When you think of Illinois football, you think about a nasty defense that can single-handedly win games.
You don’t usually think about the Illini offense, though. Pretty much throughout my entire life, Illinois has had a below-average offense. You had a few seasons here and there when the offense would break out. The 2001 campaign is the first one that comes to mind.
Entering the 2025 campaign, Illinois is poised to have one of the best offenses, if not the best offense, since that 2001 season. Led by Luke Altmyer, the program has good quarterback play and an offensive line that should rival any team in the country
Not talked about enough is the running back room. It has been a long time since Illinois has had one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. You have to go back to the Mikel Leshoure days to find the last time we made an impact on the ground.
The lack of running back is projected to last a little longer, too. In fact, in 2025, Illinois doesn’t have a running back in the top 10 in the conference.
In a Big Ten running back power ranking published by CFBudge on social media, he has Illinois with the No. 14-ranked running back in the Big Ten. Aidan Laughery is the projected starter at this point, and that is where the talented running back lands on this list.
My 2025 Big Ten Running Back 1 Power Rankings.
— CFBudge (@CF_Budge) May 7, 2025
Several staple Big Ten RBs look to cement their legacy, and several contenders look to establish a new number one guy.
What changes would you make to this list? pic.twitter.com/r16abU51wz
Now, do I put too much stock into this ranking? No, because it is all speculation. But here is the thing. More and more of these people who rank Laughery that low are only going to fuel the fire for this kid to have a huge season. And, honestly, he was one of the best-kept secrets in the Big Ten last season.
Aidan Laughery’s numbers stack up well against the rest of the Big Ten
The fact that Laughery isn’t top 10 is a bit head-scratching. Is it that Illinois didn’t use just one running back last season and went more with a committee due to injury? That could be the case.
Laughery finished 2024 with 97 carries for 589 yards. His 6.1 yards per carry average ranked No. 4 among all Big Ten running backs. Two of the three running backs ahead of Laughery, TreVeyon Henderson and Kaleb Johnson, are both in the NFL now. The other ball carrier is Nicholas Singleton, who is going to be a first-round NFL Draft pick.
The other key numbers for Laughery also measure up well. He checks in with 363 out of the 591 yards he had last season coming after contact. Even though he only had 97 carries, Laughery still managed to break 16 runs of at least 10 yards, as well.
It is all going to be a matter of whether Laughery gets the carries in 2025. With Kaden Feagin coming off a bad injury, Ca’Lil Valentine might be his biggest challenger early on. Last season, Laughery finished with 223 snaps to Valentine’s 101 snaps.
With that being said, having Laughery sub-No. 10 on the top Big Ten running backs is a bit off. Having him at No. 14 is crazy. This kid has all of the talent in the world, and the haters will just energize him even more.