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Tennessee gets a gift, as Illinois football loses top defender ahead of Music City Bowl

Not all players will suit up in the Music City Bowl for the Illinois football program, and Tennessee just got a gift, as our best defender opted out.
ByRees Woodcock|
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 01 Rutgers at Illinois
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 01 Rutgers at Illinois | Icon Sportswire/GettyImages

You can’t expect all Illinois football players to remain with the team and suit up in a bowl game.

What Luke Altmyer did on Friday was a rarity. He decided not to opt out of the Music City Bowl and will play for the Illini in late December. While we retained one huge piece of the puzzle, we lost a massive one on defense at about the same time.

Friday was a roller coaster of emotions. Altmyer is staying for one more ride, but Gabe Jacas posted his decision on social media, too.

The decision to forgo the Music City Bowl and prep for the 2026 NFL Draft isn’t a new one. There will be plenty of players who do that over the next few days.

No one should be mad at Jacas for this decision either. You aren’t paying his bills, and he is making a business decision that he believes will set him and his family up for the future. You are talking about potentially landing a deal and building a career that gives his family generational wealth, and you can’t be mad at that.

What does Gabe Jacas’ NFL Draft stock look like as of right now

Jacas had a great career with the Illini. He had 43 tackles, 11 sacks, and three forced fumbles as a senior. This only added to his finishing total of 184 tackles, 27 sacks, and seven forced fumbles for his Illinois career.

The 27 sacks for Jacas finished No. 2 all-time in program history. He was a menace on the outside for the Illini, and he is a lock to be drafted into the NFL in April. But where will the Illini defensive stalwart get picked?

ESPN currently has Jacas ranked as the No. 11 EDGE prospect in the draft. Take their rankings with a grain of salt, though. They also had Pat Bryant ranked sub-No. 15 among all wide receivers in last year’s draft, and he went in the third round.

Jacas will now have plenty of runway to prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. He was one of the greats to come through the program, and Illinois fans are thankful we got to watch him on the field. I wish this kid nothing but the best moving forward.

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