As we head into the 2025 season, the Illinois football team has many reasons to be excited.
The Illini are coming off a 10-win campaign in which we won a bowl game and beat a solid SEC program. Most of the players from that great season returned to Champaign.
With so much talent back on the roster, Illinois is poised to make a run at the College Football Playoff. A big reason for such a high level of play is that the Illini have talent like Gabe Jacas.
On Tuesday, Jacas got some national love. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list was revealed, and Jacas made the list entering this season. This is the award for the best defensive player in the country.
Two of the nation's best on the defensive side of the ball.
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) July 29, 2025
Gabe Jacas and Xavier Scott earn spots on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list. pic.twitter.com/NUsLxUyAjW
It would make sense for Jacas to be on the list. He is projected as a top-four round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after having a big junior year. Jacas finished last season with 74 tackles, eight sacks, and three forced fumbles.
After starting every game last season for the Illini at outside linebacker, Jacas now enters the 2025 campaign as a preseason third-team All-American.
The rise of Gabe Jacas at Illinois is a bit of a surprise given his recruiting ranking
No matter what regime recruited the players, it has been impressive what Bret Bielema has done with the talent that is on the Illinois roster.
There are so many players who have been lower three-star or even two-star recruits who Bielema helped shape into solid players. He has also sent quite a few of these athletes to the NFL, too.
Jacas is next in line. It is a shock that he has formed into an All-American type of player. Jacas was only a three-star recruit who was the No. 1254 player coming out of Fort Pierce Central High School in Florida.
Illinois was able to snag Jacas in Bielema’s first full recruiting class in 2022. This was a foundation building class that featured Aidan Laughery, Matthew Bailey, Jacas, Hank Beatty, and Xavier Scott, among others. Now, Jacas is getting some well-deserved national love.