Illinois Fighting Illini
Big Ten··0-0
0 followers
Elo
1595
#47
SP+
12.9
#24
O27/D41
FPI
10.0
SRS
12.3
AP
#23
2026 Season Projection
model win prob · 11 to play6.0 – 5.0
projected final record (now 0–0)
Exp. wins left
6.0
of 11 games
Bowl odds
64%
reach 6 wins
Best odds
92%
vs UAB
Toughest
4%
vs Ohio State
💬Illinois Board
Show discussion →Team Statistics · per game, with national FBS rank
Offense
Total yards / game
373.9#80
Yards / play
5.9#50
Passing yards / game
235.8#60
Rushing yards / game
138.2#89
First downs / game
21.2#51
3rd down %
42.1%#43
4th down %
56.5%#56
Time of possession
30:55#39
Defense
Yards allowed / game
345.3#46
Yards / play allowed
5.3#47
Pass yards allowed / game
218.4#63
Rush yards allowed / game
126.9#35
3rd down % allowed
45.0%#123
Sacks
28#55
Tackles for loss
64#83
Turnovers & Discipline
Turnover margin
+5#35
Takeaways
16#67
Giveaways
11#9
Penalties / game
4.6#19
Penalty yards / game
39.5#17
Rank is national among all FBS teams (#1 = best), oriented so higher rank = better even for defensive and discipline metrics. Bars show percentile.
Advanced analytics
Opponent-adjusted advanced stats aren't available for 2026 yet — they populate a few weeks into the season.
Schedule & Results
2026 Recruiting Class
Commits
15
Avg stars
3.33
Avg rating
0.8829
5 4★10 3★
| Recruit | Pos | Stars | Rtg | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Hankins#124 nat'l | CB | ★★★★★ | 0.9463 | Belleville, IL |
| Micah Smith#234 nat'l | IOL | ★★★★★ | 0.9177 | Vero Beach, FL |
| Nasir Rankin#267 nat'l | ATH | ★★★★★ | 0.9104 | Chicago, IL |
| Kai Pritchard#384 nat'l | IOL | ★★★★★ | 0.8967 | Toms River, NJ |
| Jacob Eberhart#403 nat'l | LB | ★★★★★ | 0.8955 | St. Louis, MO |
| Javari Barnett#474 nat'l | RB | ★★★★★ | 0.8889 | Tampa, FL |
| Parker Crim#474 nat'l | EDGE | ★★★★★ | 0.8889 | Elida, OH |
| Isaiah Williams#555 nat'l | S | ★★★★★ | 0.8825 | Missouri City, TX |
| King Liggins#966 nat'l | DL | ★★★★★ | 0.8689 | Chicago, IL |
| Will Vala#1227 nat'l | TE | ★★★★★ | 0.8667 | Downers Grove, IL |
| Kingston Shaw#1045 nat'l | EDGE | ★★★★★ | 0.8664 | Orlando, FL |
| Kaedyn Cobbs#1135 nat'l | LB | ★★★★★ | 0.8639 | Denton, TX |
| Jacob Alexander#1146 nat'l | EDGE | ★★★★★ | 0.8633 | Frankfort, IL |
| Nelsyn Wheeler#1396 nat'l | RB | ★★★★★ | 0.8633 | Omaha, NE |
| Jack Gray#2840 nat'l | P | ★★★★★ | 0.8244 | Australia, AUST |
Program History
recent seasons| Year | Overall | Conf | Win % | xW | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9-4 | 5-4 | 69% | 7.8 | +1.2 |
| 2024 | 10-3 | 6-3 | 77% | 8.5 | +1.5 |
| 2023 | 5-7 | 3-6 | 42% | 5.8 | -0.8 |
| 2022 | 8-5 | 5-4 | 62% | 10.2 | -2.2 |
| 2021 | 5-7 | 4-5 | 42% | 6.1 | -1.1 |
| 2020 | 2-6 | 2-6 | 25% | 2.3 | -0.3 |
| 2019 | 6-7 | 4-5 | 46% | 5.4 | +0.6 |
| 2018 | 4-8 | 2-7 | 33% | 4.1 | -0.1 |
| 2017 | 2-10 | 0-9 | 17% | 2.1 | -0.1 |
| 2016 | 3-9 | 2-7 | 25% | 3.4 | -0.4 |
xW = expected wins from per-game dominance. Luck = actual − expected (positive = won close games).