Illinois football is coming off two of the best seasons in program history.
It is hard to win 19 games in a two-season stretch. The Illini managed to accomplish that goal in 2024 and 2025, and now, much like a lot of programs across the country, Bret Bielema is looking to build the roster back up.
The transfer portal always throws a wrench into things, and it has for the Orange and Blue. Bielema has been great with the transfer portal thus far, though. Despite some good additions, there were a few positions I think needed more love.
Here are the top five positions Illinois football didn’t address enough in the transfer portal
- Tight End
The tight end situation at Illinois wasn’t great to end the 2025 campaign, and it didn’t get better through the transfer portal.
Illinois lost Tanner Arkin, who played 684 snaps and was our starting tight end last season. Cole Rusk decided to transfer out of the program as well. Those are two big blows at the top of the depth chart.
The most experienced tight ends returning are Christian Abney and Davin Stoffel, and they both mainly blocked for the Illini. We weren’t exactly aggressive with adding talent, as Illinois failed to sign a transfer portal tight end, and we are only bringing in one freshman tight end. This position is a bit of a problem.
- Safety
While I think Illinois did some good work in the secondary this offseason, the safety position could be in a world of hurt.
Illinois lost top-rated safety Miles Scott to aging out. I do like that we return Matthew Bailey for one final season. He gave the program 693 snaps last season and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Xanai Scott and Mac Resetich are the only other two returning who played snaps at safety. Depth immediately is a concern.
Illinois added an okay piece in Lavon Williams out of the transfer portal. He wasn’t a huge get, but he is someone who helps the depth. I will be curious how much Jacob Eberhart sees the field. He was a huge four-star get for the Illini in the class of 2026. We also added Isaiah Williams.
The safety position needed at least one more safety out of the transfer portal. I am not just worried about depth, but I am worried about the overall talent of the last line of defense.
- Linebacker
The Illinois linebacker corps has been ravaged by departures this offseason. Dylan Rosiek led the way, and he has aged out. We have also lost some talent to the transfer portal.
Players like Antwon Hayden, Malachi Hood, and Easton Baker all departed. That kills any depth the Illini had built up. We haven’t really replaced that talent, though.
The big transfer portal get at linebacker was Robert Edmonson out of Colorado State. He played 331 snaps last season, and I expect him to be a good rotational guy for the Illini. Illinois also added three freshmen linebackers, but I doubt they get a ton of playing time.
My guess is the game plan for Illinois at linebacker is to lean heavily into Grant Beerman. He just redshirted his freshman season, but this kid is an All-American caliber player. He will be a stalwart, and then James Kreutz and Edmonson can continue to rotate in and out.
Without a doubt, though, Illinois needed another linebacker. We could have used a good, experienced player out of the transfer portal, but that didn’t end up happening.
- Defensive Line
I would argue that the biggest worry for Illinois and the position that could be the biggest weakness on the Illinois defense is the defensive line.
The outgoing talent is pretty wild. Illinois lost Jeremiah Warren, Tomiwa Durojaiye, Angelo McCullom, Eli Coenen, and Curt Neal to the transfer portal. James Thompson Jr. aged out, too.
Pat Farrell is the most experienced returning defensive lineman, and he only played 203 snaps for the Illini last season. I am curious to see what Isaiah White, Cameron Brooks, and Demetrius John can become, as they were all freshmen last season. The defensive line seems to be a complete rebuild, though.
I will give the coaching staff some credit; they went into the transfer portal to help the process. The best addition was Carter Janki from Penn. He played 652 snaps last season and ranked inside the top 200 nationally among all defensive linemen.
Illinois is also bringing in Connor Sullivan and Isaiah Thominson. They will help build some depth. I think what the Illini will probably do is see which of those young players look good, and then mix them in with the incoming transfers. Overall, I am not comfortable with what I see on the defensive line. This is going to be an issue in 2026.
- Outside Linebacker
The last position I want to note had arguably the biggest departure. Losing Gabe Jacas from the outside linebacker group hurts Illinois greatly. He will be missed, and there weren’t a lot of instant impact guys he was replaced with.
Jacas, Alec Bryant, and Leon Lowery Jr. all aged out. I am excited about seeing Joe Barna take the next step. I think he could be an All-Big Ten type of player.
Illinois’ offseason additions aren’t the greatest, though. While Barna, Ismael Kante, and Daniel Brown are all back, the Illini only added William Holmes to the outside linebackers from the transfer portal.
Holmes played 489 snaps last season with Utah State, which would have been second on the Illinois roster. I imagine he will have a say in one of the starting jobs, or at least, he is going to get a ton of snaps.
Illinois also added a slew of freshmen, but who knows how much they will play. Regardless, there isn’t a ton of proven depth at outside linebacker. The incoming players don’t match the outgoing, and that worries me.