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Illinois football just got Katin Houser a brand new toy for the 2026 season

Bret Bielema has a lot of pressure on him to deliver, and the Illinois football team seems poised to do so in 2026.
ByRees Woodcock|
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Sep 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema shakes hands with fans before an NCAA game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema shakes hands with fans before an NCAA game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Illinois football offseason has been fairly quiet but still massively impactful.

Coming off back-to-back seasons of bowl wins and 19 total victories, the Illini lost one of our rocks. Luke Altmyer is not going to be our quarterback for the first time since the 2022 campaign.

Bret Bielema went to work and landed transfer portal gunslinger Katin Houser. He was a great addition and one that should help us get back in contention with the top of the Big Ten. But Houser also needs some more weapons.

On Wednesday, Bielema also took care of that need. The Illinois football social media account announced that we had signed Benjamin Thurman.

Thurman is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end from College of San Mateo, which is in the junior college ranks. He wasn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but clearly, Thurman is a good player. He had offers from teams like Kansas State, Cal, and Washington State, among others.

Illinois is getting Thurman as a sophomore. He spent last season with San Mateo, where he had 16 receptions for 322 yards and six touchdowns. For those counting at home, that is 20.1 yards per reception.

What I love most about Thurman is that he is a multi-faceted tight end. He can block but is also a burner off the end. He is quicker than most tight ends and bigger than most wide receivers. This kid is going to be tough to guard.

Adding Benjamin Thurman might be the sneakiest addition to the Illinois football roster this offseason

There are so many recruits looking to commit in the coming weeks. All of those will overshadow what Thurman just did for the Illini.

I would argue, when it is all said and done, the addition of Thurman could be the sneakiest pickup for Illinois this offseason. We needed tight end help in the worst way.

Heading into the 2026 campaign, you couldn’t really tell who the starting tight end was going to be. Cole Rusk led the Illini last season with 217 yards and a touchdown. He is gone. Tanner Arkin had 114 yards and two touchdowns. He is gone. No other tight end had over 25 yards receiving.

I think Thurman is going to come into the Illinois program and start from day one. He has more tight end talent than anything on the roster right now.

It wouldn’t shock me to see Thurman as our main receiving tight end, and then Kaden Feagin lined up as a blocking tight end who can roll out for a few catches a game.

The hope is that we can see roughly the same numbers in Champaign next season for Thurman. He didn’t have the quarterback talent at the JUCO level that Illinois will have throwing him the football in 2026.

Illinois isn’t just landing Houser and then wishing him the best. We are putting weapons around him, and on Wednesday, the Illinois offense grew stronger.

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