Illinois Football 2025 Scouting Report: Running Back Ca'Lil Valentine

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 running back Ca'Lil Valentine. 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.

Ca'Lil Valentine | Running back | Sophomore | No. 5

Hometown: Hayward, CaliforniaHigh school: Chandler (Arizona)Height: 5-foot-11Weight: 200 pounds

Scouting report

Valentine has very good physical tools as a ball carrier, including first-step explosiveness, lateral burst and top-end speed. He can hit a hole in a hurry, jump-cut and bounce to the outside. He can make a first defender miss and finish the end of a run moving forward. Last year he flashed good power for his size, and he added another 20 pounds in the offseason. He showed he was capable of producing as a freshman runner in the Big Ten – no small feat.

Most of what is holding back Valentine for now is experience and two quality veteran backs ahead of him on the depth chart. Both will work themselves out in due time, but he still has work to put in to reach his full potential as a complete No. 1 back. He must prove himself as a receiver (particularly as a route runner) and in pass protection, where he has made some strides in the offseason. (More on that below.)

Experience

Valentine arrived in Champaign as a freshman last year more or less ready to run against Big Ten defenses. A four-star prospect on some reputable recruiting boards, he ran more more than 3,000 yards and an astonishing 42 touchdowns in high school. He had received offers from Oregon, Nebraska, Arizona State, Miami (Florida) and Boise State, among others, before choosing Illinois.

Working behind Kaden Feagin, Josh McCray and Aidan Laughery last season, Valentine made the most of his somewhat rare backfield opportunities. After Feagin was injured midseason, Valentine got more burn – and showed it was merited. He averaged 4.0 yards a carry for the year and, in Week 8 at No. 1 Oregon, scored his first career touchdown.

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