Ohio), 9/28/2013700 total net yards: 723 vs. Illinois-Normal, 9/16/1944600 total net yards: 612 at Indiana, 11/9/2013500 total net yards: 515 vs. Murray State, 9/3/2016400 total net yards: 446 at Iowa, 10/7/2017Fewer than 100 total net yards: 78 at Wisconsin, 10/8/1977 Consecutive games, 500 total net yards: at Michigan (501, 10/4/2008), vs. Minnesota (550, 10/11/2008), vs. Indiana (563, 10/18/2008)Five field goals: 5 vs. Wisconsin, 10/20/2001Shutout opponent: Western Illinois (44-0), 9/12/20159+ sacks in a game: 9 at Purdue, 11/3/20016+ sacks in a game: 6 vs. Murray State, 9/3/201615+ TFL in a game: 15 vs. San Jose St., 9/21/200210+ TFL in a game: 10 vs. Michigan State, 11/5/2016Missed extra point kick: vs. Louisiana Tech, 12/26/2014Successful two-point conversion: at USF, 9/15/20172 successful two-point conversions: at Ohio State (2), 11/3/2012Forced 5+ turnovers: 5 at Rutgers, 10/15/2016Turned ball over 5+ times: 6 vs. Louisiana Tech, 9/22/201210+ passes broken up: 11 vs. Illinois State, 9/12/2009Blocked two kicks: 2 at South Florida, 9/15/2017Blocked two punts: 2 vs. Indiana, 10/23/2010Entire game without punting: vs. Miami (Ohio), 9/28/2013No penalties: vs. Arkansas State, 9/3/2011No turnovers: vs. Michigan State, 11/5/2016Back-to-back games with no turnovers: vs. Middle Tennesse, 9/26/2015 and vs. Nebraska, 10/3/2015No sacks allowed: at Wisconsin, 11/12/2016Back-to-back games with no sacks allowed: vs. Michigan State, 11/5/2016 and at Wisconsin, 11/12/2016A successful on-side kick: vs. Penn State, 11/22/2014Overtime game: Loss vs. Purdue, 34-31 (OT), 10/8/2016Overtime game at home: Loss vs. Purdue, 34-31 (OT), 10/8/2016A game with a weather delay: at South Florida, 9/15/2017 (0:37 delay) A game was postponed: vs. Kent State, 9/4/2015 (2:50 delay) Eventually postponed and played next day on 9/5/2015

AN OPPOSING TEAM HAD ...200 yards rushing: 306, vs. Northwestern, 11/25/2017300 yards rushing: 306, vs. Northwestern, 11/25/2017Fewer than 100 yards rushing: 6, Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017 Fewer than 50 yards rushing: 6, Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017Fewer than 20 yards rushing: 6, Western Kentucky, 9/9/2017Negative yards rushing: -10, Murray State, 9/3/2016One first down: Missouri, 9/10/1994Zero first downs: Michigan, 10/27/34300 yards passing: 304, at USF, 9/15/2017400 yards passing: 414, Northwestern, 11/30/2013Fewer than 100 yards passing: 47, at Minnesota, 10/20/2017500 net yards: 543, at Ohio State, 11/18/2017600 net yards: 680, at USF, 9/15/2017700 net yards: 705, Michigan State, 9/24/2005Fewer than 100 net yards: 96, South Dakota State, 9/10/2011Fewer than 250 net yards: 244, Western Kentucky, 9/9/201740 points: 42, vs. Northwestern, 11/25/201750 points: 54, at Ohio State (54-14), 11/8/201760 points: 60, Ohio State (60-35), 11/16/201370 points: 70, Michigan (70-21), 11/7/1981 A shutout: Penn State (39-0), 10/31/2015Did not score: Western Illinois (0-44), 9/12/2015Did not score a touchdown: Western Illinois (0-44), 9/12/2015Scoreless half: Western Kentucky (13-0), first half, 9/9/2017Missed PAT: Ohio State, 11/16/2013A two-point conversion: Michigan State, 11/5/2016Two two-point conversion: Northwestern (2), 11/29/2014Defense scored all points in victory: Arizona, 16 points, 9/18/1993Entire game without punting: at Nebraska, 10/1/2016



SMITH FOOTBALL CENTER SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN 2019

Concept rendering of the new Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center, already under construction just east of Memorial Stadium and south of the Irwin Indoor Football Complex.

The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center will be a 107,650 square foot facility adjoining the south end of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility. The facility will feature new and expanded strength and conditioning and sports medicine space, coaches’ offices, position meeting rooms, player development areas, locker rooms, and other areas for recruiting and prospect hosting. Construction of the new football performance center started in Dec. 2017 and will be completed prior to the 2019 season.

The H.D. Smith Foundation, led by Dale and Chris, announced a donation of $20 million to the University of Illinois Foundation on Aug. 28, 2018, with $15 million dedicated to the Fighting Illini Football Performance Center. In recog-nition of the gift, the building will forever be named the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center. The gift marks the largest philanthropic donation in the history of the DIA.

“Following Coach Smith’s arrival, this project is the necessary next step to building a sustainable, champion-ship-caliber football program,” said Josh Whitman, Illinois Director of Athletics. “This is an investment in our student-athletes, both present and future, to ensure that they have the resources needed to compete at the highest level. Such a commitment is required if we are to win consistently in the Big Ten and on the national stage. This is the first in a series of facility projects that will ultimately position all Illinois student-athletes for enduring success.”

Driving the project is the need to update our outdated football facilities. Today’s program bears little resemblance to that which existed 30 years ago, when the current football operations complex was constructed. The football staff has grown substantially. Improvements to technology and methodology have changed the way players and coaches interact, train, prepare, and recover. Advancements in sports medicine and strength training have outpaced our facility’s ability to house them. As a result, we are missing critical opportunities for our football student-athletes to prepare and develop, constrained by the limited functionality of our current facilities.

Of equal importance is the impact a quality facility has on recruiting. To win football games and pursue championships, we need top student-athletes from around the country to choose the University of Illinois to further their educations and their football careers. The competition for talent is fierce and pits us against tradition-rich football programs from coast to coast. To win in this race, we must offer exceptional leadership and resources that allow our student-athletes to realize every ounce of their potential. World-class facilities are an important part of the equation as well. Our facilities must demonstrate an institutional commitment to building, supporting, and sustaining a winning football program.

TIMELINE

October 2016 » Initial project announced

Summer 2017 » Updated performance center plans announced

Winter 2018 » Begin performance center construction

August 2018 » Smith $20 million donation announced

Summer 2019 » Coompleted for 2019 season

PLANNED FEATURES

» Grand Entryway

» Dick Butkus Statue

» Expansive Locker Room and Team Spaces

» Meeting Rooms

» Sports Medicine and Weight Training Facilities

» Recruiting Areas

» Staff Offices

» Statue honoring Illini and football legend Dick Butkus

MEMORIAL STADIUM FACTS

Built »1923

First Game » Illinois vs. Chicago, 11/3/1923

Dedication Game » Illinois vs. Michigan, 10/18/1924

Largest Crowd » 78,297, Illinois vs. Missouri, 9/8/1984

Current Capacity » 60,670 Concept rendering of the new locker room.

THE FIGHTING ILLINI

2018 ILLINOIS FOOTBALL RECORD BOOK // 17

6 TONY ADAMSDB, 6-0, 190, SO.BELLEVILLE, ILL. / ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HS

2017 Freshman: » Played in five games with

two starts at cornerback » Missed the last seven

games with an injury» Eight tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0

sack, one interception on season

» Played both corner and nickel

» First career interception and sack at South Florida

» Career-high four tackles against Ball State» First Illini true freshman cornerback to start the season opener

since Vontae Davis in 2006 against Eastern Illinois

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 81 defensive back in the nation by Scout » Ranked No. 130 WR in nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 6 recruit in Missouri by 247Sports, No. 7 by ESPN

and No. 10 by Rivals» High school coach was Gary Kornfeld

Personal: » Born Jan. 24, 1999» Listed Kobe Bryant as his favorite athlete because, “of his

mindset and his work ethic.”» Majoring in political science

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 4 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Solos: 2 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17TFLs: 1.0 at South Florida, 9/15/17Sacks: 1.0 at South Florida, 9/15/17QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: 1 at South Florida, 9/15/17Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -

DEFENSIVE STATISTICSYEAR G UA A TOT TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH2017 5 4 4 8 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 0TOTAL 5 4 4 8 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 0

INTERCEPTION STATISTICSYEAR G INT YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2017 5 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0TOTAL 5 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0

SACKS STATISTICSYEAR G UA A TOTAL YDS2017 5 1 0 1.0 1TOTAL 5 1 0 1.0 1

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 1 0 1 1.0-1 1.0-1 0 0-0 1-0 0 0NEB 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT DNP - Injured@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

53 NICK ALLEGRETTIOL, 6-4, 320, SR.FRANKFORT, ILL. / LINCOLN-WAY EAST

Pronunciation: al-uh-GRET-ee

» 2018 AFCA Good Works Team Preseason Watch List» Earned bachelor’s degree in accountancy in Dec. 2017» Currently pursuing a master’s degree in recreation, sport &

tourism

2017 Junior: » All-Big Ten honorable

mention (coaches and media)

» Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten second team

» Team captain» Voted team’s Red Grange

Outstanding Offensive Player

» Started all 12 games, eight at guard and four at center

» Started all 24 games the last two years» Led Illinois in offensive snaps, playing all but two (99.7 percent)» Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree» AFCA Good Works Team watch list» Rimington Award watch list» Wuerffel Trophy watch list» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Sophomore: » Started all 12 games, 11 at guard and one at center» On the field for 782 snaps, most of any Illini offensive player» Started at center in place of injured Joe Spencer in the season

opener against Murray State» Academic All-Big Ten

2015 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in all 12 games as an offensive lineman (both C and G)

and on special teams (FG protection)» Saw time at defensive tackle in two games (WIU and UNC)» Made Illini debut against Kent State, playing on the offensive

line at both center and left guard» Academic All-Big Ten

2014 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2014 season

High School: » 2013 U.S. Army All-American» Three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Rivals, Scout and 247Sports» Ranked the No. 8 center in the nation by Rivals and Scout, and

No. 11 center in the nation by 247sports» Ranked No. 19 player in Illinois by Scout and No. 20 by Rivals» Consensus first-team All-State and Chicago Sun-Times All-

Area in 2013 after anchoring an offense that averaged over 30 points per game and reached the IHSA class 7A quarterfinals

» Had 56 pancake blocks in 2013 and 125 career pancakes» 3-time All-Southwest Suburban Blue selection» Did not allow a sack during entire junior and senior seasons» Four-year letterwinner in wrestling, finishing with a 45-2

record and placing third in class 3A in 2014.

Personal: » Born April 21, 1996 » Son of Carl and Tammy Allegretti » Has one brother, Joey, who graduated from Illinois in 2016» Father played football at Butler University and is the Chairman

and CEO of Deloitte Tax LLP » Two uncles also played football at Butler » President of Illinois Uplifting Athletes Chapter (2017 & ’18),

helping to raise of $75,000 toward rare disease resarch in two years coordinating Illinois’ Lift for Life event.

» Honor roll student » National Honor Society member » Two-time academic All-State » Says he loved watching former Illini QB Juice Williams play

while growing up» Says Lincoln-Way East alum and NFL OL Adam Gettis is his

favorite athlete » Earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy in Dec. 2017 and

is currently pursuing a master’s degree in recreation, sport & tourism

27 ALEC ANDREADB, 5-11, 170, FR.BARRINGTON, ILL. / BARRINGTON

Pronunciation: ann-DRAY-uh

High School: » 2018 all-area first team» Helped Barrington to

conference titles in 2016 and 2018

» Played for head coach Joey Sanchez

» Also ran track» All-state in track, finishing

fourth in the 4x200m and sixth in the 4x100m at the state finals

Personal: » Born Nov. 24, 1999» Son of Craig and Michele Andrea» Younger sister, Nicolette» Picked Illinois because, “of the education that it brings. I love

the atmosphere down here and it feels like home. It is also close to my hometown, so that was key.”

» Lists Lebron James as his favorite athlete because, “I love how he continues to be who he is when he gets a lot of hate for no reason. He is also a beast on the court and I love watching him.”

» Enrolled in general curriculum with plans to major in business or journalism

93 CALVIN AVERYDL, 6-2, 330, FR.DALLAS, TEXAS. / BISHOP DUNNE

High School: » Four-star recruit by

247Sports, ESPN and Rivals

» Ranked No. 156 recruit in the nation by Rivals, No. 232 by ESPN and No. 299 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 9 defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals, No. 16 by ESPN and No. 23 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 34 recruit in Texas by 247Sports» Ranked No. 7 recruit in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by the

Star-Telegram» 2017 Under Armour All-America Game participant» 2017 US Army All-American Game invitation» 68 tackles, 12 sacks as a junior» 2017 3A Texas Associated Press Sports Editors All-State» 2017 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools All-

State» High school teammate of fellow Illini Kievan Myers» Verbally committed to Illinois in August 2017

THE FIGHTING ILLINI

18 // FIGHTING ILLINI FOOTBALL // FIGHTINGILLINI.COM // @ILLINIFOOTBALL // #ILLINI

» Offers included Arizona State, Arkansas, Cal, Colorado, Florida State, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC and Washington

Personal: » Born Sept. 4, 1999» Enrolled in general curriculum

87 DANIEL BARKERTE, 640, 245, FR.FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. / DEERFIELD BEACH

High School: » Three-star recruit by


» Ranked No. 66 tight end in the nation by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 237 recruit in Florida by 247Sports

» 2017 Sun Sentinel honorable mention

» High school teammate of fellow Illini Jakari Norwood

» Verbally committed to Illinois in July 2017» Offers included Kentucky, Pittsburg, FIU, FAU, Marshall,

Southern Miss, Toledo, UAB and UCF

Personal: » Born Sept. 23, 1999» Enrolled in general curriculum

28 NOLAN BERNATDB, 5-10, 190, JR.BARTLETT, ILL. / BARTLETT HS / COLLEGE OF DUPAGE

Pronunciation: burr-KNAT

2017 Sophomore: » Walkon member of the

Illinois squad

Junior College: » Played one season at

College of DuPage (2016) making 15 tackles, 2 TFLs and 6 PBUs in five games.

High School: » Three-year letterwinner in

football » Played for head coach Tom Meaney at Bartlett» Two-time all-area» Three-time All-Upstate 8 Conference selection» Three-time Bartlett Offensive MVP» Also ran track in high school» State qualifier in the 4x100 and 4x200 in 2015» 4x200 team placed eighth at the 2015 IHSA state finals

Personal: » Born March 20, 1998» Son of Michael and Alice Bernat» Two older brothers, Tyler and Austin, one older sister, Courtney,

and one younger sister, Victorious» Chose Illinois because, “It was a great opportunity to get

a high-level education while playing at the highest level of college football.”

» Majoring in advertising

29 CHRISTIAN BOBAKDB, 6-0, 200, SO.HINSDALE, ILL. / HINSDALE CENTRAL

Pronunciation: bo-BACK

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Walkon played in all

12 games, primarily on special teams

» Practiced as both a running back and as a safety at different points in the season

» Three tackles on season» Made Fighting Illini debut

in the opener against Ball State

» First career carry in the season finale vs. Northwestern» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Freshman:» Member of UI squad» Joined team as a walkon in summer 2016

High School: » 2015 West Suburban Conference All-Silver Division» Rushed for 1,133 yards and 12 TDs as senior to earn Team

MVP and Suburban Life All-Area» Averaged 125.9 rushing yards per game a senior» Six 100-yard games a senior, including two 230+ yard games» Zero fumbles in 149 carries as a senior» Rushed for 374 yards on 77 carries as a junior» Averaged 6.7 yards per rush during his high school career» Led Hinsdale Central to a 7-3 record & state playoffs as senior» Played for head coach Dan Hartman at Hinsdale Central» Also ran track (three years) and played hockey (two years) in

high school» Qualified for the state track meet and was team captain

Personal: » Born May 30, 1998» Full name is Christian Francis Bobak» Son of Stan and Stella Bobak» Has two brothers, Dominic and Matthew» Illinois State Scholar and Honor Roll student in high school» Lists Michael Jordan as favorite athlete because “his work

ethic and success are models for the mindset I want to emulate.”

» Majoring in finance

CAREER HIGHSCarries: 1 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Rushing Yards: -1 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Long Run: -1 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Rushing Touchdowns: -Receptions: -Receiving Yards: -Long Reception: -Kick Returns: 1 vs. Northwestern, 11/28/17Kick Return Yards: 10 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Long Kick Return: 10 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17All-Purpose Yards: 9 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Tackles: 1, three times (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)Solos: 1, twice (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)

RUSHING STATISTICS YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2017 12 1 -1 0 0 -1.0 -0.1TOTAL 12 1 -1 0 0 -1.0 -0.1


RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WKU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0RUT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

@MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0IND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NW 1 (-1) 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

21 RA’VON BONNERRB, 5-11, 210, SO.CINCINNATI, OHIO / SYCAMORE

Pronunciation: RAY-von

2017 Freshman: » Played in six games with

three starts at running back

» Missed the last five games with an injury

» 202 rushing yards on 67 carries in six games

» Led Illinois in season rushing touchdowns (4)and rushing touchdowns during Big Ten games (3)

» Made his Illinois debut against Western Kentucky» First career start at Iowa» Voted a team captain by his teammates for Minnesota game

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 79 running back in the nation by Scout, No. 82 by

ESPN and No. 98 by 247Sports » Ranked No. 43 recruit in Ohio by ESPN, No. 49 by Rivals and

No. 61 by 247Sports » Played at Sycamore High School for head coach Scott Dattilo » Lettered three years in football » 2016 Associated Press All-Ohio Division I first team » 2016 MaxPreps/JJHuddle Ohio Big School All-State second team » Started 33 straight games to finish high school career » Rushed for 80 touchdowns in high school, the 17th most in

Ohio high school football history » Also ran track in high school and was part of the state’s

fastest 4x100 relay in the state in 2016 » Young Scholars Club member

Personal: » Born March 3, 1999» Son of Ra’Chelle Johnson » Has one sister, Ra’Niesha Bonner» Listed Ray Lewis and Tim Tebow as his favorite athletes

because, “they both are unashamed of the gospel and are great leaders.”

» Wants to go into ministry and do missions in third-world countries following his playing career

» Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSCarries: 19 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Rushing Yards: 62 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Long Run: 19 at Iowa, 10/7/17Rushing Touchdowns: 1, four times (last at Minnesota, 10/21/17)Receptions: 1, twice (last vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17)Receiving Yards: 7 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Long Reception: 7 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17All-Purpose Yards: 69 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

RUSHING STATISTICS YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2017 6 67 202 4 19 3.0 33.7TOTAL 6 67 202 4 19 3.0 33.7

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G2017 6 2 5 0 7 0.3 2.5 0.8TOTAL 6 2 5 0 7 0.3 2.5 0.8

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU 12 25 0 8 0 0 0 0@USF 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0NEB 4 10 0 6 1 -2 0 0@IOWA 12 47 1 19 0 0 0 0RUT 19 62 1 14 1 7 0 7@MIN 18 57 1 9 0 0 0 0WIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

76 LARRY BOYDOL, 6-6, 310, SO.ST. LOUIS, MO. / TRINITY CATHOLIC

2017 Freshman: » BTN.com All-Freshman

Team honorable mention» Played in all 12 games

with nine starts at offensive tackle

» Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State

» First career start in the second game of the season against Western Kentucky

» Teamed with Alex Palczewski and Vedarian Lowe to be Illinois’ first ever true-freshmen trio to start the same game on the offensive line, something that happened five times in 2017

High School: » Four-star recruit by ESPN» Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals & Scout» Ranked as a top 500 recruit in the nation by 247Sports» Ranked No. 25 offensive guard in the nation by 247Sports, No.

40 by ESPN, No. 43 by Rivals and No. 48 by Scout» Ranked No. 4 recruit in Missouri by ESPN and No. 5 by

247Sports and Rivals» Lettered four years in football» Played for head coach Cory Patterson at Trinity Catholic.

Patterson is currently the Fighting Illini tight ends coach» 2016 Missouri Coaches Association all-state first team» 2016 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Lineman of the Year» 2016 St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro» Helped Trinity Catholic to a runner-up finish in Class 2 in

2016, while averaging 241.3 rushing yards per game in 2016» Also participated in basketball and track in high school

Personal: » Born July 6, 1999» Son of Angela Boyd» One brother, Timothy Wright» Chose Illinois because, “I believe we have the best coaching

staff in college football.”» Enrolled in general curriculum

25 DRE BROWNRB, 5-11, 215, JR.DEKALB, ILL. / DEKALB

2017 Sophomore: » Feel-good story made

his Illini debut vs. Iowa on Oct. 7 after missing the first 26 games of his UI career due to various injuries.

» Played in six games with one start at running back. Missed six games with injuries

» 138 rushing yards on 31 carries (4.5 ypc) in six games» Had a breakout game at Ohio State Nov. 18, rushing for a

career-high 76 yards on 15 carries (5.1 ypc)» Had a team season-long 50-yard kickoff return vs.

Northwestern» Six kick returns for 167 yards (27.8 yards per kick return)» Made Illinois debut on special teams against Iowa on Oct. 7» First career carry came against Rutgers Oct. 14» First career start vs. Northwestern Nov. 25» Won the team’s Wright Commitment to Excellence Award for

his persistence and attitude battling back from two major injuries in 2015 and ’16.

» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Missed the 2016 season with an injury

2015 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2015 season with an injury suffered in training

camp

High School: » Four-star recruit by Scout and three-star recruit by ESPN.com,

Rivals and 247Sports » Ranked as the No. 6 player in the state of Illinois by Scout, No.

7 by 247Sports and No. 8 by Rivals » Ranked as the No. 35 running back in the nation by

247Sports, No. 36 by Scout and No. 47 by Rivals» Ranked in Scout top-300 players nationally (No. 299)» Played in 2015 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Orlando » Rushed for 1,936 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2014» Named All-State honors by Chicago Tribune, Champaign

News-Gazette and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association (IHSFCA)

» Named 2014 Athlete of the Year by the DeKalb Daily Chronicle» In 2013, rushed for 1,584 yards and 26 touchdowns to earn

IHSFCA All-State honors » Racked up 4,412 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns in HS career » Four-year football letter winner » Also lettered in track and field (three years), earning all-conf.

honors in 2012, ’13 and ’14, and basketball (one year)

Personal: » Born July 21, 1997 » Son of Aaron Brown and Michele Hill » Has one sister, Grace » Wears No. 27 (two sevens) in honor of his father, who wore No.

77 and passed away when Dre was eight years old » Spent past summers working on a farm with his grandfather,

Jerry, in Farmersville, Ill. » Lists former Illinois basketball star Dee Brown as his Fighting

Illini hero growing up because of his “athleticism, leadership and personal drive”

» Majoring in recreation, sport and tourism – sport management

CAREER HIGHSCarries: 15 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Rushing Yards: 76 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Long Run: 30 at Ohio State, 11/18/17

Rushing Touchdowns: -Receptions: 1 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Receiving Yards: 8 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Long Reception: 8 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Kick Returns: 4 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Kick Return Yards: 125 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Long Kick Return: 50 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17All-Purpose Yards: 184 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17


KICK RETURN STATISTICSYEAR G NO. YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2017 6 6 167 0 50 27.8 27.8TOTAL 6 6 167 0 50 27.8 27.8

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNP - InjuredWKU DNP - Injured@USF DNP - InjuredNEB DNP - Injured@IOWA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0RUT 4 11 0 6 0 0 0 0@MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@OSU 15 76 0 30 0 0 0 0NW 12 51 0 18 1 8 0 8

KICK RETURN/PUNT RETURNS GAME-BY-GAME2017 KR-YDS AVG TD LG PR-YDS AVG TD LGBALL ST DNP - InjuredWKU DNP - Injured@USF DNP - InjuredNEB DNP - Injured@IOWA 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0RUT 1-25 25.0 0 25 0-0 0 0 0@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP - Injured@OSU 1-17 17.0 0 17 0-0 0 0 0NW 4-125 31.3 0 50 0-0 0 0 0

30 SYDNEY BROWNDB, 6-0, 190, FR.LONDON, ONTARIO / ST. STEPHENS EPISCOPAL (FLA.)

High School: » Transferred to St.

Stephen’s Episcopal School from London South Collegiate Institute

» Played for head coach Todd Creneti at St. Stephen’s

» Led St. Stephen’s Episcopal to back-to-back Sunshine State Athletic Conference independent state championships

» 51 tackles, 7.0 TFLs, two interceptions, five passes defensed, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble as a senior

» 81 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, one interception and five passes defended as a junior

» Also ran track in high school» Florida state finalist in the 400m, 4x400m and 4x100m as a

senior» Florida state finalist in the 4x100m as a junior

Personal: » Born March 21, 2000» Son of Darren Issac and Raechel Brown» Twin brother, Chase and one sister, Mya» Father played in CFL for three seasons» Mother was a figure skater» Twin brother, Chase, plays football at Western Michigan» Picked Illinois because, “I personally choose to attend the

University of Illinois because of how much the University had to offer as a student and as an athlete. From all the schools

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


that I had visited before coming to visit Illinois, none of them could compete with how special the University is itself.”

» Enrolled in general curriculum with plans to major in business

94 VERDIS BROWNDL, 6-4, 325, FR.CHICAGO, ILL. / IMG ACADEMY (FLA.)

Pronunciation: ver-dis

High School: » Four-star recruit by ESPN

and Rivals» Three-star recruit by

247Sports» Ranked No. 199 recruit in

the nation by ESPN and No. 397 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 2 center in the nation by Rivals, No. 3 by ESPN and No. 7 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 36 recruit in Florida by Rivals, No. 54 by 247Sports and No. 65 by ESPN

» 2017 Under Armour All-America Game invitation» Announced his commitment to Illinois on December 22, 2017» Plans to enroll at Illinois in January 2018» Offers included Florida State, Indiana, LSU, Michigan,

Michigan State, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Purdue, Tennessee, UCF, UCLA and Wisconsin

Personal: » Born Jan. 12, 2000» Enrolled in general curriculum

1 AJ BUSH JR.QB, 6-4, 225, SR.ALPHARETTA, GA./NORCROSS HS/VIRGINIA TECH

2018 Senior• Transferred to Illinois

with one year of eligibility remaining

• Joined the team Aug. 3 for the start of training camp

2017 Junior (Virginia Tech)• Played in five games at

Virginia Tech• Completed seven of 11

passes for 99 yards and one touchdown

• 19 rush attempts for 129 yards (6.8 yards per carry) 2016 Sophomore (Iowa Western)• Played in 10 games at Iowa Western Community College• Completed 52 of 114 passes for 602 yards and three

touchdowns• 95 rush attempts for 285 yards and five touchdowns (3.0

yards per carry) 2015 Redshirt Freshman (Nebraska)• Member of the team at Nebraska• Did not see game action 2014 Freshman (Nebraska)• Redshirted at Nebraska High School• Helped lead Norcross High School to a 6A state title

• Completed 139 of 259 passes for 2,101 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior

• Rushed for 764 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior• Rushed for almost 900 yards and passed for 1,000 yards as

a junior• Helped lead the Eagles to the first round of the 6A playoffs

as a junior • Won the Elite 11 Golden Gun accuracy challenge Personal• Born Jan. 26, 1996• Son of Alvin and Karen Bush• Two brothers, James and Donnish, and one sister, Jasmine• Father played football at San Diego State

99 OWEN CARNEY JR.DL, 6-3, 255, SO.MIAMI, FLA. / MIAMI CENTRAL

2017 Freshman: » Played in 10 games at

defensive end as a true freshman

» Six tackles, one QB hurry on the season

» Made his Illinois debut against Western Kentucky

» Enrolled at Illinois for spring semester and participated in 2017 spring practices

High School: » Four-star recruit by Rivals » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN & Scout » Ranked as a top 500 recruit in the nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 16 weakside defensive end by Rivals and No. 30

by 247Sports » Ranked No. 43 defensive end in the nation by Scout and No.

54 by ESPN » Ranked No. 46 recruit in Florida by Rivals, No. 78 by 247Sports

and No. 90 by ESPN » Ranked No. 13 recruit in Miami by the Miami Herald » Helped Miami Central win its fourth straight state title in

2015 » Played high school football at Miami Central for head coach

Roland Smith » High school teammate with fellow Illini Carmoni Green » Honor Roll in high school

Personal: » Born Feb. 8, 1999 » Son of Owen Carney Sr. and Valeria Elmore-Carney » Has one sister, O’Neshia, and one brother, O’Juan » Relatives Keir Thomas (South Carolina) and Da’Marrio

Jackson-Smith (Kansas State) play college football» Picked Illinois because, “of the relationship developed with

the coaching staff.” » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 3 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Solos: 2 at Minnesota, 10/21/17TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT DNP@MIN 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

80 EDWIN CARTERWR, 6-3, 180, FR.JACKSONVILLE, FLA. / SANDALWOOD

High School: » Three-star recruit by ESPN

and Rivals» Ranked No. 198 wide

receiver in the nation by ESPN

» Ranked No. 222 recruit in Florida by ESPN

» Played for head coach Adam Geis at Sandalwood

» 2018 Gateway Conference Award

» Also ran track in high school» Fourth place in state in the 110m hurdles» Conference champion in the 110m and 300m hurdles» 2017 Florida Times Union All-First Coast 300m Hurdles

honorable mention» Verbally committed to Illinois in December 2017» Offers included Mercer, Middle Tennessee and Western Illinois

Personal: » Born Dec. 30, 1999» Majoring in community health

73 JAKE CERNYOL, 6-5, 305, SO.TREVERSE CITY, MICH. / TREVERSE CITY WEST

Pronunciation: SIR-nee

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in two games» Made his Illinois debut

against South Florida in week 3.

» Played as an extra lineman (eligible TE) against Nebraska


2016 Freshman: » Member of UI squad

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247 Sports and Scout» Ranked among top 60 OT nationally by Scout (No. 38) and

247Sports (No. 53)» Ranked the No. 3 OL in Michigan by 247Sports and Scout» First-team All-State by Associated Press» First-team All-Conference and member of Big North

Conference Dream Team» Nike Regional Opening Chicago Offensive Line MVP in 2015» Also played basketball three years at Traverse City West,

helping team to District titles in 2014 and 2015

Personal: » Born Feb. 22, 1998

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

» Son of Tim and Michele Cerney» Both parents were college athletes – father played golf and

mother ran track and field» Has two younger brothers, Joel and Kale» Majoring in management

51 SEAN COGHLANLB, 6-0, 220, R-FR.CHICAGO, ILL. / ST. RITA

2017 Freshman: » Walkon redshirted the 2017 season

High School: » Played for head coach Todd

Kuska at St. Rita» 2016 CCL Blue Defensive

Player of the Year» Gold Honor Roll» Two-time Heaney Award

winner (straight A’s)» Also played volleyball in high school

Personal: » Born Jan. 31, 1999» Son of Dennis and Peggy Coghlan» One brother, Quinn, and three sisters, Erin, Emma and Kara» Father attended the University of Illinois» Sister, Erin, plays club lacrosse at Wisconsin» Chose Illinois becasue, “There is a history of my family coming

here, Illinois is a very prestigious school with a meaningful degree and I could not turn down the opportunity to play Big Ten football.”

» Plans to pursue a career in the business world following his playing career

» Enrolled in the Gies College of Business

2 REGGIE CORBINRB, 5-10, 200, JR.UPPER MARLBORO, MD. / GONZAGA COLLEGE HS

» Earned bachelor’s degree in communication in May 2018» Currently pursuing a master’s degree in recreation, sport

& tourism

2017 Sophomore: » Played in eight games» 18 carries for 78 yards and

nine catches for 27 yards on season

» Missed the first three games of the season with an injury


2016 Redshirt Freshman: » 12 games played with two

starts at running back» 86 carries for 523 yards and two touchdowns on season» 14th in the nation in yards per carry among freshmen (6.08),

best by an Illini frosh since at least 2000» Averaged 43.6 yards rushing per game» 10 receptions for 112 yards» Touchdowns vs. Murray State and at Northwestern» Career-long 53-yard rush at Rutgers» Career-long 30-yard reception vs. Purdue» Career-high 92 rushing yards vs. Purdue» Academic All-Big Ten

2015 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2015 season with an injury

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247sports, ESPN.com and Scout » Ranked as No. 1 RB in Washington, D.C., by all four outlets » Ranked as No. 9 overall prospect in Washington, D.C., by

Scout, No. 11 by Rivals and No. 12 by ESPN.com» Two-time first-team All-WCAC (2013 and 2014) » Ran for 915 yards and 12 TDs on 105 carries (8.7 ypc) and

had 19 catches for 231 yards and two more TDs as a senior » Rushed for 1,103 yards and 12 TDs and had 11 receptions for

177 yards as a junior » Also a top rugby player, helping Gonzaga to 2015 national title

Personal: » Born March 9, 1996 » Son of Reginald Corbin » Has two brothers and one sister » Earned bachelor’s degree in communication in May 2018 and

currently is pursuing a master’s degree in recreation, sport & tourism

CAREER HIGHSCarries: 21 at Northwestern, 11/26/16Rushing Yards: 92 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16Long Run: 53 at Rutgers, 10/15/16Rushing Touchdowns: 1, twice (last at Northwestern, 11/26/16)Receptions: 3, twice (last at Minnesota, 10/21/17)Receiving Yards: 30 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16Long Reception: 30 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16All-Purpose Yards: 122 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16

RUSHING STATISTICS YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2016 12 86 523 2 53 6.1 43.6 2017 8 18 78 0 30 4.3 9.8TOTAL 20 104 601 2 53 5.8 30.0

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G2016 12 10 112 0 30 0.8 11.2 9.32017 8 9 27 0 10 1.1 3.0 3.4TOTAL 20 19 139 0 30 0.9 7.3 6.9

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNP - InjuredWKU DNP - Injured@USF DNP - InjuredNEB 4 9 0 7 0 0 0 0@IOWA 7 61 0 30 2 3 0 3RUT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@MIN 2 -10 0 0 3 4 0 8WIS 4 18 0 8 1 10 0 10@PUR DNPIND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@OSU 0 0 0 0 2 8 0 8NW 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2

2016 ATT YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGMUR ST 7 71 1 32 0 0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0 1 14 0 14WMU 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 4@NEB 9 72 0 31 3 18 0 11PUR 11 92 0 46 1 30 0 30@RUT 8 90 0 53 0 0 0 0@MICH 4 3 0 5 0 0 0 0MINN 14 83 0 19 0 0 0 0MICH ST 4 10 0 8 1 19 0 19@WIS 3 21 0 18 0 0 0 0IOWA 5 11 0 8 2 18 0 11@NW 21 70 1 18 1 9 0 9

34 PC DANIEL IIDB, 6-1, 205, FR.CHICAGO, ILL. / IMG ACADEMY (FLA.)

High School: » Played at IMG Academy

for two seasons and Lake Forest Academy (Ill.) for two seasons

» Started as a freshman and sophomore at Lake Forest Academy

» Moved to IMG Academy in his second semester of sophomore year

» Played for coaches Kevin Wright and Kenny Stills at IMG Academy

» Also played baseball at Lake Forest Academy» High Honors at IMG Academy

Personal: » Born Nov. 18, 1999» Son of Gay and Paul Daniel» Father played professional baseball in the Cincinnati Reds

organization» Picked Illinois because he, “wanted to come back to my state

to play for the best coaching staff in the country.”» Listed Sean Taylor as his favorite athlete because he, “was

one of the best athletes ever. I respect his work ethic and his hard hitting mentality that I have in my own game.”


14 DRAKE DAVISQB, 5-11, 195, FR.NAPERVILLE, ILL. / NAPERVILLE NORTH

High School: » 2017 Naperville Sun Player

of the Year» 2017 Illinois 8A all-state» 2017 DuPage Valley

Conference Offensive Player of the Year

» 2016 Illinois 1A All-State honorable mention

» Three-time All Conference QB Three Rivers Rock Division (2014-16)

» Totaled 9,878 yards (7,686 passing, 2,192 rushing) and 108 touchdowns (77 passing, 28 rushing, 3 defensive) during his high school career

» Played for head coach Sean Drendel at Naperville North» Also ran track as a freshman and sophomore

Personal: » Born June 10, 1999» Son of Spencer and Annette Davis» Three brothers, Wyatt, Cael and Teegan, and one sister, Keighley» Cousin, Logan, played basketball at William Penn» Cousin, Tarah, played basketball and ran track at William Penn» Cousin, Lacey, played volleyball at Iowa Western» Cousin, Tasha, played softball at Drake» Picked Illinois because, “the great coaches, the tradition, and

the great academics.”» Listed Baker Mayfield as his favorite athlete because, “we are

very a like. We are shorter QB’s with a great love for the game. No matter what people told him whether it was he was to short or to slow he worked hard to prove them wrong.”

» Plans to coach after his playing career» Majoring in Kinesiology

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


15 TRENARD DAVISWR, 6-0, 195, JR.BOYNTON BEACH, FLA. / AMERICAN HERITAGE SCHOOL

Pronunciation: tre-NARD

2017 Sophomore: » Played in nine games with

one start at wide receiver» 10 receptions for 152 yards

on the season» First career catch at South

Florida Sept. 15» First career completion

against Nebraska Sept. 29» First career start at Ohio

State Nov. 18

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Played on kickoff coverage at Rutgers» Practiced at safety and wide receiver early in the season

before settling in at QB the second half of the season

2015 Freshman: » Originally signed with Illinois in February 2015» Attended Parkland College in Champaign during fall 2015

before enrolling at Illinois for the spring 2016 semester

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247sports, ESPN.com and Rivals in 2014» First-team All-Area in 2014» No. 19 prospect in Palm Beach by Sun-Sentinel

Personal: » Born Aug. 17, 1996» Son of Craig and La’Shonya Davis» Has five brothers and four sisters» Older brother, Marcus, plays wide receiver at Auburn University» Cousin, Anquan Boldin, plays for the San Francisco 49ers» Majoring in recreation, sport and tourism – sport management

CAREER HIGHSReceptions: 3 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Receiving Yards: 55 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Long Reception: 50 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Receiving Touchdowns: -Long Reception: 50 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Passing Attempts: 1 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Completions: 1 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Passing Yards: 7 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Passing Touchdowns: -Long Pass: 7 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17All-Purpose Yards: 55 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G2016 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.02017 9 10 152 0 50 1.1 15.2 16.9TOTAL 10 10 152 0 50 1.0 15.2 15.2

PASSING STATISTICSYEAR G ATT CMP INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G EFFIC2016 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.02017 9 1 1 0 7 0 7 100.0 7.0 0.8 158.8TOTAL 10 1 1 0 7 0 7 100.0 7.0 0.7 158.8

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 5NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0 2 11 0 8RUT 0 0 0 0 2 55 0 50@MIN 0 0 0 0 1 27 0 27WIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND 0 0 0 0 3 52 0 31@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

24 DAWSON DEGROOTDB, 6-1, 200, SO.FORT MYERS, FLA. / FORT MYERS

2017 Freshman: » Played in seven games

with one start at safety» 13 tackles on season» Made his Illinois debut

against South Florida» First career start against

Rutgers


247Sports» Ranked No. 98 athlete in the nation by 247Sports» Played for head coach Sam Sirianni Jr. at Ft. Myers» Lettered three years in high school» 2016 Florida 6A all-state third team» Florida North vs. South All-Star Game» Rotary South All-Star, News Press Big 15, All-area» 96 tackles, one interception and three fumble recoveries as

a senior» Led Fort Myers to an 8-5 record and region finals as a senior» 90 tackles, one sack, four interceptions (two returned for

touchdowns) as a junior» Honor Roll

Personal: » Born July 9, 1998» Son of Ken and Cindy DeGroot» Has one older brother, Dylan, and one younger sister, Cierra» Father played in the Minnesota Twins organization» Chose Illinois because, “it gives me the best opportunity to

excel as a player and a person.”» Plans to start a career in car mechanics following his playing

career» Enrolled in the Gies College of Business

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 4 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Solos: 2, twice (last vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17)TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU DNP@USF 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA DNPRUT 0 3 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP@OSU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

19 LOU DORSEYTE, 6-6, 235, SO.JACKSONVILLE, FLA. / JEAN RIBAULT

» 2018 Mackey Award Preseason Watch List


Team» Played in all 12 games

with seven starts at TE» 22 receptions for

395 yards and three touchdowns on season

» 395 receiving yards was the eighth-most by a tight end in Illinois single-season history

» Led Illinois in receiving touchdowns (3)» All three touchdown receptions came during Big Ten games» Team-long 77-yard reception vs. Indiana» 77-yard touchdown reception against Indiana was the longest

reception in Illinois history by a true freshman» 107 receiving yards against Indiana was the most by a true

freshman tight end in Illinois history» 1 8.0 yards per catch would have led all FBS true-freshmen but

was just short of NCAA stats minimum of 2.0 rec/gm» Made Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State Sept. 2» First career catch was a one-handed grab against Ball State» First career start against Western Kentucky Sept. 9

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 16 tight end in the nation by ESPN and No. 47 by

247Sports » Played at Jean Ribault High School for head coach Kelvin

Smith » Also played basketball in high school

Personal: » Born Dec. 29, 1998 » Son of Tracy and Louis Dorsey » Has one brother, Travaris Dorsey, and one sister, Ta’Mya Dorsey» Picked Illinois because, “it feels like home and the coaches

are going to prepare me for the next level.” » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSReceptions: 4 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Receiving Yards: 107 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Long Reception: 77 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Receiving Touchdowns: 1, three times (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)All-Purpose Yards: 107 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G2017 12 22 395 3 77 1.8 18.0 32.9TOTAL 12 22 395 3 77 1.8 18.0 32.9

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 4WKU 0 0 0 0 1 20 0 20@USF 0 0 0 0 3 62 0 32NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0 3 75 0 40RUT 0 0 0 0 3 28 1 19@MIN 0 0 0 0 2 14 0 9WIS 0 0 0 0 2 25 0 15@PUR 0 0 0 0 2 11 1 8IND 0 0 0 0 3 107 1 77@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0 4 63 0 20

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

18 MIKE DUDEKWR, 5-11, 195, SR.NAPERVILLE, ILL. / NEUQUA VALLEY

Pronunciation: DOO-dek

» Earned bachelor’s degree in marketing & business process management in Dec. 2018

» Currently pursuing a master’s degree in technology management

2017 Junior: » Played in seven games

with six starts at wide receiver

» Missed five games with two injuries

» Returned to start the opener against Ball State after missing the previous two seasons due to injuries, a span of 981 days between games

» 24 receptions for 262 yards and one touchdown on season» At least two catches in all 20 games he has played» Six punt returns for 65 yards (10.8 yards per punt return)» Team-long 52-yard punt return vs. Ball State» One tackle, one forced fumble» First catch of the season was a 16-yard touchdown against

Ball State» Voted a team captain by his teammates for the Western

Kentucky and Iowa games» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Redshirt Sophomore: » Missed the entire season with an injury» Suffered injury during 2016 spring practice

2015 Sophomore: » Redshirted the 2015 season due to injury» Suffered injury during 2015 spring practice

2014 Freshman: » First-team Freshman All-American by Scout.com » True-Freshman All-American by ESPN.com and 247Sports» Second-team All-Big Ten » Voted Illinois’ Offensive Newcomer of the Year » Led the Big Ten in receptions (50) and receiving yards (716)

during conference play » Led FBS freshmen in receiving yards per game (79.8) » Set Illinois’ single-season freshman records for receiving

yards (1,038) and receptions (76), and tied the TD record (6) » Ranked fifth in FBS in fourth-quarter receiving yards with 354

yards on 23 catches » Ranked 29th in FBS, second among freshmen, and third in the

Big Ten in receiving yards (1,038) » Ranked third in the Big Ten in receptions per game (5.8)» Completed first career pass for 22 yards against Minnesota » Posted the fourth 200-yard receiving game in school history,

with 200 yards on a eight receptions (25.0 ypc) against Purdue » Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 8 after

recording four catches for 55 yards and a TD against WKU» First Illini newcomer with a TD reception in first two games

since 2003 (Kelvin Hayden) » Recorded three catches for 61 yards and his first career

touchdown in the season-opener against Youngstown State » Enrolled at Illinois in January and participated in 2014 spring

practices

High School: » Three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Rivals, Scout and 247Sports» Ranked the No. 23 player in Illinois by ESPN

» Posted 2,361 yards of total offense (196.8 ypg) and 23 touchdowns in 2013 to earn first-team All-State honors from the IHSFCA, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette

» Upstate Eight Player of the Year » Caught 69 passes for 1,384 yards (20.1 ypc) and 19 TDs,

rushed 30 times for 260 yards (8.7 ypc) and three TDs, and returned 21 kickoffs for 692 yards and two TDs in 2013

» As a junior in 2012, had 1,345 total yards – including 894 receiving yards – and 16 TDs

» Had five kick return TDs in high school career (four kick return and one punt return)

» Finished Neuqua Valley career as record-holder for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns

» Also ran track at Neuqua Valley

Personal: » Born Aug. 21, 1995 » Son of Rick and Lynn Dudek » Has one brother, Danny, who played football at Dayton » Earned bachelor’s degree in marketing & business process

management in Dec. 2018 and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in technology management

AREER HIGHSReceptions: 11 vs. Penn State, 11/22/14Receiving Yards: 200 vs. Purdue, 10/4/14Long Reception: 56 at Ohio State, 11/1/14Receiving Touchdowns: 2 vs. Iowa, 11/15/14Carries: 1, five times (last vs. Louisiana Tech, 12/26/14)Rushing Yards: 50 vs. Louisiana Tech, 12/26/14Long Run: 50 vs. Louisiana Tech, 12/26/14Rushing Touchdowns: -Pass Attempts: 1 vs. Minnesota, 10/26/14Pass Completions: 1 vs. Minnesota, 10/26/14Passing Yards: 22 vs. Minnesota, 10/26/14Long Pass: 22 vs. Minnesota, 10/26/14Kickoff Returns: -Kickoff Return Yardage: -Punt Returns: 3 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Punt Return Yardage: 55 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Long Punt Return: 52 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17All-Purpose Yards: 200 vs. Purdue, 10/4/14Tackles: 1, twice (last at Iowa, 10/7/17)Forced Fumbles: 1 at Iowa, 10/7/17

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G2014 13 76 1038 6 56 5.8 13.7 79.82015 DNP - Injured2016 DNP - Injured2017 7 24 262 1 31 3.4 10.9 37.4TOTAL 20 100 1300 7 56 5.0 13.0 65.0

RUSHING STATISTICS YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2014 13 6 73 0 50 12.2 5.62015 DNP - Injured2016 DNP - Injured2017 7 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0TOTAL 20 6 73 0 50 12.2 3.7

PASSING STATISTICSYEAR G ATT CMP INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G EFFIC2014 13 1 1 0 22 0 22 100.0 22.0 1.7 284.82015 DNP - Injured2016 DNP - Injured2017 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0TOTAL 20 1 1 0 22 0 22 100.0 22.0 1.1 284.8

PUNT RETURN STATISTICSYEAR G NO. YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2014 13 1 4 0 4 4.0 0.32015 DNP - Injured2016 DNP - Injured2017 7 6 65 0 52 10.8 9.3TOTAL 20 7 69 0 52 9.9 3.5

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 2 47 1 31WKU 0 0 0 0 6 46 0 16@USF 0 0 0 0 6 65 0 27NEB 0 0 0 0 2 37 0 19@IOWA 0 0 0 0 3 20 0 8RUT 0 0 0 0 2 14 0 9@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS 0 0 0 0 3 33 0 20@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

2014 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGYSU 0 0 0 0 3 61 1 49

WKU 1 2 0 2 4 55 1 32@WASH 0 0 0 0 5 43 0 18TXST 0 0 0 0 7 90 1 30@NEB 1 27 0 27 6 90 0 28PUR 0 0 0 0 8 200 0 47@WIS 0 0 0 0 4 59 0 26MIN 0 0 0 0 5 41 0 16@OSU 0 0 0 0 3 68 0 56IOWA 1 1 0 1 6 80 2 31PSU 0 0 0 0 11 115 0 25@NW 1 0 0 0 7 63 1 17LT* 1 50 0 50 7 73 0 14*Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl

KICK/PUNT RETURN GAME-BY-GAME2017 KR-YDS AVG TD LG PR-YDS AVG TD LGBALL ST 0-0 0 0 0 3-55 18.0 0 52WKU 0-0 0 0 0 1-0 0 0 0@USF 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0NEB 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@IOWA 0-0 0 0 0 1-1 1.0 0 1RUT 0-0 0 0 0 1-9 9.0 0 9@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 @PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

2014 KR-YDS AVG TD LG PR-YDS AVG TD LGYSU 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0WKU 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@WASH 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0TXST 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@NEB 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0PUR 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@WIS 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0MIN 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@OSU 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0IOWA 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0PSU 0-0 0 0 0 1-4 4.0 0 4@NW 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0LT* 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0*Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl

5 MILO EIFLERLB, 6-2, 220, SO.BERKELEY, CALIF./BISHOP O’DOWD/U. OF WASHINGTON

Pronunciation: MEE-low EYE-fler

2018 Sophomore• Must sit out the season

due to NCAA transfer rules• Will have two years of

eligibility remaining beginning in 2019

2017 Redshirt Freshman (Washington)• Played in all 13 games at

Washington• Six tackles (four solo)

• Washington Special Teams Player of the Game at Oregon State• Two tackles in the Apple Cup win over Washington State 2016 Freshman (Washington)• Redshirted the season at Washington High School• Played linebacker and running back at Bishop O’Dowd • Played for Napoleon Kaufman at Bishop O’Dowd• First-team All-West Alameda County Conference-Foothill

League at outside linebacker as a senior • Helped Bishop O’Dowd to a 7-6 record and the semi-finals of

the CIF North Coast Section Division 3 playoffs as a senior• 2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl invitation• Helped Bishop O’Dowd to the North Coast Section playoffs as

a junior• First-team All-WACC, third-team All-East Bay and honorable

mention San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro as a junior• 2014 CalHiSports.com junior-class all-state• Tacoma News Tribune “Western 100”

THE FIGHTING ILLINI

• No. 94 prospect in the nation by Scout, No. 118 by Rivals, No. 142 by 247Sports and No. 280 by ESPN

• No. 21 prospect in California by 247Sports, No. 23 by Rivals and No. 31 by ESPN

• No. 6 outside linebacker prospect in the nation by Scout, No. 11 by Rivals, No. 11 by 247Sports and No. 15 by ESPN

• Participated in the shot, discus, high jump and long jump for the track team, winning league titles in the shot put as a sophomore and junior

58 PRESTON ENGELOL, 6-0, 270, FR.NORMAL, ILL. / NORMAL COMMUNITY

Pronunciation: EN-gull


football» Played for head coach

Wes Temples at Normal Community

» 2018 All-Big 12 Conference first team

» 2018 senior captain» Also played basketball as a

freshman and sophomore

Personal: » Born March 14, 2000» Son of Melissa and Greg Engel» Father played center at Illinois from 1989-94 and was captain

of the 1993 team before playing in the NFL» Mother is the Director of Internal Operations for Advancement

at the University of Illinois» Older brother, Mclain, is a manager for the Illinois men’s

basketball team» Picked Illinois because, “it is the school I’ve always been a

fan of. It also has a lot more to offer than just a great football program, the academics here are outstanding as well.”

» Plans to major in business» Lists Lebron James as his favorite athlete because, “no matter

where he goes, he makes everyone around him a better player and person.”


26 MIKE EPSTEINRB, 6-0, 200, SO.FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. / ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Pronunciation: ep-STEEN

2017 Freshman: » Played in the first five

games of the season with three starts at running back

» Missed the last seven games with an injury

» 57 carries for 346 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 4 catches for 59 yards and one touchdown on season

» Led Illinois in rushing yards (346) and yards per carry (6.1)» Fifth true freshman in program history to lead the team in

rushing yards» Tied for the team lead in touchdowns (4; 3 rushing, 1 receiving)» Third on the team in all-purpose yards (424)» Led Illinois in all-purpose yards per game (84.8)» Team-high 111 rushing yards vs. Western Kentucky, his first

career 100-yard game

» Two touchdowns and 105 all-purpose yards in his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State

» One of six true freshmen in the nation to score multiple touchdowns during the season opener

» Two touchdowns against South Florida (one receiving, one rushing)

» Team-long 58-yard rush at Iowa» First career start vs. Western Kentucky Sept. 9

High School: » Three-star recruit by Rivals, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 58 running back in the nation by Scout, No. 59 by

247Sports and No. 89 by ESPN » Ranked No. 92 recruit in Florida by Rivals, No. 143 by

247Sports and No. 197 by ESPN » Played at St. Thomas Aquinas for head coach Roger Harriott » 2016 Sun Sentinel All-Broward Football Player of the Year » 2016 Sun Sentinel 7A All-State first team » 2016 Sun Sentinel 7A All-County » Led St. Thomas Aquinas to 2016 Florida 7A state

championship with 45-6 win over Tampa Plant in title game » Scored four touchdowns in the state semifinal against Venice » Helped St. Thomas Aquinas beat Bingham (Utah) 33-25 in

State Champions Bowl Series on ESPNU » Rushed for 1,173 yards on 156 carries (7.5 yards per rush)

and 16 touchdowns as a senior » Totaled over 1,500 yards as a senior » Season-high 170 rushing yards against Miami Booker T. » Washington in the final regular season game of 2016 » Lettered three years in high school » Missed his junior season with a knee injury » Spent his first two years of high school at Cypress Bay

(Weston, Florida)

Personal: » Born Aug. 6, 1998 » Son of Elizabeth and David Epstein » Has one sister, Melanie, and one brother, Danny » Brother, Danny, played football at Colgate (2011-12) and

Bryant (2012-15) » Picked Illinois because, “of the great coaching staff, great fit

for me, being one of the top academic schools in the country and the opportunity to play Big Ten football.”

» Listed LeBron James as his favorite athlete because, “he is the best in the world and he’s never satisfied.”


CAREER HIGHSTouchdowns: 2, twice (last at South Florida, 9/15/17)Carries: 21 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Rushing Yards: 111 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Long Run: 58 at Iowa, 10/7/17Rushing Touchdowns: 2 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Receptions: 2, twice (last at South Florida, 9/15/17)Receiving Yards: 32 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Long Reception: 21 at South Florida, 9/15/17Receiving Touchdowns: 1 at South Florida, 9/15/17Kickoff Returns: 1 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Kickoff Return Yardage: 19 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Punt Returns: -Punt Return Yardage: -All-Purpose Yards: 111 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17


RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G YDS/C YDS/G2017 5 4 59 1 21 0.8 14.8 11.8TOTAL 5 4 59 1 21 0.8 14.8 11.8


RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 11 54 2 14 2 32 0 17WKU 21 111 0 13 0 0 0 0@USF 8 56 1 45 2 27 1 21NEB 10 42 0 13 0 0 0 0

@IOWA 7 83 0 58 0 0 0 0RUT DNP - Injured@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - Injured IND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

KICK RETURN/PUNT RETURNS GAME-BY-GAME2017 KR-YDS AVG TD LG PR-YDS AVG TD LGBALL ST 1-19 19.0 0 19 0-0 0 0 0WKU 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@USF 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0NEB 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@IOWA 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0RUT DNP - Injured@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

62 RON GAINES IIILS, 6-5, 290, FR.CHICAGO, ILL. / SIMEON


football» Played for coach Dante

Culbreath at Simeon Career Academy

» Helped Simeon to 2016 and 2017 city championships

» 4.5 star LS rating by Rubio Long Snapping and Kohls Kicking

» Also wrestled in high school

Personal: » Born June 7, 2000» Son of Kenyatta and Dr. Ronald Gaines, Jr.» Younger sister, Kira, younger brother, Cameron» Mother played volleyball and softball and ran track in college» Plans to attend law school following his playing career» Picked Illinois because, “I know they will challenge me not

only on the field being a Big Ten Division I conference program but also in the classroom being ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation.”

» Lists Michael Jordan as his favorite athlete because, “his love for the game, his athleticism and his determination to be the best.”

»Majoring in political science


THE FIGHTING ILLINI


75 KURT GAVINOL, 6-4, 305, SO.MOKENA, ILL. / LINCOLN-WAY EAST

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Played one game, on

special teams at Iowa


High School: » Consensus three-star

recruit (247 Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout)

» Ranked the No. 6 offensive tackle in Illinois by Scout

» Ranked among the top 30 recruits in Illinois by ESPN.com and 247 Sports

» Ranked among the top 80 offensive tackles nationally by Scout (No. 69) and ESPN.com (No. 79)

» All-State selection in 2016» Led Lincoln Way-East to South Subberban Conference titles in

2015 and 2016. » Helped team to the third round of the IHSA state playoffs in

2014 and second round in 2015» Football coach was Rob Zvonar» Also played basketball for two years in high school.

Personal: » Born Sept. 13, 1997» Son of Lori Charmichael and the late Daniel Gavin» Has two older brothers, Keith and Kevin» Picked Illinois because, “I fell in love with the place right

when I stepped on campus. I’ve always wanted to play for my state.”

» Listed Michael Jordan as his favorite athletes because, “everytime he stepped on the court he dominated his opponent.”

» Majoring in advertising

92 ISAIAH GAYDL, 6-3, 225, SO.NASHVILLE, N.C. / NORTHERN NASH

2017 Freshman: » Played in all 12 games

with two starts at defensive end

» 20 tackles (12 solo), 4.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack, two quarterback hurries on season

» Third-youngest player in FBS to start a game in 2017

» Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State» First career start in the second game of the season against

Western Kentucky» Blocked a field goal at South Florida

High School: » Played at Northern Nash for head coach Randy Raper » 117 tackles, 25 TFLs, 17 sacks and three forced fumbles as

a senior » 2016 Big East Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year » Two-time all-conference and three-time letterwinner » Led Northern Nash to a 5-7 record and trip to the state

playoffs as a senior » Team captain » Also played basketball and competed in track & field in high

school

Personal: » Born Dec. 17, 1999 » Son of Derek and Chirley Gay » Has two brothers and three sisters» Picked Illinois because, “of the program fit – academically

and in sports. Big Ten, big stage.” » Listed Jadeveon Clowney as his favorite athlete because, “We

have the same playing style, violent and fast.” » Four-year honor roll student in high school » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 4 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Solos: 3 at Purdue, 11/4/17TFLs: 1.0, four times (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)Sacks: 1.0 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17QB Hurries: 1, twice (last vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17)Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Blocked Kicks: 1 at South Florida, 9/15/17Touchdowns: -




5 CARMONI GREENWR, 6-1, 190, SO.MIAMI, FLA. / MIAMI CENTRAL

Pronunciation: car-MAH-nee

2017 Freshman: » Played in six games at

wide receiver» Eight receptions for 75

yards on the season» Made his Illinois debut

against Nebraska Sept.29» Led the team with four

receptions at Iowa» Enrolled for spring

semester and participated in 2017 spring practices

High School: » Four-star recruit by Rivals » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 52 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals.» Ranked No. 55 recruit in Florida by Rivals and No. 82 by

247Sports » Ranked No. 9 recruit in Miami by the Miami Herald » Played high school football at Miami Central for head coach

Roland Smith » High school teammate with fellow Illini Owen Carney » Helped Miami Central win its fourth straight state title in

2015, catching one touchdown in the 48-13 championship game win over Armwood

» Caught 25 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns as a junior

Personal: » Born Oct. 22, 1998 » Son of Carmela Ross » Has two sisters, Charleshia Green and Carmeshia Green, and

one brother, Alvin “Chico” Wallace » Cousin, Deatrick Nichols, plays football at South Florida» Picked Illinois because, “My family loved this school and I felt

like I can play early and help the team get back on top.” » Listed Antonio Brown as his favorite athlete because they are

from the same area and their playing style is similar » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTouchdowns: -Carries: -Rushing Yards: -Long Run: -Rushing Touchdowns: -Receptions: 4 at Iowa, 10/7/17Receiving Yards: 28 at Iowa, 10/7/17Long Reception: 18 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Receiving Touchdowns: -All-Purpose Yards: 28 at Iowa, 10/7/17Kick Returns: -Kick Return Yards: -Long Kick Return: -Punt Returns: 1 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Punt Return Yards: 0Long Punt Return: 0

RECEIVING STATISTICSYEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G2017 6 8 75 0 18 1.3 9.4 12.5TOTAL 6 8 75 0 18 1.3 9.4 12.5

PUNT RETURN STATISTICSYEAR G NO. YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2017 6 1 -4 0 0 -4.0 -0.7TOTAL 6 1 -4 0 0 -4.0 -0.7

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU DNP@USF DNPNEB 0 0 0 0 1 18 0 18@IOWA 0 0 0 0 4 28 0 8RUT 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 15@MIN 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 8WIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND DNP@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

KICK/PUNT RETURN GAME-BY-GAME2017 KR-YDS AVG TD LG PR-YDS AVG TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU DNP@USF DNPNEB 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@IOWA 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0RUT 0-0 0 0 0 1-(-4) 0 0 0@MIN DNPWIS DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredIND 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@OSU 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0NW 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0

55 KENDRICK GREENOL, 6-4, 300, R-FR.PEORIA, ILL. / PEORIA

2017 Freshman: » Redshirted 2017 season as

a defensive tackle

High School: » Four-star recruit by Scout » Three-star recruit by

247Sports, Rivals and ESPN

» Ranked as a top 500 recruit in the nation by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 22 defensive tackle in the nation by Scout, No. 30 by Rivals, No. 31 by 247Sports and No. 50 by ESPN

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


» Ranked No. 5 recruit in Illinois by Scout, No. 8 by 247Sports, No. 9 by ESPN and No. 14 by Rivals

» Played at Peoria High School for head coach Tim Thornton » USA Football U-19 team member for IFAF World

Championships in Harbin, China » Blue-Grey All-American » Led Peoria to 2016 IHSA 5A state championship » 111 tackles, 33.0 TFLs, 15.0 sacks as a senior » 2016 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association all-

state first team » 2016 Preps Plus All-State first team » 2016 ALL-USA Illinois Football Team » 2016 Big 12 all-conference» High school teammate of Illini freshman Coran Taylor

Personal: » Born Dec. 22, 1998» Listed Lolo Jones as his favorite athlete » Picked Illinois because, “the coaching staff is awesome and I

would love to represent my home state.” » Majoring in learning & education studies

7 STANLEY GREENDB, 5-11, 200, JR.EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. / EAST ST. LOUIS SENIOR

Career Note: » Green’s six career forced

fumbles entering 2018 are tied for seventh-most in program history (dating back to 1990)

» The six forced fumbles over the last two seasons (2016 & ’17) are T-1st in the B1G and T-10th in FBS durng that span.

2017 Sophomore: » All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches and media)» Played in 10 games with seven starts at safety» 70 tackles (37 solo), one interception, one pass breakup, one

fumble recovery, three forced fumbles on the season» Tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (3) with James

Crawford» Tied for fifth in the Big Ten and 24th in FBS in forced fumbles

per game (.30)» All three forced fumbles came during Big Ten games» Second on the team in tackles (70) and solo tackles (37)» Led Illinois in tackles during Big Ten game (69)» First career interception at Minnesota» Ejected for targeting in the second half at South Florida» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Freshman: » Played in 10 games with seven starts at safety» Fifth on the team with 62 tackles» Three forced fumbles tied for the most in the nation among

freshmen during the regular season» 10+ tackles in three games (Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan)» Fumble recovery at Rutgers» Two forced fumbles vs. Michigan State» Led the team in tackles (9) vs. Minnesota to become the first

true freshman to lead Illinois in tackles in a game since Mike Svetina in 2012

» Career-high 12 tackles vs. Iowa» Forced fumble and seven solo tackles at Michigan in second

career start» First career start at Rutgers» Tackle on first career defensive snap vs. Purdue during the

fifth game of the season» High school teammate of fellow Illini James Knight

High School: » Three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked the No. 71 safety recruit in the nation by ESPN.com» Totaled 48 tackles, one sack and two interceptions as a senior

in a season shortened by a teachers’ strike» Lettered three years in high school» Two-time all-conference» Totaled 48 tackles, one sack and two interceptions as a senior

in a season shortened by a teachers’ strike» Played for head coach Darren Sunkett at East St. Louis» Captained the team as a senior» Played for head coach Darren Sunkett

Personal: » Born Sept. 11, 1998» Son of Stanley Green Sr. and Danielle Green» Has two brothers and two sisters» Spent parts of his childhood in New Orleans and Georgia» Chose Illinois because of the “family feel.”» Plans to be a teacher following his playing career» Majoring in learning & education studies

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 13 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Solos: 7, twice (last vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17)TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: 2 vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16Fumbles Recovered: 1, twice (last vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17)PBUs: 1 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Interception: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Interception Return Yards: 19 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Touchdowns: -

DEFENSIVE STATISTICSYEAR G UA A TOT TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH2016 10 30 32 62 0.0 0 0 3 1 0 02017 10 37 33 70 0.0 0 2 3 1 0 0TOTAL 20 67 65 132 0.0 0 2 6 2 0 0

INTERCEPTION STATISTICSYEAR G INT YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2016 10 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.02017 10 1 19 0 19 19.0 1.9TOTAL 20 1 19 0 19 19.0 0.9

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 4 3 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-5 0-0 0 0@IOWA 4 0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 4 5 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 6 7 13 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-19 0 0WIS 7 3 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 3 7 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 3 5 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 5 3 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 1NW DNP 2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST DNPUNC DNPWMU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT 3 2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 7 4 11 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 5 4 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 3 3 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0@WIS 4 7 11 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IOWA 3 9 12 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NW 4 1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

38 CALEB GRIFFINPK, 6-3, 200, FR.DANVILLE, ILL./DANVILLE

High School• Lettered four years in

football in high school• Played for head coach

Marcus Forrest at Danville• Three-time All-Big 12

kicker• Four-time Commercial

News All-Area• Two-time News-Gazette

All-Area first team• Kohl’s Kicking Player of the

Week 10/23/17• 2017 all-state honorable mention• Four-sport athlete at Danville (football, baseball, basketball,

soccer)• Four-year letterwinner in baseball• Four-year letterwinner in soccer• Three-year letterwinner in basketball• Three-time All-Big 12 in baseball• Two-time all-state in soccer• Two-time all-area in basketball Personal• Born Oct. 20, 1999• Plans to major in business management• Son of Chris and Erin Griffin• Older brother, Cameron, and younger sister, Kedzie• Brother played soccer at Quincy University for one year• Father played soccer at Illinois College for two years• Chose No. 38 because his home is 38 miles from Memorial

Stadium• Chose Illinois because, “The relationship I was able to build

with all of the coaches.”• Plans to work in sports following his playing career• Listed Grayson Allen as his favorite athlete because, “he’s

fought through so much adversity but keeps pushing through it. He always plays hard and will do anything he can to help his team win. Also, he gives back to those in need, no matter how much people hate on him.”

35 JAKE HANSENLB, 6-1, 230, SO.TARPON SPRINGS, FLA. / EAST LAKE

2017 Sophomore: » Did not play in 2017 after

suffering season-ending injury during training camp.

2016 Freshman: » Played in all 12 games,

primarily on special teams, with one start at linebacker

» Eight tackles and one QB hurry on the season

» First career start vs. Minnesota» Two tackles against Minnesota and Northwestern» QB hurry at Northwestern

High School: » Three-star recruit by Scout» Ranked among the top 100 O LBs nationally by Scout (No. 99)» Ranked among the top 100 inside linebackers nationally by

ESPN.com (No. 60) and 247Sports (No. 98)» Totaled 103 tackles (75 solo) and 2.0 sacks as a senior

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


» Class 7A Associated Press All-State second team in 2015» Also played basketball and ran track and field in high school» Honor roll student (4.3 GPA)

Personal: » Born June 19, 1998» Son of Shad and Lori Hansen» Has two younger siblings, Lane (brother) and Jessie (sister)» Father, Shad Hansen, played football at BYU from 1989-92

and is the school’s all-time leading tackler (408)» Majoring in kinesiology

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 2, twice (last at Northwestern, 11/26/16)Solos: 1, twice (last at Northwestern, 11/26/16)TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: 1 at Northwestern, 11/26/16Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -

DEFENSIVE STATISTICSYEAR G UA A TOT TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH2016 12 2 6 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 12017 DNP - InjuredTOTAL 12 2 6 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@WIS 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IOWA 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NW 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0

23 RON HARDGE IIIDB, 6-1, 180, FR.FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. / CARDINAL GIBBONS


247Sports and ESPN» Ranked No. 106 safety in


» Ranked No. 217 recruit in Florida by ESPN and 247Sports

» 29 tackles, 1.0 TFL, one INT and one fumble recovery returned for TD as a senior

» 33 tackles, four interceptions and three fumble recoveries as a junior

» High school teammate of fellow Illini Carlos Sandy» Verbally committed to Illinois in June 2017» Offers included Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, N.C. State,

Pittsburgh, Rutgers and USF

Personal: » Born Oct. 6, 1999» Majoring in recreation, sport & tourism

9 DELE HARDINGLB, 6-1, 230, JR.ELKTON, MD. / EASTERN CHRISTIAN

Pronunciation: DAY-lay

2017 Sophomore: » Played in eight games with

five starts at linebacker» Missed four games with

injuries» Sixth on the team in

tackles (32)» Second on the team in

special teams tackles (4)» First start of the season

at Iowa

2016 Freshman: » Nine games played, primarily on special teams» First career TFL vs. Minnesota» Career-high seven tackles (three solo) and 0.5 TFL vs.

Michigan State during increased playing time on defense» Missed the final three games with an injury

High School: » Consensus three-star recruit (247 Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals

and Scout)» Ranked as No. 1 ILB in Maryland and No. 23 in nation by Scout» Ranked as No. 18 overall recruit in Maryland by ESPN.com, No.

19 by 247sports and No. 20 by Rivals» Two-time consensus all-state» Led team with 118 tackles, 23 TFLs, five sacks and three

interceptions in 2015» Tallied 75 tackles and forced five fumbles in 2014» Captained the team as a junior and senior» Lettered four years in high school» Played for head coach Dwayne Thomas» Originally committed to Michigan and also had offers from

Rutgers, Tennessee and USC

Personal: » Born March 28, 1998» Son of David and Akeya Harding» Has one brother and one sister» Chose Illinois because, “academics, coaching and being a

part of something special.”» Plans to work in physical therapy following his playing career» Majoring in kinesiology

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 7 vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16Solos: 4 at South Florida, 9/15/17TFLs: 1.0 vs. Minnesota, 10/29/16Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 4 2 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB DNP - Injured@IOWA 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS 2 4 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 3 3 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 2 4 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 1 2 3 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 3 4 7 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@WIS DNP - InjuredIOWA DNP - Injured@NW DNP - Injured

14 BLAKE HAYESP, 6-6, 230, SO.MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA / BRIGHTON GRAMMAR

2017 Freshman: » All-Big Ten honorable

mention (media)» BTN.com All-Freshman

Team» Starting punter for all 12

games » 77 punts, 3,231 yards

(42.0 ave.), 10 punts of 50+ yards, 22 punts inside the 20-yard line on the season

» Voted team’s Dike Eddleman Outstanding Special Teams Player» 42.0 yards per punt ranked fourth in FBS among true

freshmen and was the ninth-best single-season average in Illinois history

» Ranked third in the Big Ten in punting average (42.7) and third net punting (40.0) in conference games

» 59 punts, 2,519 yards (42.7 yards/punt), eight punts of 50+ yards, 18 punts inside the 20-yard line during Big Ten games

» Booted season-long 64 yard punt at Ohio State on Nov. 18» Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State» College debut was the first football game he ever attended» Third-tallest punter in FBS (one inch shorter than Bowling

Green’s Joseph Davidson and Houston’s Dane Roy)

High School: » Played Australian rules football for three years high school» Captained the 2016 Brighton Grammar School AFL team» Valedictorian » High School Vice Captain

Personal: » Born Aug. 13, 1998» Son of Ronan and Georgina Hayes» One older brother, Max» Chose Illinois because, “It gives me the best opportunity to be

successful on and off the field. From great academic facilities and staff to a coaching staff with the most NFL experience, I couldn’t have asked for another school that has everything need to provide me with the best opportunity to succeed.

» Majoring in kinesiology

CAREER HIGHSPunts: 11, twice (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)Punt Yards: 469 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Longest Punt: 64 at Ohio State, 11/18/1750+ Yard Punts: 3 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Punts Inside the 20: 3, four times (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)

PUNTING STATISTICSYEAR G NO. YDS LG AVG2017 12 77 3231 64 42.0TOTAL 12 77 3231 64 42.0

PUNTING GAME-BY-GAME2017 No Yds Avg Long Blkd TB FC 50+ I20BALL ST 4 184 46.0 54 0 0 0 1 1WKU 7 243 34.7 52 0 0 1 1 2@USF 7 285 40.7 49 0 0 0 0 1NEB 5 185 37.0 44 0 0 3 0 3@IOWA 2 88 44.0 51 0 0 0 1 0RUT 6 259 43.2 47 0 1 1 0 1

THE FIGHTING ILLINI

@MIN 5 262 52.4 59 0 0 0 3 2WIS 4 164 41.0 46 0 0 3 0 2@PUR 5 185 37.0 44 0 0 3 0 3IND 11 455 41.4 53 0 0 3 1 3@OSU 11 469 42.6 64 0 0 2 2 2NW 9 393 43.7 52 0 0 0 1 3

8 NATE HOBBSDB, 6-0, 185, SO.LOUISVILLE, KY. / LOUISVILLE MALE


Team» Played in all 12 games

with 10 starts at cornerback

» 48 tackles (31 solo), 2.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack, two pass breakups, one forced fumble on the season

» Led Illinois in defensive snaps

» Seventh on the team in tackles (48)» 10 kick returns for 223 yards (22.3 yards per kick return)» Four punt returns for five yards (1.2 yards per punt return)» Scored a defensive extra point on a blocked extra point at

South Florida » Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State» First career start against Western Kentucky» First career sack at Iowa

High School: » Three-star recruit by Scout » Ranked No. 233 corner back in the nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 15 recruit in Kentucky by 247Sports » High jumped 6-9 and long jumped 22’ 11.25 in high school

Personal: » Born June 24, 1999» Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 8 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Solos: 5, twice (last at Iowa, 10/7/17)TFLs: 1.0, twice (last at Iowa, 10/7/17)Sacks: 1.0 at Iowa, 10/7/17QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: 1 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1, twice (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Kick Returns: 4 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Kick Return Yards: 92 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Long Kick Return: 31 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17All-Purpose Yards: 96 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Punt Returns: 2 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Punt Return Yards: 4 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Long Punt Return: 4 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17All-Purpose Yards: 96 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Touchdowns: -Defensive Extra Point: 1 at South Florida, 9/15/17




PUNT RETURN STATISTICSYEAR G NO. YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2017 12 4 5 0 4 1.2 0.4TOTAL 12 4 5 0 4 1.2 0.4

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 5 1 6 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1

@USF 4 1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 3 5 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 5 0 5 1.0-7 1.0-7 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 2 3 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1NW 3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

KICK RETURN/PUNT RETURNS GAME-BY-GAME2017 KR-YDS AVG TD LG PR-YDS AVG TD LGBALL ST 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0WKU 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@USF 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0NEB 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@IOWA 1-15 15.0 0 15 0-0 0 0 0RUT 3-75 25.0 0 31 0-0 0 0 0@MIN 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0WIS 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0@PUR 2-41 20.5 0 23 0-0 0 0 0IND 4-92 23.0 0 28 1-4 4.0 0 4@OSU 0-0 0 0 0 1-1 1.0 0 1NW 0-0 0 0 0 2-0 0.0 0 0

47 JACOB HOLLINSLB, 6-2, 220, FR.FRESNO, CALIF. / CENTRAL EAST

High School: » Three-star recruit by Rivals» Ranked No. 144 inside

linebacker by 247Sports» 136 tackles, 12.0 TFLs, 5.0

sacks, one interception, two forced fumble and two fumble recoveries as a senior

» 38 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, one interception as a junior

» Verbally committed to Illinois in February 2018

Personal: » Born Nov. 13, 2000» Enrolled in general curriculum

37 ZAC HOLMANWR, 6-1, 190, SR.CRONULLA, AUSTRALIA / DE LA SALLE CRONULLA

2017 Junior: » Walkon member of the Illinois squad» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Redshirt Sophomore: » Member of the UI team» Member of Tau Sigma

National Honor Society» Joined team as a walkon

during 2016 season but did not play in a game.

2015 at Fort Scott Community College: » Two seasons at Fort Scott» Presidents and Deans Honor Roll» Member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

High School: » Played rugby from 2004-12» Started playing American football in 2011 for the Sutherland

Seahawks» 2014 IFAF World Team first-team selection» 2012-2013 GNSW MVP & Captain» 2012 U19 Australian Junior Team

Personal: » Born Feb. 21, 1995» Son of Brett and Amanda Holman» One older brother, Jordan» Majoring in earth, society & environmental sustainability

33 EZEKIEL HOLMESDL, 6-3, 225, FR.

WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS / HIRSCHI


247Sports» Ranked No. 60 weakside

defensive end in the nation by 247Sports

» Played for head coach Danny Youngs at Hirschi

» Three-time all-district» 2017 all-state second team» 96 tackles, 38.0 TFLs, 6.0 sacks, two interceptions, two forced

fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two touchdowns as senior» 39 tackles, 1.0 sack, one interceptions and two fumble

recoveries as a junior» Also played basketball and threw shot put in high school» Verbally committed to Illinois in February 2018» Offers included Air Force and Washington State

Personal: » Born July 7, 2000» Son of Enez and Ronnie Holmes» One older brother, Ronnie A. Holmes, one older sister, Alexis

Brown, and one younger sister, Miracle Holmes» Plans to be an accountant or work with kids following his

playing career» Picked Illinois because, “Illinois was the best option for me to

develop into a good young man.”» Plays the piano and drums» Majoring in mathematics

84 JORDAN HOLMESWR, 6-0, 180, FR.COLUMBIA, ILL. / COLUMBIA

High School: » School records in single-

game receptions (11), single-game touchdowns (3), single-season receptions (62), single-season touchdowns (12), single-season yards (1,020), career receiving yards (2,188), career receiving TDs (22) and career receptions (149)

» Three-time All-Cahokia Conference» Three-time all-area» Played for head coach Scott Horner at Columbia» Also played basketball and baseball in high school» Three-time All-Cahokia Conference in basketball» Two-time all-state honorable mention in basketball» Fourth all-time leading scorer in school history (1,605 points)» 2018 All-Cahokia Conference in baseball» Honor Roll» National Honor Society

Personal: » Born Feb. 22, 2000

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


» Son of Tracey and David Holmes» Father and three uncles attended the University of Illinois» Older brother, Jonathan, and younger brother, Jackson» Brother, Jonathan, plays basketball at Arkansas» Picked Illinois because, “of the prestigious academics and the

opportunities I can have after college and further into life.”» Listed Russell Westbrook as his favorite athlete because, “of

his style of play. He goes out there every night and goes 100% until the game is over.”

» Enrolled in general curriculum with plans to major in business

95 KENYON JACKSONDL, 6-0, 290, JR.LITTLE ROCK, ARK. / PARKVIEW ARTS & SCIENCE MAGNET

2017 Sophomore: » Played in 11 games with

three starts at DT» 22 tackles (7 solo), 2.0

TFLs, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup on the season

» First career solo sack and PBU against Indiana

» Voted a team captain by his teammates for the Rutgers game

2016 Freshman: » Eight games played with five starts at defensive tackle» Started five of six games before getting injured» Missed the last two games with an injury» 18 tackles (six solo) on the season» Career-high four tackles at Michigan» Career-high three solo tackles at Rutgers

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Scout» Ranked among the top 100 defensive tackles nationally by

247Sports (No. 67), ESPN.com (No. 75) and Scout (No. 92)» Ranked among the top 15 recruits in Arkansas by ESPN.com

(No. 9) and 247Sports (No. 14)» 75 tackles, 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles as a junior» Two-time all-state and all-conference (2014 and 2015)» Honor roll student

Personal: » Born April 16, 1998» Son of Keith and Melanie Jackson» Has two brothers, Keith Jr. and Koilan» Father, Keith, was a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection during

nine seasons with Philadelphia, Miami and Green Bay and an All-American player at Oklahoma

» Brother, Keith Jackson Jr., was an All-SEC defensive lineman at Arkansas and was drafted by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft

» Wants to go into sports broadcasting after his playing career» Majoring in communication

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 5 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Solos: 3 at Rutgers, 10/15/16TFLs: 1.0 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Sacks: 1.0 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


SACKS STATISTICS

YEAR G UA A TOTAL YDS2016 8 0 0 0.0 02017 11 1 1 1.5 8TOTAL 19 1 1 1.5 8

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 0 5 5 0.5-1 0.5-1 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 0 1 1 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR DNP - InjuredIND 1 0 1 1.0-7 1.0-7 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@OSU 2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC DNPWMU DNP@NEB 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 1 3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 0 3 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@WIS 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IOWA DNP - Injured@NW DNP - Injured

88 BRANDON JONESTE, 6-5, 240, SO.COLUMBIA, MO. / HICKMAN

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Member of the Illinois

squad

2016 Freshman: » Member of UI squad,

practicing with the defensive line

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247

Sports, ESPN and Scout» Ranked the No. 72 defensive end nationally by 247 Sports» Ranked among the top 20 recruits in Missouri by 247 Sports

(No. 14) and ESPN.com (No. 20)» Earned all-district honors as DE and TE in 2015» Earned four varsity letters in football» High school coach was Arnel Monroe

Personal: » Born April 22, 1998» Full name is Brandon Palmer O’Neill Jones» Son of Brian and Mary Kay Jones » Father was an offensive lineman at UConn and spent 15 years

as the running backs coach at Missouri (2001-15)» Has one older brother, Grant, and one younger sister, Audrey» Brother, Grant Jones, plays linebacker at Missouri» Says he chose Illinois because it “felt like a home away from

home” » Lists NFL DE J.J. Watt as his favorite athlete because “he is a

defensive role model on and off the field”» Majoring in communication

25 KERBY JOSEPHDB, 6-1, 190, FR.ORLANDO, FLA. / JONES

High School: » Three-star recruit by Rivals» Two-way player» Four interceptions and 7.0

TFLs as a senior, plus five touchdown receptions

» Played for head coach Elijah Williams at Jones

» Also ran track and played volleyball in high school

» Volleyball team’s MVP

» Verbally committed to Illinois in December 2017» Offers included Mississippi State, Syracuse, USF and FAU

Personal: » Born Nov. 14, 2000» Picked Illinois because, “I love the chemistry.”» Plans to major in elementary education» Listed Jalen Ramsey as his favorite athlete» Enrolled in general curriculum

10 JAMES KNIGHTDB, 5-10, 215, SO.EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. / EAST ST. LOUIS

2017 Freshman: » Played in all 12 games

with one start at linebacker

» Three tackles, one quarterback hurry on the season

» Played primarily on special teams

» Made his Illinois debut in the opener vs. Ball State

» First career start in the eighth game of the season against Wisconsin

» Ejected for targeting against Wisconsin

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports » Ranked No. 102 safety in the nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 41 recruit in Illinois by Scout and No. 46 by

247Sports » Played at East St. Louis for head coach Darren Sunkett » Lettered three years in football » Three-time all-conference selection » Led East St. Louis to 2016 IHSA 7A state championship and

an undefeated season » 2016 St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Defensive Player of

the Year » 144 tackles, five sacks, three TFLs and one interception in

2016 » Led East St. Louis’ defense to hold opponents to 10 points per

game in 2016 » Junior season cut short by teachers’ strike after five games » Played at East St. Louis with fellow Illini Stanley Green » Former Illini Terry Hawthorne was an assistant coach for his

high school team

Personal: » Born Sept. 25, 1998 » Son of Kenneth and Rachelle Knight » Has two brothers, Kenny Knight Jr. and Jemar Stennis » Brother, Kenny Knight Jr., plays football at Ball State


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

THE FIGHTING ILLINI

» Picked Illinois because of, “we will win!” » Listed Floyd Mayweather as his favorite athlete because of his

hard work and dedication » Majoring in economics

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 1, three times (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)Solos: 1 at Ohio State, 11/18/17TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: 1 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -



65 DOUG KRAMEROL, 6-2, 305, SO.HINSDALE, ILL. / HINSDALE CENTRAL

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » BTN.com All-Freshman

Team honorable mention» Played and started eight

games at center» Missed four games with

an injury» Made his Illinois debut and

first career start in the opener against Ball State



High School:» Three-year letterwinner at Hinsdale Central» Played for head coach Dan Hartman» 2015 West Suburban Conference Offensive Lineman of the

Year» 2015 All-West Suburban Conference» 2015 All-State honorable mention» Also was a member of the track and field team at Hinsdale

Central» Dean’s List all four years of high school

Personal: » Born June 4, 1998» Son of Lisa Kramer and Doug Kramer Sr.» Both parents graduated from the University of Illinois» Has one brother, Dan, and one sister, Carrie» Lists Dee Brown as his favorite athlete» Plans to coach following his playing career» Majoring in finance

79 VEDERIAN LOWEOL, 6-5, 315, SO.ROCKFORD, ILL. / AUBURN

Pronunciation: vuh-DARE-ee-an


Team honorable mention» Played in eight games with

seven starts at tackle» Teamed with Alex

Palczewski and Larry Boyd to be Illinois’ first ever true-freshmen trio to start the same game on the offensive line

» Made his Illinois debut and first career start at Iowa

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 68 offensive guard in nation by Scout » Ranked No. 108 OT in nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 16 recruit in Illinois by Rivals, No. 25 by ESPN, No.

26 by Scout and No. 29 by 247Sports » Three-time all-conference» Led Auburn to a 10-2 record and the Illinois state

quarterfinals as a senior » Helped Auburn rush for 271.1 yards per game in 2016» Played for head coach Dan Appino

Personal: » Born April 17, 1999» Son of Eric Lowe and Veneka Cockrell» Chose Illinois because, “I love this program, the coaches, the

school and my teammates.”» Enrolled in general curriculum

41 JIMMY MARCHESELB, 6-2, 220, JR.VERNON HILLS, ILL. / STEVENSON

Pronunciation: mar-CASE

2017 Sophomore: » Walkon played in all 12

games with two starts at linebacker

» Played primarily on special teams

» 18 tackles (7 solo), 1.0 TFL on the season

» Led Illinois with five tackles on special teams

» First career start against Rutgers

» First non-scholarship Illini to start a game since Clayton Fejedelem in 2014


2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Played seven games, primarily on special teams» Academic All-Big Ten

2015 Freshman: » Redshirted 2015 season» Joined team as walk-on in summer 2015

High School: » Won state title in football (2014) and sectional title in

baseball (2015)» Two-time Academic All-State in football » Head coach was Bill McNamara» Lettered in football (3) and baseball (3)

» Two-time Academic All-Conference in baseball

Personal: » Born March 24, 1997 » Son of John and Julie Marchese » Father, John, played football at Iowa (1985) » Has three brothers, Joe, Michael and Henry» Brother, Michael, is a member of the Illinois football team» Brother, Joey, played football (OL) at Maryland from 2013-17» Cousin, Quinn Baker, plays football (WR) at Northwestern » Majoring in finance

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 9 vs. Rutgers, 10/15/17Solos: 3 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17TFLs: 0.5, twice (last vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17)Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -



42 MICHAEL MARCHESEDB, 6-4, 210, SO.VERNON HILLS, ILL. / STEVENSON

Pronunciation: mar-CASE

2017 Freshman: » Walkon played in five

games, primarily on special teams

» Two tackles, one fumble recovery on the season

» Made his Illinois debut against Wisconsin in the eighth game of the season

» First career fumble recovery on a muffed punt at Purdue

High School: » Two-year letterwinner in football» Three-year letterwinner in baseball» All-conference and all-area selection in football» Four-time member of the Green Honor Roll

Personal: » Born October 23, 1998» Son of John and Julie Marchese» Three brothers, Joe, Jim and Henry» Father played football at Iowa from 1982-86» Twin brother Henry plays football at Iowa» Brother, Jimmy, is a member of the Illinois football team» Brother, Joe Marchese, played football at Maryland from

2013-17» Uncle, Dan, played football at Army from 1978-82


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

» Chose Illinois because, “The academic and athletic excellence of the school and I loved the campus, the people and the coaching staff.”

» Plans to work in football or business/law following his playing career

» Majoring in special education

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 2 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Solos: 1 at Ohio State, 11/18/17TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: 1 at Ohio State, 11/18/17PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU DNP@USF DNPNEB DNP@IOWA DNPRUT DNP@MIN DNPWIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 0 0IND 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

21 JARTAVIUS MARTINDB, 6-0, 190, FR.LEHIGH ACRES, FLA. / LEHIGH ACRES

Pronunciation: jar-TAY-vee-us


247Sports and ESPN» Two-star recruit by Rivals» Ranked No. 101 safety in


» Ranked No. 206 recruit in Florida by ESPN and No. 206 by 247Sports

» 87 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery as a senior

» 38 tackles and two interceptions as a junior» Verbally committed to Illinois in July 2017

Personal: » Born April 17, 2000» Enrolled in general curriculum

71 ZEKE MARTINOL, 6-5, 300, JR.MEDINA, OHIO / MEDINA

2017 Sophomore: » Played in five games with

one start on the offensive line

» Played primarily on special teams, blocking for field goals and extra points

» First career start at guard and Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State


2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Member of UI squad on the defensive line.

2015 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2015 season as an OL.

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN.com and Scout» Ranked as the No. 44 prospect in Ohio and the No. 69

offensive lineman in the nation by Scout » Ranked as the No. 14 offensive lineman in Ohio by 247Sports

and No. 15 by ESPN.com » Played in 2014 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl and Ohio/

Michigan Classic All-Star game » Named second-team All-State, first-team All-District and

first-team All-Conference in 2014 » All-Ohio special mention, first-team All-District and first-team

All-Conference in 2013

Personal: » Born Sept. 6, 1996 » Son of Michael Martin and Jennifer Rix » Has one brother » Majoring in kinesiology

9 SAM MAYSWR, 6-3, 200, SR.MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS / THE KINKAID SCHOOL

2017 Junior: » Played in seven games at

wide receiver

2016 Sophomore: » Nine games played with

one start at wide receiver» Started at Wisconsin, his

second career start» 13 receptions for 158

yards and one TD on season

» Averaged 1.4 receptions per game and 17.6 yards per game» Averaged 12.2 yards per reception» 10 of 13 receptions came in the last five games» 30+ receiving yards in three of the last five games» Game-winning touchdown with 1:35 left vs. Michigan State» Career-high 39 receiving yards vs. Minnesota and Michigan

State» Career-high four receptions against Michigan State» Career-long 30-yard reception against Minnesota

2015 Freshman: » Played in all 12 games as a wide receiver, making one start» Seven receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown on season» Two receptions for 37 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown,

in the season opener vs. Kent State» Two receptions for 21 yards vs. Nebraska

» First career start at Iowa

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked as the No. 9 wide receiver in Texas by 247Sports » First-team All-Area and All-State private school team after

hauling in 58 catches for 905 yards and eight TDs in 2014 » Selected to Greater Houston first-team offense » Finalist for Touchdown Club of Houston Offensive Player of

the Year » Four-year letterwinner in football and three-year letterwinner

in basketball » Team captain for football and basketball teams as a senior

Personal: » Born Nov. 13, 1996 » Son of Joe and Gwen Mays » Has two sisters » Cousin, Roger Lee Jordan, played football at Northwestern

from 2000-04 » Cousin, Larry Micheaux, played basketball for the University of

Houston from 1979-83 (Phi Slamma Jamma) » Cousin Kendrick Bridges played basketball at Houston Baptist

University from 1998-2002 » Served as a mentor in Kinkaid Peer Mentor Program » Enrolled in majoring in communication

CAREER HIGHSReceptions: 4 vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16Receiving Yards: 39, twice (last vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16)Long Reception: 30 vs. Minnesota, 10/29/16Rec. Touchdowns: 1, twice (last vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16)All-Purpose Yards: 39, twice (last vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16)

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G YDS/C YDS/G2015 12 7 78 1 27 0.6 11.1 6.52016 9 13 158 1 30 1.4 12.2 17.62017 7 0 -4 0 0 0.0 0.0 -0.6TOTAL 28 20 232 2 30 0.7 11.6 8.3

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WKU DNP@USF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@IOWA DNPRUT DNP@MIN 0 0 0 0 0 (-4) 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0IND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 @OSU DNPNW DNP

2016 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGMUR ST 0 0 0 0 2 27 0 19UNC 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@NEB DNPPUR DNP@RUT DNP@MICH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MINN 0 0 0 0 2 39 0 30MICH ST 0 0 0 0 4 39 1 16@WIS 0 0 0 0 2 16 0 10IOWA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@NW 0 0 0 0 2 32 0 25 2015 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGKENT ST 0 0 0 0 2 37 1 27WIU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@UNC 0 0 0 0 1 15 0 15MTSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 15@IOWA 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 7WIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@PSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@MINN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0VS. NW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

17 JAMES McCOURTPK/P, 6-1, 220, SO.PARKLAND, FLA. / ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

2017 Freshman: » Member of the Illinois

squad


High School: » Three-star recruit by Scout,

247 Sports and ESPN.com» No. 9 kicker recruit in

nation and No. 2 in Florida by Scout

» Ranked as No. 16 kicker recruit in the nation by 247 Sports» Florida Class 7A AP first-team All-State and All-Broward

County in 2015» Helped team to state championships in 2012, 2014 and 2015» Attended same high school as fellow 2016 Illinois signee Dom

Thieman, current Illini LB James Crawford and former Illini punter Justin DuVernois

» Also played lacrosse in high school (two years)

Personal: » Born Nov. 9, 1997» Son of Ciaran and Margaret McCourt» Has one older sister, Ellen, and two younger brothers, Marcus

and Alex» National Honor Society» Lists rugby payer Brian O’Driscoll as his favorite athlete

because of his “outstanding work ethic on and off the field”» Majoring in finance

46 ALEC MCEACHERNLB, 6-1, 225, R-FR.PLAINFIELD, ILL.. / BENET ACADEMY

Pronunciation: Mc-CARE-un

2017 Freshman: » Walkon redshirted the 2017

season

High School: » All-state honorable

mention as a senior» Two-time all-conference

and all-area selection» Two-time Benet

Co-Offensive MVP» Lettered three years

» Played for coach Pat New» Also lettered in baseball (3), basketball (1) and lacrosse (1)

in high school

Personal: » Born Feb. 2, 1999» Son of TJ and Tess McEachern» One brother, Hayes, and one sister, Avery» Father, TJ, played football at North Central» Uncle played football at Aurora» Chose Illinois because, “Illinois was my favorite team as a kid

and was always a dream school of mine. I also wanted to be coached by a man who has great integrity and is known by his players to be a players dream coach. Finally, Illinois has some of the best academics in the country.”

» Plans to start his own business following his playing career» Enrolled in Gies College of Business

43 CHASE McLAUGHLINPK, 6-1, 190, SR.CYPRESS, TEXAS / CYPRESS WOODS

» Earned bachelor’s degree in technical systems management in May 2018

» Currently pursuing a master’s degree in technology management

2017 Junior: » Team captain» Starting kicker for all 12

games» 12-17 on field goals (9-9

inside 40 yards), 17-17 on PATs

» Season-long 43-yard field goal vs. Rutgers

» Led the team with 53 points

» One punt for 37 yards» Former walkon earned scholarship prior to 2017 season» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Sophomore: » 12-17 on field goals, 26-26 on extra points on season» 7-8 on field goals inside of 40 yards» 11-14 on field goals inside of 50 yards» Averaged 61.8 yards on 34 kickoffs with 15 touchbacks » 53-yard field goal vs. Minnesota, tied for the fourth longest in

program history» 53-yard field goal vs. Minnesota was tied for the longest in

the Big Ten during the regular season» Three field goals in back-to-back games against Nebraska

and Purdue» 48-yard field goal on first career attempt during the opener

against Murray State» First career game played in the opener against Murray State» Kicked off for the first time in his career at Nebraska (63.5

average on four kickoffs)» Tied career high with four touchbacks on four kickoffs at

Northwestern» Academic All-Big Ten

2015 Redshirt Freshman: » Member of UI squad

2014 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2014 season » Joined team as walk-on in summer 2014

High School: » Lettered in football (3) and soccer (4) » Most touch-backs in state of Texas for 2015 season » Kicked 42-yard, game-tying field goal with 4 seconds left and

then 25-yard field goal to win in overtime » First-team All-District and Academic All-State

Personal: » Born on April 9, 1996 » Son of Dan and Tammy McLaughlin » Has one brother » Favorite athlete is former Illini Steve Weatherford » Biggest influence was his dad for teaching him perseverance

and determination » Earned bachelor’s degree in technical systems management

in May 2018 and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in technology management

CAREER HIGHS FG Made: 3, three times (last at Iowa, 10/7/17)FG Attempts: 4 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16PAT Made: 7 vs. Murray State, 9/3/16PAT Attempts: 7 vs. Murray State, 9/3/16Points: 11 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16Long Field Goal: 53 vs. Minnesota, 10/29/16Kickoffs: 7 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16

Kickoff Yards: 453 vs. Purdue, 10/8/16Kickoff Average: 65.0, six times (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)Touchbacks: 5 at Iowa, 10/7/17Punts: 1 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Punt Yards: 37 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Long Punt: 37 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Tackles: -

KICKING STATISTICSYEAR PAT FG 0-29 30-39 40-49 50+ PTS LG2016 26-26 12-17 3-3 4-5 4-6 1-3 59 532017 17-17 12-17 8-8 2-2 2-5 0-2 50 43TOTAL 43-43 24-34 11-11 6-7 6-11 1-5 110 53

KICKOFF STATISTICSYEAR G NO YDS AVG TB RT RT YDS YPR 2016 11 34 2102 61.8 15 18 417 23.22017 12 42 2663 63.4 31 11 212 19.3TOTAL 23 76 4765 62.7 46 29 629 21.7

PUNTING STATISTICSYEAR G NO. YARDS LG AVG2016 11 0 0 0 0.02017 12 1 37 37 37.0TOTAL 23 1 37 37 37.0

KICKING GAME-BY-GAME 2017 FGM-FGA LG BLKD PAT PTSBALL ST 1-2 40 0 1-1 4WKU 2-2 37 0 2-2 8@USF 0-0 0 0 1-1 1NEB 2-2 25 0 0-0 6@IOWA 3-3 29 0 1-1 10RUT 1-2 43 0 3-3 6@MIN 1-2 28 0 2-2 5WIS 1-2 28 0 1-1 4@PUR 1-1 31 0 1-1 4IND 0-0 0 0 2-2 2@OSU 0-0 0 0 2-2 2NW 0-1 0 0 1-1 1

2016 FGM-FGA LG BLKD PAT PTSMUR ST 1-1 48 0 7-7 10UNC 0-0 0 0 3-3 3WMU 1-1 22 0 1-1 4@NEB 3-3 43 0 1-1 10PUR 3-4 47 0 2-2 11@RUT 1-3 37 0 3-3 6@MICH 0-0 0 0 0-0 0MINN 1-1 53 0 2-2 5MICH ST 1-1 42 0 4-4 7@WIS 1-2 31 0 0-0 3IOWA DNP@NW 0-1 0 0 3-3 3

KICKOFFS GAME-BY-GAME2017 KO YDS AVG TB RT RT YDS YPR BALL ST 5 320 64.0 4 1 15 15.0WKU 5 305 61.0 2 3 57 19.0@USF 5 320 64.0 4 2 18 9.0NEB 3 180 60.0 2 1 20 20.0@IOWA 5 325 65.0 5 0 0 0.0RUT 4 260 65.0 4 0 0 0.0@MIN 3 193 64.3 2 1 26 26.0WIS 2 129 64.5 1 1 29 29.0@PUR 3 195 65.0 2 1 22 22.0IND 3 195 65.0 2 1 25 25.0@OSU 3 195 65.0 3 0 0 0.0NW 2 130 65.0 2 0 0 0.0

2016 KO YDS AVG TB RT RT YDS YPR MUR ST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@NEB 4 254 63.5 1 2 54 27.0PUR 7 453 64.0 2 5 106 21.2@RUT 3 317 63.0 3 2 38 19.0@MICH 2 124 62.0 0 2 58 29.0MINN 5 264 52.8 1 3 64 21.3MICH ST 6 370 61.0 4 2 50 25.0@WIS 2 128 64.0 0 2 47 23.5IOWA DNP@NW 4 260 65.0 4 0 0 0.0


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

6 SHAEDON MEADORSWR, 6-2, 200, SR.DUNCAN, S.C. / BYRNES / APPALACHIAN STATE

Pronunciation: SHAY-den MEDD-ers

» Earned bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Appalachian State in Dec. 2017

» Currently pursuring a master’s degree in recreation sport & tourism at Illinois

2018 Senior: » Graduate transfer will

miss 2018 season due to an injury suffered during summer workouts.

» Enrolled in spring 2018 classes and took part in spring ball.

Appalachian State: » Played at Appalachian

State from 2014-16» Missed the 2017 season with an injury» 82 receptions for 1,442 yards and eight touchdowns in his

Appalachian State career» 2016 All-Sun Belt second team» 45 receptions for 716 yards and two touchdowns in 2016» Led Appalachian State and ranked seventh in the Sun Belt

with 716 receiving yards in 2016» Made SportsCenter’s top plays for an acrobatic catch against

Georgia State in 2016» Career-long 56-yard reception against Louisiana in 2016» 21 receptions for 439 yards and three touchdowns as a

sophomore in 2015» 15 receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns as a

freshman in 2014» Made SportsCenter’s top plays for a one-handed 31-yard catch

against Louisiana-Monroe in 2014

High School: » 2013 South Carolina Division I-AAAA Offensive Player of the

Year as a senior in high school

Personal: » Born Sept. 21, 1995» Son of Shenra and Chuck Cunningham» Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Appalachian State» Currently pursuring a master’s degree in recreation sport &

tourism at Illinois

55 JAMAL MILANDL, 6-3, 305, JR.CHICAGO, ILL. / AL RABY

Pronunciation: muh-LAN

2017 Sophomore: » Played in 10 games with six

starts at defensive tackle» Missed the last two games

with an injury» 23 tackles (11 solo), 1.5

TFLs, three quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries on the season

» Tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries (2) with James Crawford

» Third on the team in quarterback hurries (3)» Blocked a field goal attempt in the final seconds to seal a

24-21 win over Ball State in the season opener» Voted a team captain by his teammates for the Purdue and

Indiana games

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in 10 games with five starts» 27 tackles (11 solo), 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, two forced fumbles,

one fumble recovery, two QB hurries on the season» Two forced fumbles at Rutgers» Career-high three solo tackles at Rutgers» Two QB hurries against Michigan State» Fumble recovery against Iowa» Career highs in tackles (7), TFLs (2.5) and sacks (1.0) against

Western Michigan in first career start» Two tackles in the opener against Murray State, his first career

game» Academic All-Big Ten

2015 Freshman: » Played in the season opener vs. Kent State before missing the

rest of the season due to injury» Qualified for a medical hardship waiver to retain a years of

eligibility

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked as the No. 45 defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals

and the No. 3 DT in Illinois by ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked as the No. 14 overall player in Illinois by Rivals, No. 18

by Scout and No. 20 by ESPN.com » All-State, All-Area and All-Conference in 2014 after piling up

62 tackles, 14 TFLs and four sacks » Selected for 2015 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Orlando

Personal: » Born Feb. 20, 1996 » Son of Willie Long and Melissa Milan » Has two sisters» Majoring in sociology

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 7 vs. Western Michigan, 9/17/16Solos: 4, twice (last at Purdue, 11/4/17)TFLs: 2.5 vs. Western Michigan, 9/17/16Sacks: 1.0 vs. Western Michigan, 9/17/16QB Hurries: 2 vs. Michigan State, 11/5/16Fumbles Forced: 2 at Rutgers, 10/15/16Fumbles Recovered: 1, three times (last vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17)PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -Blocked Kicks: 1 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17

DEFENSIVE STATISTICSYEAR G UA A TOT TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH2015 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 02016 10 11 16 27 3.5 6 0 2 1 0 22017 10 11 12 23 1.5 4 0 0 2 1 3TOTAL 21 22 28 50 5.0 10 0 2 3 1 5

SACKS STATISTICSYEAR G UA A SACKS YDS2015 1 0 0 0.0 02016 10 1 0 1.0 22017 10 0 0 0.0 0TOTAL 21 1 0 1.0 2

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 4 0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 1 0@USF 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0@IOWA 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0WIS 1 5 6 1.5-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 4 1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU DNP - InjuredNW DNP - Injured

2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WMU 2 5 7 2.5-4 1.0-2 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR DNP@RUT 3 0 3 1.0-2 0.0-0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 0

@WIS DNP IOWA 1 3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 0 0@NW 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

2015 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUKENT ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIU DNP - Injured@UNC DNP - InjuredMTSU DNP - InjuredNEB DNP - Injured@IOWA DNP - InjuredWIS DNP - Injured@PSU DNP - Injured@PUR DNP - InjuredOSU DNP - Injured@MINN DNP - Injuredvs. NW DNP - Injured

16 CAM MILLERQB, 6-1, 215, SO.EVERGREEN PARK, ILL. / BROTHER RICE

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Walkon played in two

games» Made his Illinois debut in

the opener against Ball State on an extra point

» Had 9-yard rushing touchdown at Ohio State on first career scrimmage play



High School: » All-State second team as a senior» All-Chicago Catholic League Blue as a senior» 2015 Chicago Catholic League Blue Offensive MVP» Threw for 3,113 yards and 36 TDs as senior with a 70.65

comp. percentage» Played for head coach Brian Badke» High Honor Roll» Also played rugby in high school

Personal: » Born Oct. 30, 1997» Son of Robert and Ninette Miller» Has one sister, Madison» Lists Peton Manning as his favorite athlete» Says Illinois was his dream school since he was a child» Plans to start a construction company following college» Majoring in finance

CAREER HIGHSAttempts: -Completions: -Passing Yards: -Passing Touchdowns: -Long Pass: -Carries: 1 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Rushing Yards: 9 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Rushing Touchdowns: 1 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Long Rush: 9 at Ohio State, 11/18/17Total Offense: 9 at Ohio State, 11/18/17

PASSING STATISTICSYEAR G ATT CMP INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G EFFIC2017 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TOTAL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

RUSHING STATISTICSYEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2017 2 1 9 1 9 9.0 4.5TOTAL 2 1 9 1 9 9.0 4.5

PASSING GAME-BY-GAME2017 ATT CMP INT YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 0 0WKU DNP@USF DNPNEB DNP@IOWA DNPRUT DNP@MIN DNP


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

WIS DNP@PUR DNPIND DNP@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0NW DNP

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WKU DNP@USF DNPNEB DNP@IOWA DNPRUT DNP@MIN DNPWIS DNP@PUR DNPIND DNP@OSU 1 9 1 9 0 0 0 0NW DNP

54 MARC MONDESIRDL, 6-2, 235, SO.CHICAGO, ILL. / ST. RITA

Pronunciation: mon-duh-SEER

2017 Freshman: » Played in 11 games,

rimarily on special teams» Four tackles on the season» Made his Illinois debut

against Western Kentucky


247Sports and Scout » Ranked No. 50 linebacker

in the nation by Scout and No. 109 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 22 recruit in Illinois by Scout, No. 25 by Rivals, No. 32 by ESPN

» Played at St. Rita High School for head coach Todd Kuska » Lettered three years in football » 44 tackles, 1.0 TFL in 10 games as a senior » 2016 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association

academic all-state team » 2016 All-CCL Blue » Also played basketball for one year and ran track for two years

in high school

Personal: » Born April 1, 1999 » Son of Yves and Myrline Mondesir » Has two brothers, Eddy Mondesir and Phil Leonard» Picked Illinois because, “it provides me with the total package

to be successful in line.” » Listed JJ Watt as his favorite athlete because of his dedication

and commitment » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 1, three times (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)Solos: 1, twice (last at Purdue, 11/4/17)TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Blocked Kicks: -Touchdowns: -


DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

@IOWA 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

44 DREW MURTAUGHLB, 6-3, 225, SO.CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL. / CRYSTAL LAKE SOUTH

Pronunciation: murr-TAW

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Walkon member of the

Illinois squad» Academic All-Big Ten


High School: » Two-year letterwinner at

Crystal Lake South» Played for head coach

Chuck Ahsmann» Team captain as a senior» 2015 All-Area selection» Also played baseball, basketball and ran track during high

school» Illinois State Scholar» High Honor Roll» National Honor Society

Personal: » Born Oct. 18, 1997» Son of Joseph and Donna Murtaugh» Father, Joseph Murtaugh, played baseball at Illinois from

1985-88» Has one brother, Ryan, and one sister, Haley» Lists Michael Jordan as his favorite athlete» Chose Illinois because of the “great academics and great

football traditions.”» Plans to work in engineering after college» Majoring in civil engineering

72 KIEVAN MYERSOL, 6-5, 330, FR.DALLAS, TEXAS / BISHOP DUNNE

Pronunciation: KEY-vonn

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals» Ranked No. 50 offensive guard in the nation by Rivals, No. 52

by ESPN and No. 55 by 247Sports» Ranked No. 88 recruit in Texas by Rivals, No. 130 by ESPN and

No. 165 by 247Sports» Played for head coach Michael Johnson at Bishop Dunne» 2017 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools All-

State second team» 2017 3A Texas Associated Press Sports Editors All-State

second team» High school teammate of fellow Illinois signee Calvin Avery» Also played basketball in high school» Verbally committed to Illinois in June 2017» Offers included Colorado, Colorado State, Houston, Memphis,

Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah and West Virginia

Personal: » Born Dec. 29, 1999» Son of James Brown and Evalan Myers

» Three younger brothers, James, Jamyron and Jamonte» Picked Illinois because, “When took my unofficial visit during

last summer I felt like it was home.”» Listed Russell Westbrook as his favorite athlete because, “of

his determination to be great.”» Plans to become a coach or trainer following his playing

career

86 DONNY NAVARROWR, 5-11, 190, SO.NAPERVILLE, ILL. / NEUQUA VALLEY / VALPARAISO

2018 Sophomore: » Will sit out 2018 season

due to NCAA transfer rules

2017 Freshman (at Valpo): » Led Valparaiso in

receptions (32), receiving yards (539), yards per catch (16.8), touchdown receptions (5) and receiving yards per game (49.0)

» Transferred to Illinois following his freshman season with three years of eligibility left

» Led all PFL freshmen in receiving yards per game, total receiving yards and yards per catch

» 50-yard reception at Montana on Sept. 2 for first career catch» 33-yard touchdown at Montana for his first collegiate score » Finished his collegiate debut with three catches for 93 yards» First career two-touchdown game on Sept. 30, helping Valpo to

a 27-24 win over Stetson» Totaled 100 receiving yards against Stetson, which stood as

his season high» Fourth Crusader in the last 10 years to surpass 500 yards

receiving in a season» Longest catch of the season was a 79-yarder on Oct. 28

against Morehead State» Season-high six receptions Sept. 16 at Trinity International

High School: » Played for head coach Bill Ellinghaus at Neuqua Valley» Unanimous all-conference selection» All-DuPage County» Naperville Sun All-Area first team» Neuqua Valley Football Athlete of the Year» Team captain» Also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore» Two-time national qualifier in Business Professionals of

America

Personal: » Born Aug. 25, 1999» Son of Don Navarro, Jr. and Shirley Navarro» Younger brother, Donovan, and younger sister, Zoe» Picked Illinois because of the, “it was a great fit for me as a

student-athlete. Academically, it is one of the top universities in the country. The football program has great coaching, is a good fit, and competes in the Big Ten Conference.”

» Listed Antonio Brown as his favorite athlete because, “I admire his passion for football, relentless work ethic, and continued desire to improve.”

» Plans to, “design and implementing digital technologies that promote learning through the use of web technologies and mobile applications,” following his playing career

» Majoring in learning and education studies


3 JAKARI NORWOODRB, 5-10, 185, FR.POMPANO BEACH, FLA. / DEERFIELD BEACH

Pronunciation: juh-CAR-ee

High School: » Three-star recruit by ESPN» Two-star recruit by

247Sports and Rivals» Ranked No. 96 running

back in the nation by ESPN and No. 142 by 247Sports


» 2016 and 2017 Sun Sentinel honorable mention

» Played for head coach Jevon Glenn at Deerfield Beach» High school teammate of follow Illinois signee Daniel Barker» Also ran track in high school» Verbally committed to Illinois in June 2017

Personal: » Born Sept. 6, 1999» Son of Angelia McCutcheon» Older sister, Vertaisha Torres, and older brother, Israel

Rutledge» Cousin, Lamar Jackson, played football at Louisville and was

the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner» Picked Illinois because, “I believe I have a future here and can

be apart of something special.”» Lists Leveon Bell and Lamar Jackson as his favorite athletes» Enrolled in general curriculum

90 LERE OLADIPODL, 6-3, 275, R-FR.HUNTLEY, ILL. / HUNTLEY

Pronunciation: luh-RAY oh-la-DEE-po

2017 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2017

season


247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout

» Ranked No. 35 defensive end in the nation by Rivals, No. 36 by 247Sports, No. 80 by ESPN and No. 80 by Scout

» Ranked No. 12 recruit in Illinois by Rivals, No. 14 by 247Sports, No. 18 by ESPN and No. 19 by Scout

» Played at Huntley High School for head coach Matt Zimolak » 2015 and 2016 all-area » 2015 All-Fox Valley Conference » 40 tackles (31 solo), 4.0 TFLs in 10 games as a senior » 46 tackles and 6.5 sacks as a junior » Also played basketball and was a member of the track and

field team in high school

Personal: » Born Oct. 7, 1997 » Full name is Olalere Oladipo » Goes by Lere (luh-RAY)» Son of Oladimeji and Adeola Oladipo » Has one sister, Olayeni Oladipo» Picked Illinois because, “I saw a lot of similarities between the

University and my high school and I wanted to stay close to home and play for a great staff.”

» Listed Bo Jackson as his favorite athlete because of the way he dominated

» Majoring in technical systems management

96 TYMIR OLIVERDL, 6-4, 290, JR.PHILADELPHIA, PA. / WEST PHILADELPHIA CATHOLIC

Pronunciation: TIE-MEER

2017 Sophomore: » Team captain» Played in 12 games with 10

starts at defensive tackle» Had 33 tackles, 4.5 TFLs,

3.0 sacks, 2 passes defended and two hurries on the season

» Tied for second on the team in TFLs (4.5)

» Third on the team in sacks (3.0)

» Ninth on the team in tackles (33)» Second on the team in sacks during Big Ten play (2.0)

2016 Freshman: » Played in all 12 games, primarily on special teams» Three tackles on the season» Assisted tackles against Murray State, Wisconsin and Iowa

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247 Sports and ESPN.com» Ranked as a top-30 recruit in Pennsylvania by ESPN.com (No

24) and 247 Sports (No. 28)» 2015 Pennsylvania Football Writers Association First-Team

All-State» Had 60 tackles, seven TFLs, three sacks, one PBU and one

fumble recovery in 2014» Two-time all-state» Three-time all-city» Captained the team as a junior and senior» Ranked in the top five of his graduating class

Personal: » Born Jan. 27, 1998» Plans to major in mathematics and computer science» Has three brothers and two sisters» Chose Illinois because, “it’s a chance to be a part of

something great.”» Plans to create and design computers following his playing

career» Majoring in learning & education studies

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 5, twice (last vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17)Solos: 4 at Purdue, 11/4/17TFLs: 1.0, four times (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)Sacks: 1.0, three times (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)QB Hurries: 1, twice (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1, twice (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


SACKS STATISTICSYEAR G UA AS TOTAL YDS2016 12 0 0 0.0 02017 12 3 0 3.0 21TOTAL 24 3 0 3.0 21


@USF 3 0 3 1.0-2 1.0-2 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0RUT 0 2 2 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 3 2 5 1.0-10 1.0-10 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 4 0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 1 3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0@OSU 2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1NW 1 0 1 1.0-9 1.0-9 0 0-0 0-0 0 1

2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@WIS 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IOWA 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NW 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

63 ALEX PALCZEWSKIOL, 6-6, 300, SO.MOUNT PROSPECT, ILL. / PROSPECT

Pronunciation: pal-CHESS-key


Team honorable mention» Started the final 11 games

at guard» Teamed with Vederian

Lowe and Larry Boyd to be Illinois’ first ever true-freshmen trio to start the same game on the offensive line

» Missed the opener with an injury

High School: » Three-star recruit by Rivals and Scout » Ranked No. 45 offensive tackle in the nation by Scout and No.

120 by 247Sports » Ranked No. 12 recruit in Illinois by Scout and No. 39 by

247Sports » Ranked No. 2 offensive tackle in Illinois by Scout » Mid-Suburban League East All-Conference » Played for football coach Mike Sebestyen» Also wrestled (4 years), played water polo (2 years) and was on the track and field team (2 years) in high school

Personal: » Born Aug. 3, 1999» Son of Andrzej and Bozena Palczewski» Has two older brothers, Adam and Alan» Picked Illinois because, “It is the flagship of my hometown

state, and I want to play for where I grew up.”» Listed Ivan Drago as his favorite athlete because, “Even

though he is a fictional character I like him because he would never talk. He would let his work do the talking for him.”

» Majoring in kinesiology

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

81 GRIFFIN PALMERTE, 6-5, 245, SO.ST. CHARLES, MO. / DE SMET JESUIT

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in one game» Made his Illinois debut

against Western Kentucky


High School: » Ranked as a top-25 recruit

in Missouri by ESPN.com (No. 21) and 247 Sports (No. 25)

» Team-high 31 receptions for 429 yards and six touchdowns in 2015

» First-team All-Conference and All-District in 2015» Named to St. Louis Post-Dispatch Super 30 team» Earned four varsity letters in both football and basketball» High school coach was Pat Mahoney

Personal: » Born Sept. 18, 1997» Full name is Griffin Joseph Palmer» Son of John and Kim Palmer» Father played football (TE) at Iowa from 1985-89» Has one older brother, MItch» Brother, Mitch, plays center at Miami (Ohio)» Presidential honors award and First Honors all four years of

high school» Says he chose Illinois because of “the rich football tradition

and it’s a great school academically» Lists Tim Tebow as favorite athlete because “he is a role

model on and off the field and is one of the greatest college athletes of all time”

» Majoring in finance

98 DEON PATEDL, 6-2, 280, R-FR.JACKSONVILLE, FLA. / TRINITY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

2017 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2017

season


247Sports, Rivals and ESPN » Ranked No. 56 strong-side

defensive end by 247Sports and No. 107 by ESPN

» Ranked No. 165 recruit in Florida by 247Sports

» Played at Trinity Christian Academy for head coach Verlon Dorminey

» Lettered three years in football » Trinity Christian Academy won four straight state titles during

his high school career » 32 TFLs and 15 sacks a senior » 2016 all-county first team » 2016 Florida 3A all-state second team » Honor Roll for three years

Personal: » Born Feb. 14, 1998 » Son of Melinda and Deon Pate Sr. » Father, Deon Sr., was a member of the Chicago Bulls practice

team » Has one brother, Dylan Pate

» Picked Illinois because, “it was the best fit for me and I love the vision that the coaches have for the program.”

» Listed JJ Watt as his favorite athlete because of his versatility » Wants to go into law enforcement following his playing career» Majoring in sociology

48 JULIAN PEARLDL, 6-6, 250, FR.DANVILLE, ILL. / DANVILLE


247Sports and ESPN» Two-star recruit by Rivals» Ranked No. 531 recruit in

the nation by 247Sports» Ranked No. 41 OT in the

nation by 247Sports and No. 107 by ESPN

» Ranked No. 7 recruit in Illinois by 247Sports and No. 28 by ESPN

» Played for head coach Marcus Forrest at Danville» 2017 USA Today All-USA Illinois second team» 2017 IHSFCA 6A All-State honorable mention» 2017 All-Big 12 first team» 2017 Champaign News-Gazette All-Area» Led Danville to back-to-back IHSA playoff berths» Also played basketball in high school» Verbally committed to Illinois in April 2017» Also offered by Northern Illinois

Personal: » Born Oct. 6, 1999» Son of Ronique Heard» Two older brothers, Tayvian Johnson and Avery Pearl, and one

younger sister, Dasia Middlebrooks» Brother, Tayvian Johnson, played Division III football» Brother, Avery, played Division III basketball» Picked Illinois because, “it would give me a chance to

represent and improve my hometown and state.”» Listed Lebron James as his favorite athlete because he “does

everything the right way and is a humble person.”» Enrolled in college of liberal arts and sciences

3 DEL’SHAWN PHILLIPSLB, 6-2, 230, SR.HIGHLAND PARK, MICH. / CASS TECH / GARDEN CITY CC

2017 Junior: » Played in 11 games with

10 starts at linebacker» Missed the Minnesota

game with an injury» 85 tackles (46 solo), 4.0

TFLs, 1.0 sack, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry on the season

» Led Illinois in tackles (85) and solo tackles (46)

» Ranked eighth in the Big Ten in tackls per game (7.7)» Led Illinois with 64 tackles on rushing plays» Second on the team in tackles during Big Ten games (53)» Tied for third on the team in TFLs during Big Ten games (3.5)» Team-high 16 tackles vs. Ball State» Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State» Enrolled for spring semester and participated in 2017 spring

practices

Junior College: » Four-star recruit by Scout » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN » Ranked No. 14 junior college recruit in the nation by Scout, No.

19 by 247Sports. » Ranked No. 2 junior college linebacker in the nation by

247Sports and No. 3 by ESPN » Led Garden City to a junior college national title in 2016 » Garden City team leader with 95 tackles (52 solo), 12.5 TFLs

and two forced fumbles in 2016 » Also had 2.0 sacks, three interceptions, four pass breakups

and one forced fumble in 2016 » Third on Garden City’s team with 72 tackles (45 solo) in 2015 » Also had 12.5 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one

fumble recovery in 2015

High School: » Played high school football at Detroit Cass Tech for head

coach Thomas Wilcher » Led Cass Tech to 2014 city championship » 2014 all-city selection » Signed with Western Michigan out of high school

Personal: » Born Oct. 9, 1996 » Son of Latashia Phillips and Shawn Gaines» Picked Illinois because he, “felt like it was the best place to

develop as a student-athlete.” » Listed Floyd Mayweather as his favorite athlete because he,

“always finds a way to win.” » Majoring in recreation, sport and tourism – sport management

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 16 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Solos: 7 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17TFLs: 2.0 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17Sacks: 2.0 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17QB Hurries: 1 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1, twice (last vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17)Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


SACKS STATISTICSYEAR G UA A SACKS YDS2017 11 0 2 1.0 5TOTAL 11 0 2 1.0 5

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 7 9 16 0.5-0 0.5-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WKU 2 4 6 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0@USF 6 4 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 2 5 7 1.0-6 0.5-5 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@IOWA 3 2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN DNP - InjuredWIS 6 8 14 2.0-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@PUR 6 0 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 6 1 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 5 4 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0


THE FIGHTING ILLINI

89 ALEX PIHLSTROMTE, 6-6, 250, R-FR.GLEN ELLYN, ILL. / GLENBARD WEST

Pronunciation: PILL-strum

2017 Freshman: » Walkon redshirted the 2017

season

High School: » Two-year letterwinner in

football» Played for head coach

Chad Hetlet at Glenbard West

» 2016 All-West Suburban Silver

» 2016 Academic All-State» 2016 Academic All-Conference» Helped Glenbard West to a state title in 2015» Also played basketball and tennis in high school

Personal: » Born April 28, 1999» Son of Mike Pihlstrom and Kim Noble» Two younger sisters, Kate and Megan» Father played football at Minnesota from 1984-88» Chose Illinois because, “I was looking for a bigger school to try

and compete and I believed I could compete in the Big Ten.”» Plans to work in sports following his playing career» Majoring in recreation, sport and tourism

13 CALEB REAMSWR, 6-2, 240, JR.GURNEE, ILL. / WARREN TOWNSHIP

2017 Sophomore: » Played in 11 games with

three starts playing as both a tight end and slot receiver

» Four receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown on the season

» First career touchdown on 14-yard reception against Indiana

» Three tackles, one forced fumble on special teams

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in five games with one start at tight end» Played primarily on special teams» Started the season opener against Murray State» Two receptions for nine yards against Murray State» Academic All-Big Ten


High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked as the No. 2 tight end in Illinois by ESPN.com and

Scout.com, and No. 3 by 247Sports » Ranked as the No. 23 overall prospect in Illinois by Scout and

No. 27 by ESPN.com » Played in the 2015 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in

Orlando » First-team All-State by the Champaign News-Gazette and

honorable mention All-State by the Chicago Tribune in 2014» First-team All-Area in 2014 and two-time All-North Suburban

Conference » Two-year letterwinner in football and basketball

Personal: » Born May 8, 1997 » Son of Lewis and Lisa Reams » Has one sister» Majoring in community health

CAREER HIGHSReceptions: 2, three times (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)Receiving Yards: 18 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Long Reception: 14 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Receiving Touchdowns: 1 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17All-Purpose Yards: 18 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G YDS/C YDS/G2016 5 2 9 0 5 0.4 4.5 1.82017 11 4 32 1 14 0.4 8.0 2.9TOTAL 16 6 41 1 14 0.4 6.8 2.6

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0RUT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 @MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0IND 0 0 0 0 2 18 1 14@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NW 0 0 0 0 2 14 0 8

2016 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGMUR ST 0 0 0 0 2 9 0 5UNC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PUR DNP@RUT DNP@MICH DNPMINN DNPMICH ST DNP@WIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0IOWA DNP@NW DNP

8 M.J. RIVERS IIQB, 6-4, 215, FR.FRISCO, TEXAS / LONE STAR


247Sports, Rivals and ESPN» Ranked No. 964 recruit in

the nation by 247Sports» Ranked No. 28 dual threat

quarterback in the nation by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 46 pocket passer quarterback in the nation by ESPN

» Ranked No. 118 recruit in Texas by 247Sports and No. 163 by ESPN» Ranked No. 34 recruit in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by the

Star-Telegram» Completed 130-of-201 passes for 2,611 yards and 28

touchdowns and rushed for 950 yards as a senior at Lone Star» Led Lone Star to the 2017 Texas 5A Division II Region II finals» Totaled 425 yards of total offense in the 2017 5A Division II

Region II semifinals against Waxahachie» Scored six touchdowns (four rushing, two passing) in the 2017

Texas state playoffs first round» Transferred to Lone Star from Prestonwood Christian» Completed 165-of-252 passes for 2,234 yards and 23 TDs and

rushed for 1,361 yards as a junior at Prestonwood Christian» Son of former NFL tight end Marcellus Rivers» Verbally committed to Illinois in September 2017» Offers included Iowa State and New Mexico

Personal: » Born Nov. 2, 1999» Enrolled in general curriculum

36 AUSTIN ROBERTSTE, 6-2, 245, SR.RICE LAKE, WIS. / RICE LAKE

» Currently pursuing joint bachelor’s/master’s degrees in applied health sciences, working toward a B.S. in community health and a M.S. in public health simultaneously.

2017 Junior: » Played in all 12 games with one start at fullback» Primarily used as a blocking back» Academic All-Big Ten

2016 Sophomore: » Injured after three games

played» Two receptions for three

five yards on the season» Two-yard reception against Murray State» Three-yard reception against Western Michigan» Played at fullback in each of the first three games» Switched from linebacker to fullback for 2016» Academic All-Big Ten

2015 Redshirt Freshman: » Played at linebacker in the season opener vs. Kent State » Illinois Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year

2014 Freshman: » Redshirted the 2014 season as a linebacker

High School: » Three-star recruit by ESPN.com » Ranked the No. 33 inside LB in the nation by ESPN.com» Ranked the No. 9 player in Wisconsin by ESPN.com, No. 11 by

Scout and No. 13 by 247Sports » Suffered a torn ACL in the third game of his 2013 season» Had 152 tackles, seven forced fumbles, two pass break-ups,

one interception and one fumble recovery that he returned 62 yards for a touchdown in 10 games as a junior in 2012

» First-team All-State, All-Northwestern Wisconsin and All-Big Rivers Conference in 2012 as a linebacker, second-team all-conference as a tight end in 2012

» Three-year letterwinner in both football and wrestling » All-American USA Wrestler after finishing third at USA

Wrestling nationals and finishing third at the state championship at 220 lbs. as a junior

Personal: » Born March 28, 1996 » Son of Kevin and Denise Roberts » Has two brothers and one sister » Lists Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson as his favorite

athlete because he overcame adversity and still competes at the highest level

» 4.0 GPA Award and Blue Award for high GPA » Says he grew up with Dick Butkus as his Fighting Illini hero » Active in FCCCA, Student Council, National Honor Society and

Warriors for Christ Youth Group» Currently pursuing joint bachelor’s/master’s degrees in applied

health sciences, working toward a B.S. in community health and a M.S. in public health simultaneously.

CAREER HIGHSCarries: 1 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Rushing Yards: 3 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Long Run: 3 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Rushing Touchdowns: -Receptions: 1, twice (last vs. Western Michigan, 9/17/16)Receiving Yards: 3 vs. Western Michigan, 9/17/16Long Reception: 3 vs. Western Michigan, 9/17/16Receiving Touchdowns: -All-Purpose Yards: 3, twice (last vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17)


RUSHING STATISTICS YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2015 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.02016 3 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.02017 12 1 3 0 3 3.0 0.2TOTAL 16 1 3 0 3 3.0 0.2

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G YDS/C YDS/G2015 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.02016 3 2 5 0 3 0.7 2.5 1.72017 12 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0TOTAL 16 2 5 0 3 0.1 2.5 0.3

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WKU 1 3 0 3 0 0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0RUT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@MIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@PUR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0IND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0@OSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2016 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGMUR ST 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2UNC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 3@NEB DNP - InjuredPUR DNP - Injured@RUT DNP - Injured@MICH DNP - InjuredMINN DNP - InjuredMICH ST DNP - Injured@WIS DNP - InjuredIOWA DNP - Injured@NW DNP - Injured

12 MATT ROBINSONQB, 6-1, 185, FR.SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIF. / J SERRA CATHOLIC


247Sports Composite» Two-star recruit by

247Sports and Rivals» Ranked No. 53 dual-threat

quarterback in the nation by 247Sports

» Played for head coach Pat Harlow at Jserra Catholic in one of the best HS football conferences in the nation

» Four years on varsity» Team MVP for three straight seasons» Three-year captain» School records for passing yards and passing touchdowns» Three-time All-Trinity first team» Threw for 2,417 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior» Honor Roll » Verbally committed to Illinois in February 2018» Offers included Coastal Carolina, FIU, Dayton, Montana and

Northern Arizona

Personal: » Born Dec. 3, 1999» Son of Jeoff and Betsy Robinson» Older brother, Nick, and younger sister, Kate» Uncle coached in the NFL» Picked Illinois because he wanted, “to play at the highest

level.”» Plans to coach or be a lawyer following his playing career» Listed Drew Brees as his favorite athlete because, “of his

heart and his work ethic.”» Enrolled in general curriculum with plans to major in

psychology

97 BOBBY ROUNDTREEDL, 6-5, 255, SO.LARGO, FLA. / LARGO

2017 Freshman: » BTN.com All-Freshman Team» Played in all 12 games

with nine starts at defensive end

» 50 tackles (28 solo), 4.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, three pass breakups, one QB hurry, one forced fumble on season

» Tied for the team lead in sacks (4.0) with James Crawford

» Tied for third on the team in pass breakups (3)» Sixth on the team in tackles (50)» First Illini true freshman defensive end to start the season

opener since Terry Cole in 1980 vs. Northwestern» Team-high 2.0 sacks vs. Western Kentucky» Led the nation in sacks by a true freshman (0.75/game)

through the first four games of the season

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 70 strong-side defensive end in the nation by

247Sports and No. 87 by ESPN » Played at Largo for head coach Marcus Paschal» Also played basketball in high school

Personal: » Born Feb. 7, 1998» Son of Bobby Roundtree and Jacqueline Hearns» Chose Illinois because, “I felt like the university was the best

fit for me and I trusted the coaching staff to develop me to be the best I can be after graduating.”


CAREER HIGHSTackles: 6, three times (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)Solos: 5 at Ohio State, 11/18/17TFLs: 2.0 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Sacks: 2.0 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17QB Hurries: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Fumbles Forced: 1 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 2 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -




11 CARLOS SANDYWR, 5-9, 175, FR.DANIA BEACH, FLA. / CARDINAL GIBBONS



» Ranked No. 147 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN and No. 270 by 247Sports


» 2017 All-Broward 1A-5A first team» 32 receptions for 498 yards and five touchdowns as a senior» 43 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior» High school teammate of fellow Illini Ron Hardge III» Verbally committed to Illinois in June 2017

Personal: » Born Dec. 7, 1999» Enrolled in general curriculum

52 AYO SHOGBONYODL, 6-2, 240, SO.ARLINGTON, TEX. / MANSFIELD SUMMITT

Pronunciation: EYE-oh shog-BAHN-yo

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in all 12 games


» 16 tackles (7 solo), 1.0 TFL, one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble on the season

» Second on the team in special teams tackles (4)

» Voted a team captain by his teammates for the Purdue game» Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State» First career start at Minnesota


High School: » 2015 APSE 5A All-State second-team offense (OL) and

honorable mention defense (LB)» District 14-5A first-team All-District defense (LB) & offense (OL)» High School coach was Travis Pride» Also played soccer, ran track (sprints) and powerlifted in high

school

Personal: » Born March 24, 1998» Full name is Michael Ayo Shogbonyo» Son of Ade and Naomi Shogbonyo» Has two younger brothers, Nicholas and Azeez» Cousin, Micah Awe, played LB at Texas Tech from 2012-15» Lists Drew Brees as his favorite athletes because “he’s an

undersized athlete and still one of the best in the game”» Honor roll student in high school» Majoring in communication

AREER HIGHSTackles: 6 vs. Rutgers, 10/15/17Solos: 3 vs. Rutgers, 10/15/17TFLs: 1.0 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Sacks: -QB Hurries: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Fumbles Forced: 1 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -



22 KENYON SIMSRB, 5-11, 195, FR.SAN DIEGO, CALIF. / LINCOLN



» Ranked No. 87 running back in the nation by ESPN and No. 91 by 247Sports

» Rushed for 1,396 yards (8.6 yards per carry) and 24 touchdowns as a senior

» Verbally committed to Illinois in February 2018

» Offers included Arizona, Colorado State, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon State, Utah and Washington State

Personal: » Born May 5, 2000

66 JORDYN SLAUGHTEROL, 6-5, 315, FR.BELLEVILLE, ILL. / ALTHOFF CATHOLIC



» Ranked No. 75 offensive tackle in the nation by ESPN and No. 83 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 20 recruit in Illinois by 247Sports, No. 22 by Rivals and No. 25 by ESPN

» Played for head coach Ken Turner at Althoff Catholic» Led Althoff Catholic to the second round of the 2017 IHSA

football playoffs» All-city and all-conference selection» Honor Roll as a senior» Also played basketball in high school» Verbally committed to Illinois in June 2017» Offers included Vanderbilt, Bowling Green and Toledo

Personal: » Born Aug. 7, 2000» Son of Vernon and Ja’Nerra Slaughter» One younger sister, Jade» Picked Illinois because he, “wanted to play for my state.”

» Listed Trent Williams as his favorite athlete because, “I watch his film a lot and strive to succeed like him.”

» Enrolled in general curriculum with plans to major in journalism

4 RICKY SMALLINGWR, 6-1, 205, SO.CHICAGO, ILL. / BROTHER RICE


Team honorable mention» Played in all 12 games

with 10 starts at wide receiver

» 31 receptions for 501 yards and two touchdowns on season

» Led Illinois in receiving yards (501)

» Fourth true freshman in program history to lead the team in receiving yards

» Tied for the team lead in receptions (31) with Malik Turner» At least one reception in 11 straight games to end the season» Ranked fourth in the Big Ten in yards per reception (16.45)

during the regular season» Both touchdowns came during Big Ten games» Second on the team in all-purpose yards (510)» Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State» 76-yard reception at South Florida was the longest in Illinois

history by a true freshman, before Louis Dorsey’s 77-yard touchdown reception against Indiana seven weeks later

High School: » Four-star recruit by Rivals, ESPN and Scout » Three-star recruit by 247Sports » Ranked as a top 500 recruit in the nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 48 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals, No. 48 by

Scout and No. 52 by 247Sports» Ranked No. 6 recruit in Illinois by Rivals, ESPN, Scout and

247Sports » Played at Brother Rice for head coach Brian Badke » 2016 ALL-USA Illinois Football Team » 2016 Reporter/Regional Football Player of the Year » 2016 Daily Southtown Football Player of the Year » 2016 Chicago Catholic League Offensive Player of the Year » 2016 Champaign News-Gazette All-State first team » 2016 Preps Plus All-State first team » 2016 Chicago Catholic League all-conference » 2016 Brother Rice MVP » Preps Plus/WGN-9 Athlete of the Month for September 2016 » 80 receptions for 1,336 yards and 18 touchdowns in 11 games

as a senior » Helped Brother Rice to a 9-3 record and state playoff berth

as a senior » 1,165 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior » Lettered four years in football» Was the first student-athlete to verbally commit to Illini head

coach Lovie Smith

Personal: » Born Nov. 2, 1998 » Son of Celeste Boyd » Has one sister, Cerena Hudson » Uncle, Paul Cruse Jr., Aunt, Tahtia Smalling, and two cousins,

Sarah Cruse and Paul Cruse III, all attended Illinois » Uncle, Thomas Boyd, played football at Saint Xavier» Picked Illinois because of, “it was a great school and I

developed a good relationship with the coaches.” » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSCarries: -Rushing Yards: -Long Run: -Rushing Touchdowns: -Receptions: 8 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Receiving Yards: 111 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17Long Reception: 76 at South Florida, 9/15/17Receiving Touchdowns: 1, twice (last at Minnesota, 10/21/17)All-Purpose Yards: 111 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17


RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0WKU 0 0 0 0 2 8 0 9@USF 0 0 0 0 3 99 0 76NEB 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 10@IOWA 0 0 0 0 3 44 0 26RUT 0 0 0 0 5 111 1 32 @MIN 0 0 0 0 8 71 1 22WIS 0 0 0 0 1 26 0 26@PUR 0 0 0 0 2 46 0 42IND 0 0 0 0 3 73 0 31@OSU 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 7NW 0 0 0 0 2 15 0 11

17 KENDALL SMITHDB, 6-1, 200, SO.BOLINGBROOK, ILL. / BOLINGBROOK

2017 Freshman: » Wide receiver played in all

12 games, primarily on special teams

» Made one special teams tackle on the season

» Made Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State


247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout

» Ranked No. 100 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals, No. 118 by ESPN, No. 123 by Scout

» Ranked No. 9 recruit in Illinois by ESPN, No. 15 by Rivals, No. 19 by 247Sports

» Played at Bolingbrook High School for head coach John Ivlow » 2016 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association all-

state honorable mention

Personal: » Born Jan. 3, 1999 » Son of Vonetta Wade » Has two sisters, Sierra and Madison» Picked Illinois because, “it was always a favorite school of

mine and I want to be apart of the change.” » Listed Devin Hester as his favorite athlete because of his big-

play ability and desire to play like him » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 1 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Solos: -TFLs: -Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -



THE FIGHTING ILLINI




52 ADAM SOLOMONOL, 6-6, 305, JR.INDIANAPOLIS, IND. / BISHOP CHATARD

2017 Sophomore: » Played in five games with one start on the offensive line» Played primarily on special

teams, blocking for field goals and extra points

» First career start at tackle in the opener against Ball State


2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in eight games, primarily on special teams» Academic All-Big Ten


High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked as No. 54 offensive line prospect in nation by Scout » Top-10 overall prospect in Indiana by 247Sports (No. 8) and

Scout (No. 9) » Ranked as the No. 2 offensive lineman in Indiana by

247Sports and Scout, and No. 4 by ESPN.com » Helped team Bishop Chatard to 2013 Indiana Class 4A Section

title and 2012 Class 3A state title » Earned varsity letters in football, basketball and golf

Personal: » Born Dec. 3, 1996 » Son of Jeffrey and Amy Solomon » Has two brothers » Lists Chatard alum and Dallas Cowboys 2014 first-round draft

pick Zack Martin as his favorite athlete» Majoring in accountancy

85 CAM STACYWR, 5-11, 200, FR.PARK RIDGE, ILL./MAINE SOUTH

2018 Freshman: » Joined squad as a walkon

on the first day of training camp

High School:• Played for head coach Dave Inserra at Maine South• Helped Maine South to the 2016 state title• 2017 All-CSL South• 2017 academic all-state

• 2017 CSL Scholar-Athlete

Personal:• Born Jan. 22, 2000• Plans to major in business • Chose Illinois because, “It was the best place for me to be able to

balance academics and athletics at a high level.”• Listed Conor McGregor as his favorite athlete because, “The time

and dedication that he puts into his sport, he also displays incredible confidence with the ability to back it up.”

6 DOMINIC STAMPLEYWR, 5-10, 175, SO.CHAMPAIGN, ILL./CENTENNIAL/COFFEYVILLE CC (KAN.)

2018 Sophomore:• Transferred to Illinois with three years of eligibility remaining

2017 Redshirt Freshman (Coffeyville CC):• Played in 10 games at Coffeyville CC• 17 receptions for 278 yards (16.4 yards per reception)• Career-high 134 yards on

four receptions against Iowa Central CC, including a career-long 91-yard reception

2016 Freshman (Coffeyville CC):• Redshirted the season

High School: • Played for head coach Lekevie Johnson at Centennial • 35 receptions for 369 yards and five touchdowns as a senior

68 JAKE STOVEROL, 6-3, 300, R-FR.CHICAGO, ILL. / ST. RITA

2017 Freshman: » Walkon redshirted the

2017 season

High School: » 2017 All-Chicago Catholic

League Blue first team» 2017 all-area» Andy Smialek Award

winner, given to the player who displays pride, poise, courage and determination on and off the field

» 75 pancake/knockdown blocks as a senior» Played for head coach Todd Kuska at St. Rita» Also wrestled in high school» Four-year member of the Silver Honor Roll

Personal: » Born Aug. 18, 1999» Son of Dan and Jackie Stover» Two older brothers, Danny and Jordan» Chose Illinois because, “The University of Illinois is my dream

school and I have always been attracted to its history of excellence.”

» Lists his favorite athlete as David Diehl, who has been his idol since second grade

» Majoring in interdisciplinary health sciences

56 ETHAN TABELLS, 6-0, 215, SO.BARRINGTON, ILL. / BARRINGTON

Pronunciation: tuh-BELL

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Started 11 games as the

long snapper for field goals and extra points

» Walkon made his Illinois debut in opener against Ball State

High School: » Started long snapping

late in his junior season of high school

» Two-year letterwinner» 2015 Barrington Unsung Hero Special Teams Award» 2015 Academic All-Conference» Helped Barrington to the second round of IHSA Playoffs in 2015» 2016 State Scholar» Four-year member of the honor roll

Personal: » Born August 27, 1997» Son of Todd and Tamara Tabel» One brother, Bryce» Father competed in javelin, shot put and discus at Winona State» Chose Illinois because, “Illinois gives student-athletes the

tools to learn at one of the nation’s best schools while also competing at an incredibly high level in the Big Ten. They were one of the only Division I programs to take a chance on me and I knew it would be a perfect fit.”

» Plans on working in international advertising or football after his playing career

» Bilingual in German» Majoring in advertising

7 CORAN TAYLORQB, 6-2, 205, FR.PEORIA, ILL. / PEORIA

Pronunciation: kor-AHN



» Ranked No. 22 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by ESPN, No. 23 by 247Sports and No. 29 by Rivals

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


» Ranked No. 12 recruit in Illinois by ESPN, No. 20 by 247Sports» Completed 86 of 161 passes for 1,546 yards and 18

touchdowns as a senior» Rushed for 1,048 yards (9.7 yards per carry) and 14

touchdowns as a senior» 2016 Illinois Football Coaches Association First Team All-State» Led Peoria to 2016 Illinois 5A state championship as a junior» Threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 134

yards and three touchdowns in the 5A state title game at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in a 62-48 win over Vernon Hills

» Helped Peoria set Illinois state records in total points (805) and points per game (57.5) in 2016

» Accounted for 3,215 yards of offense (1,548 passing & 1,662 rushing) and 39 total TDs (17 passing & 22 rushing) in 2016

» Verbally committed to Illinois in April 2017» High school teammate of Illini freshman Kendrick Green


10 CAM THOMASQB, 6-2, 200, SO.CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILL. / MARIAN CATHOLIC

2017 Freshman: » Played in four games with

two starts at quarterback» Became the third true

freshman QB in Illinois history to make multiple starts, joining Juice Williams (2006) and Kurt Kittner (1998)

» Completed 28 of 66 passes for 375 yards

» 52 carries for 233 rushing yards (4.5 yards/attempt) and one touchdown

» Second on the team in total offense (608 yards)» Second on the team in rushing yards during B1G games (233)» Made his Illinois debut in the seventh game of the season at

Minnesota» First career start against Purdue in the ninth game of the

season» First career touchdown against Northwestern

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout » Ranked No. 35 dual-threat quarterback by ESPN » Ranked No. 44 pro-style QB in nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 81 QB by Scout » Ranked No. 21 recruit in Illinois by ESPN, No. 29 by Rivals, No.

30 by 247Sports» Played at Marian Catholic for head coach Sean Mele » Lettered three years in football » Marian Catholic Offensive MVP » Three-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection » Also ran track in high school and won the East Suburban

Catholic Conference 200-meter title

Personal: » Born Oct. 29, 1998 » Son of Curtis and Denise Thomas » Has one sister, Arianna, and two brothers, Kendall and Kyle» Picked Illinois because, “of the family environment that I’ve

felt from day one. Everyone here is genuine and it’s refreshing to be able to work alongside others who want a common goal, and that’s to win B1G championships and compete for National championships.”

» Listed Mike Vick as his favorite athlete because he, “started the cultural change at quarterback that paved the way for

quarterbacks like myself, who are dual-threat, to showcase our talent.”

» Wants to become a sports agent following his playing career » Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSPass Attempts: 31 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Completions: 14 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Passing Yards: 159 at Purdue, 11/4/17Passing Touchdowns: -Long Pass: 29 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17Carries: 18 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Rushing Yards: 79 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Rushing Touchdowns: 1 vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17Long Rush: 27 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17Total Offense: 122 vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17All-Purpose Yards: 79 at Minnesota, 10/21/17

PASSING STATISTICSYEAR G ATT CMP INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G EFFIC2017 4 66 28 5 375 0 42 42.4 5.7 93.8 75.0TOTAL 4 66 28 5 375 0 42 42.4 5.7 93.8 75.0

RUSHING STATISTICSYEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G2017 4 52 233 1 27 4.5 58.2TOTAL 4 52 233 1 27 4.5 58.2

PASSING GAME-BY-GAME2017 ATT CMP INT YDS TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU DNP@USF DNPNEB DNP@IOWA DNPRUT DNP@MIN 4 2 1 33 0 25WIS 11 2 2 44 0 29@PUR 20 10 0 159 0 42 IND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW 31 14 2 139 0 20

RUSHING/RECEIVING GAME-BY-GAME2017 CAR YDS TD LG REC YDS TD LGBALL ST DNPWKU DNP@USF DNPNEB DNP@IOWA DNPRUT DNP@MIN 10 79 0 21 0 0 0 0WIS 10 78 0 27 0 0 0 0@PUR 14 30 0 26 0 0 0 0IND DNP - Injured@OSU DNP - InjuredNW 18 46 1 23 0 0 0 0

82 DYLAN THOMASWR, 5-11, 180, FR.MONTICELLO, ILL. / MONTICELLO

High School: » Four-year letterwinner in

football and three-year letterwinner in track

» Played for head coach Cully Welter at Monticello

» Led Monticello to conference titles as a junior and senior

» 2017 All-Illini Prairie Conference first team

» High Honor Roll

Personal: » Born April 5, 2000» Son of Darcy and Bryan Thomas» Father attended the University of Illinois» Older sister, Danielle» Picked Illinois because he, “it allows me to play Division I

football and also get a degree from one of the best business schools in the world.”

» Listed Lebron James as his favorite athlete because he, “is such a dominant player and has changed his game over the years which has allowed him to be great.”


45 KHALAN TOLSONLB, 6-0, 220, FR.ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. / ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY

Pronunciation: KAY-lahn



» Ranked No. 799 recruit in the nation by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 55 OLB in the nation by 247Sports and No. 83 by ESPN

» Ranked No. 125 recruit in Florida by 247Sports and No. 197 by ESPN

» 15.0 TFLs and 11.0 sacks as a junior» Played for Team Florida in the 2016 7-on-7 AAU Jr. Olympics» Verbally committed to Illinois in July 2017» Offers included Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville,

Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, UCF and USF


74 ANDREW TRAINEROL, 6-7, 305, SO.ALEXANDRIA, VA. / ST. STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES SCHOOL

2017 Redshirt Freshman: » Member of Illinois squad» Moved to offensive tackle

from tight end during training camp




Rivals, 247 Sports and ESPN.com

» Top-25 recruit in state of Virginia by 247 Sports (No. 21) and Rivals (No. 24)

» Ranked as No. 27 TE recruit in nation by ESPN» 2015 first-team All-State» 2015 Washington Post All-Met» Caught 17 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns in 2014

and also played defensive end, earning second-team All-State and All-Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) honors

» John Morrow Stanton Memorial Athletic Award for Outstanding Student Athlete in 2014-15

» Originally committed to Virginia and chose Illinois over offers from Pittsburgh and North Carolina State

» Also played basketball (All-IAC and team captain) and baseball for St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes

» High School coach was Bernard Joseph

Personal: » Born Dec. 18, 1997» Full name is Andrew Dayton Trainer» Son of Jay and Kendra Trainer» Has one younger brother, Sam» Lists Ken Griffey Jr. as his favorite athlete “because of his

great swing and ability to have fun playing baseball”» Four-year Dean’s List student in high school» Majoring in finance

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


THE FIGHTING ILLINI


70 REUBEN UNIJEOL, 6-6, 290, FR.BRADENTON, FLA. / IMG ACADEMY

Pronunciation: YOU-nuh-szjay

High School: » Four-star recruit by ESPN

and Rivals» Three-star recruit by

247Sports» Ranked No. 720 recruit in

the nation by 247Sports» Ranked No. 21 offensive

tackle in the nation by Rivals, No. 31 by ESPN and No. 57 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 56 recruit in Florida by Rivals, No. 81 by ESPN and No. 108 by 247Sports

» 2016 MaxPreps Junior All-American» Verbally committed to Illinois in December 2017» Offers included Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida,

Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, N.C. State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia and Virginia Tech

Personal: » Enrolled in general curriculum

83 BOBBY WALKERTE, 6-4, 240, JR.GOLF, ILL. / LOYOLA ACADEMY

2017 Sophomore: » Played in all 12 games» Played primarily on special

teams» First career catch against

Nebraska went for seven yards

» Walkon earned a scholarship following the 2017 season

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Member of UI squad

2015 Freshman: » Redshirted 2015 season» Joined team as walk-on in summer 2015

High School: » Academic All-Conference, Second-Team All-Area in 2014» State runner-up in 2013 » Coached by former Illini LB John Holecek (1991-94) » Named Summa Cum Laude

Personal: » Born Jan. 16, 1997 » Son of Robert and Anne Walker » Has one brother and two sisters » Cousin, Jackie, plays lacrosse at San Diego State » Cousin, Brandon, plays in the Philadelphia Phillies minor

league baseball system» Worked in construction and manual labor during the summer» Favorite athletes are Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers

because of their work ethic» Majoring in political science

CAREER HIGHSReceptions: 1 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Receiving Yards: 7 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Long Reception: 7 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Receiving Touchdowns: -

Carries: -Rushing Yards: -Rushing Touchdowns: -All-Purpose Yards: 7 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17

RECEIVING STATISTICS YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G YDS/C YDS/G2016 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.02017 12 1 7 0 7 0.1 7.0 0.6TOTAL 13 1 7 0 7 0.1 7.0 0.5


20 NICK WALKERDB, 5-10, 185, SO.ST. LOUIS, MO. / MILLER CAREER ACADEMY / CISCO COLLEGE

2017 Freshman: » Played at Cisco College

(Texas)» 30 tackles (25 solo), three

interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble in nine games in 2017

High School: » Two-star recruit by

247Sports» Played for head coach Sorrell Harvey at Miller Career Academy» All-conference in football and basketball in high school» Also ran track in high school» St. Louis American Prep Athlete of the Week Sept. 9, 2015

after totaling 492 all-purpose yards and accounting for five touchdowns against St. Francis Borgia

Personal: » Born May 7, 2000» Picked Illinois because of the, “family bond as team and great

coaches.”» Listed Chris Harris, Jr. as his favorite athlete because, “he

reminds me of myself - great athlete and small corner.”» » Enrolled in general curriculum

15 DELANO WAREDB, 6-0, 200, FR.RICHMOND, CALIF. / EL CERRITO

Pronunciation: dee-LAY-no


247Sports and ESPN» Two-star recruit by Rivals» Ranked No. 115 cornerback

in the nation by ESPN and No. 137 by 247Sports

» Ranked No. 127 recruit in California by ESPN and No. 180 by 247Sports

» Played for head coach Jacob Rincon at El Cerrito

» Two-time all-league first team» Verbally committed to Illinois in December 2017

Personal:

» Born Nov. 4, 2000» Picked Illinois because, “I know Illinois can make me the best

football player I can be and student.”» Listed Floyd Mayweather as his favorite athlete because, “he

perfected his craft so much he makes it look easy.”» Majoring in community health

31 CAMERON WATKINSDB, 6-1, 200, JR.NASHVILLE, TENN. / PEARL-COHN

2017 Sophomore: » Played in all 12 games

with seven starts at cornerback

» 39 tackles (24 solo), 3.5 TFLs, one interception, three pass breakups, one forced fumble on the season

» Tied for third on the team in pass breakups (3)

» Eighth on the team in tackles (39)» First career interception at Minnesota» First career forced fumble against Nebraska» Voted a team captain by his teammates for the Iowa game

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Nine games played with two starts at defensive back» 21 tackles (11 solo), 1.0 TFL, three PBUs on the season» PBU in three straight games against Michigan State,

Wisconsin and Iowa» First career TFL against Michigan State» Career-high seven tackles at Wisconsin» Academic All-Big Ten


High School: » All-State and All-Metro in 2014 after racking up 74 tackles,

five TFLs and two interceptions in 2014 » Played in 2014 Toyota East vs. West Tennessee All-Star Classic» Earned four letters in football and three in track and field» Runs 10.7 100m dash and also competes in decathlon, high

jump, long jump and pole vault.

Personal: » Born Dec. 3, 1996 » Son of Keith Watkins and Rita Watkins-Matlock » Has one sister» Majoring in sociology

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 8 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Solos: 5 vs. Western Kentucky, 9/9/17TFLs: 1.0, twice (last at Minnesota, 10/21/17)Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: 1 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1, six times (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)Interception: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


INTERCEPTION STATISTICSYEAR G INT YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2016 9 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.02017 11 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0TOTAL 20 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0


THE FIGHTING ILLINI


@USF 0 2 2 0.5-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1NEB 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 3 1 4 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-0 0 0WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 1 1 2 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1IND 4 2 6 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@OSU 3 3 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW DNP - Injured

2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT DNP - Injured@MICH DNP - InjuredMINN DNP - Injured MICH ST 4 1 5 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@WIS 3 4 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1IOWA 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@NW 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

4 BENNETT WILLIAMSDB, 6-0, 205, SO.CAMPBELL, CALIF. / ST. FRANCIS

2017 Freshman: » ESPN.com Freshman All-

American» BTN.com All-Freshman

Team» Played in 11 games with

seven starts at safety» 64 tackles (34 solo), 1.5

TFLs, three interceptions, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble on season

» Led Illinois with three interceptions» All three interceptions came during Big Ten games» Ranked eighth in the Big Ten in interceptions (3)» Fifth on the team in tackles (64)» Ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles among freshmen (64)» First Illini true freshman safety to start the season opener

since at least 1980» First career interception at Iowa» Ejected for targeting in the first quarter against Nebraska

High School: » Three-star recruit by Scout » Ranked No. 116 cornerback in the nation by Scout » Played at St. Francis for head coach Greg Calcagno » 49 tackles, six interceptions and one blocked punt as a senior » 87 tackles and nine interceptions as a junior

Personal: » Born Feb. 26, 1999» Son of Garey Williams and Dani Slavin » Father, Garey Williams, played football at California with

Illinois defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson» Enrolled in general curriculum

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 14 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Solos: 8 at Minnesota, 10/21/17TFLs: 0.5, three times (last vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17)Sacks: -QB Hurries: 1 vs. Ball State, 9/2/17Fumbles Forced: 1 at Minnesota, 10/21/17Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1, twice (last at Minnesota, 10/21/17)Interception: 1, three times (last vs. Northwestern, 11/25/17)Interception Return Yards: 20, twice (last vs. Wisconsin, 10/28/17)Touchdowns: -


INTERCEPTION STATISTICS

YEAR G INT YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G2017 11 3 55 0 20 18.3 5.0TOTAL 11 3 55 0 20 18.3 5.0

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST 3 3 6 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0WKU 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 5 7 12 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 4 0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-20 0 1RUT 1 3 4 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 8 6 14 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 1WIS 2 3 5 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-20 0 0@PUR 1 3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND DNP - Suspended@OSU 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 5 4 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-15 0 0

32 JUSTICE WILLIAMSWR, 6-3, 215, JR.FRISCO, TEXAS / WAKELAND

» Earned bachelor’s degree in business management in August 2018

» Currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration

2017 Sophomore: » Played in 11 games,

primarily on special teams. » Also saw time at

linebacker» Nine tackles, one pass

breakup

2016 Redshirt Freshman: » Played in all 12 games


» Played primarily on special teams» First six tackles of his career, 1.0 TFL and one PBU against

Iowa during his first career start» Academic All-Big Ten


High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN.com, Rivals and Scout» Ranked as the No. 67 outside linebacker in the nation and the

No. 10 OLB in Texas by Scout » Two-time All-District as a wide receiver and outside linebacker» Earned three varsity letters in football and basketball, and

four in track and field » Holds school records in 800m run and 4x400m relay » Member of 2012 AAU National Championship basketball team.

Personal: » Born March 7, 1997 » Son of Kevin and Joy Williams » Has one brother, Kevin, Jr. » Father played football at Lafayette College» Kevin, Jr., plays DB for the University of Southern Mississippi» Earned bachelor’s degree in business management in August

2018 and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 6 vs. Iowa, 11/19/16Solos: 3 vs. Iowa, 11/19/16TFLs: 1.0 vs. Iowa, 11/19/16Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: 1, twice (last at Iowa, 10/7/17)Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -

DEFENSIVE STATISTICSYEAR G UA A TOT TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH2016 12 3 3 6 1.0 2 1 0 0 0 02017 11 4 5 9 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 23 7 8 15 1.0 2 2 0 0 0 0

DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1RUT 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND DNP@OSU 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

2016 UA AS TOT TFL-YDS QBS-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS QBH PBUMUR ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0UNC 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WMU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@NEB 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0PUR 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@RUT 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MICH 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MINN 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0MICH ST 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@WIS 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IOWA 3 3 6 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1@NW 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

91 JAMAL WOODSDL, 6-2, 265, SO.HUEYTOWN, ALA. / HUEYTOWN


Team honorable mention» Played in 11 games

with four starts on the defensive line

» 24 tackles (12 solo), 3.5 TFLs on the season playing both defensive end and tackle

» Team-high 2.5 TFLs vs. Indiana

» Made his Illinois debut against Western Kentucky» First career start against Nebraska

High School: » Three-star recruit by 247Sports » Two-star recruit by Rivals and Scout » Ranked No. 91 strong-side DE in the nation by 247Sports » Ranked No. 70 recruit in Alabama by 247Sports » Played at Hueytown for head coach Scott Mansell » Captained his high school team as a senior » 2016 Alabama Sports Writers Assoc. 6A all-state second team » 2016 all-city selection » 47 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks & one forced fumble as senior » Led Hueytown to an 8-3 record and the Alabama 6A state

playoffs as a senior » Also wrestled in high school and placed in top six at state twice

Personal: » Born June 14, 1999 » Son of Antonio and Felicia Weldon » Has two sisters, Jamiyah Weldon and Jameria Dubose, and two

brothers, Malik Woods and Erskine Hawkins» Picked Illinois because, “the coaching staff is great, the

players are great and it’s somewhere that I could be a part of making a change.”

» Listed Aaron Donald as his favorite athlete » Wants to own an athletic training facility or coach following

his playing career » Majoring in kinesiology

CAREER HIGHSTackles: 8 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17Solos: 3, three times (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)TFLs: 2.5 vs. Indiana, 11/11/17

THE FIGHTING ILLINI


Sacks: -QB Hurries: -Fumbles Forced: -Fumbles Recovered: -PBUs: -Interception: -Interception Return Yards: -Touchdowns: -


DEFENSIVE GAME-BY-GAME2017 UA AS TOT TFL-Yds QBS-Yds FF FR-Yds INT-Yds QBH PBUBALL ST DNPWKU 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@USF 3 1 4 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NEB 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@IOWA 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0RUT 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@MIN 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0WIS 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@PUR 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0IND 3 5 8 2.5-6 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0@OSU 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0NW 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0

22 DYLAN WYATTDB, 6-0, 180, FR.OAKLAND, CALIF. / SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE HS

High School: » Two-star recruit by

247Sports» Played for head coach

Connor Banks at Saint Mary’s College High School

» 2017 Bay Area Cali Classic invite

» St. Mary’s Athlete of the Year as a senior

» Also played basketball in high school

» Verbally committed to Illinois in February 2018» Offers included San Jose State, Howard, Northern Arizona,

Northern Colorado, Portland State and Weber State

Personal: » Born Nov. 2, 1999» Son of Darrell and Brenda Wyatt» Brother, Dejon Smith» Uncle is the rapper Casual from the hip hop collective

Hieroglyphics» Picked Illinois because he, “felt it is the best fit for me and my

family overall to continue my football career and academics.”» Listed Deion Sanders as his favorite athlete because, “his play

style and mindset on and off the field.”» Plans to be an entrepreneur following his playing career» Started his own business in high school» Interned as a music producer in high school» Majoring in African American studies

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