Illinois Football 2025 Scouting Report: Center TJ McMillen

Illinois on SI is delivering scouting reports for each of the key players on the Illini football team's 2025 roster. Below, we present our breakdown of Illini sophomore center TJ McMillen. We will add more as other on-field contributors emerge during the season. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players by searching in your favorite browser or clicking in our projected depth chart.

TJ McMillen | Center | Sophomore | No. 55

Hometown: Naperville, IllinoisHigh School: St. F rancisHeight: 6-foot-3Weight: 295 pounds

Scouting report

McMillen is a powerful, athletic and intelligent offensive lineman who comes from a football family. (His father, Bob, is a coach and Arena Football League Hall of Famer, and his brother, Bobby, is a former Iowa State linebacker and current assistant at Southeast Missouri State.) McMillen has very good feet, hips and explosiveness – he was roughly as dominant a defender and pass rusher as he was a blocker in high school.

What has set McMillen apart early in his career is his aptitude on special teams and the trust he has gained from the coaching staff, specifically head coach Bret Bielema, in key roles on those units. But his smarts and communication skills are ideal for the center position , and he has packed on at least 25 pounds since arriving in Champaign in 2023. He is now physically ready to regularly take on Big Ten defensive linemen.

Experience

After redshirting his freshman season, McMillen played in all 13 games last season, mostly on special teams. He did earn some reps from scrimmage, but he clocked in most of his work on game days on special teams and arguably pushed return man Hank Beatty for the team's mantle of special teams ace. McMillen's play call and block at the point of attack to spring tight end Tanner Arkin on Illinois' critical fake punt in a win over Michigan last year has already become the stuff of local lore. (See McMillen's media highlights below.)

Media highlights