Illinois Football 2025: The Illini Have the Basics to Take Over the Big Ten

The head coach and the experience

Head coach  Bret Bielema  begins his fifth year in Champaign under a contract extension through 2030, signaling that the foundation he has built is here to stay. With 16 starters returning, tied for the most in the country, Illinois has the experience to match the hype.

Veteran leadership on offense

Quarterback Luke Altmyer enters his third season as the starter and will be protected by an offensive line that returns all five starters. That continuity should benefit a running game led by Aidan Laughery, a quick, shifty runner, and Kaden Feagin, a physical short-yardage option.

"I’m trying to help them understand what they bring to this team, and that’s something former teammates helped me see, too," Altmyer said earlier this month. - The Champaign Room: How Luke Altmyer is lifting up Illinois' young wideouts

Defense remains the identity

The Illinois defense has the pieces to be one of the Big Ten’s best. Xavier Scott, a Thorpe Award semifinalist last season, headlines a secondary that also brings back Matthew Bailey and Miles Scott.

In the front seven, linebacker  Gabe Jacas  leads a deep and aggressive unit. The defensive line reloaded through the transfer portal, adding  James Thompson Jr.  from Kentucky, Curt Neal from North Carolina, and Tomiwa Durojaiye from West Virginia.

The schedule is just good enough to win with

The Illini avoid both Michigan and Penn State in the regular season and host Ohio State on October 11 in a game that has already sold out. That matchup, along with the Homecoming date against USC, could define the season. Illinois opens with Western Illinois, travels to Duke in Week 2, and returns home for a non-conference date with Western Michigan. The first month provides a chance to settle into a rhythm before the Big Ten slate begins. Road trips to Indiana and Purdue lead into the October gauntlet, which starts with Homecoming against USC at Memorial Stadium on 9/27.

If the wide receivers step up and the new-look defensive line comes together quickly, Illinois could be playing for a Big Ten title spot come December. For now, the Illini are in a place they have not been in a long time. Basically, they're expected to win big games.