Illinois Football 2025 Scouting Report: Tight End Davin Stoffel

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 tight end Davin Stoffel. 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.

Davin Stoffel | Tight end | Sophomore | No. 88

Hometown: Mosinee, WisconsinHigh school: MosineeTransfer schools: South Dakota StateHeight: 6-foot-6Weight: 260 pounds

Scouting report

It's impossible to overlook what the Illinois coaching staff saw in Stoffel when it decided to bring him to Champaign through the transfer portal in the offseason: A towering presence who bursts off the line and has very good straight-line speed for a tight end, Stoffel has an elite combination of size and vertical potential at his position. He was exceptionally productive as a wide receiver in high school, and also collected 123 tackles as a linebacker as a senior – evidence that he isn't necessarily shy about mixing it up. That profile makes him an ideal fit on special teams as well.

But Stoffel has yet to combine all his tools with the technique needed to get off the line against contact and navigate coverages and individual secondary defenders. He gives up, rather than uses, his natural leverage, which puts him at a significant disadvantage as a blocker, especially in the run game and lined up in tight formations.

Experience

Stoffel had a quietly productive redshirt freshman season at South Dakota State in 2024, starting 14 games, moving around in the offense, delivering on special teams and making the MVFC All-Newcomer Team. His numbers may not impress, but he clearly was ready to step into a featured role had he stayed with the Jackrabbits.

Stoffel was an unranked prospect coming out of high school, but he piled up more than 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns in his senior year at Mosinee, winning the Al Toon Award as the top receiver in the state of Wisconsin. He also earned All-State honors for his work at linebacker.

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