In the middle of a recent media briefing, while running through injury updates and practice plans, Illinois football coach Bret Bielema paused to offer thanks to students.
In Bielema’s first season in Champaign in 2021, the Illini sold about 3,800 student season tickets, he said. Less than two weeks before the season opener against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium, the Illinois athletic department announced it had sold out its 8,250 student season tickets, on top of the public season tickets that also sold out.
It’s proof of the excitement building around an Illinois program that is ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and coaches preseason polls and is talked about as a potential College Football Playoff contender.
Bielema’s team has its work cut out to fulfill such expectations. As they prepare to kick off their season Friday in Champaign, here are five questions facing the Illini.
1. Can the Illini buck the up-then-down season trend?
It has been a long time since Illinois football has experienced year-in and year-out success. Some of the most memorable seasons of the 21st century in Champaign were followed by losing seasons.
The 10-2 Sugar Bowl team under Ron Turner in 2001 was followed by a 5-7 season. The 2007 Rose Bowl team that went 9-4 under Ron Zook turned into a 5-7 team the next season. Even Bielema’s first bowl team in 2022 was followed by a 5-7 record.
Now the Illini are coming off a 10-3 season with their highest outside expectations in 35 years, in large part because they return 16 starters from the team that beat South Carolina 21-17 in the Citrus Bowl.
The coaches and players are trying to walk the line between embracing the hype they feel they’ve earned and maintaining the work that got them there.
“We see all the expectations,” linebacker James Kreutz said. “It’s pretty cool to have a lot of hype around Illinois because it hasn’t been a thing for a while. But at the end of the day, we’re just trying to get better every day.”
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2. Will QB Luke Altmyer rise to the occasion?
Altmyer is a rare three-year starter at quarterback after he rejected transfer offers to return to Champaign. His breakout 2024 season included throwing for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns with six interceptions and rushing for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
Now the Mississippi native and former Ole Miss transfer will try to lead the Illini to a playoff berth. The Athletic recently placed Altmyer in the second of seven college quarterback tiers and ranked him 13th among 136 projected FBS starters. The only Big Ten starter ranked higher was Penn State’s Drew Allar.
Those are big-time expectations. But Altmyer believes he has the confidence, experience and understanding of the game to meet them.
“A lot of what you saw last year created what you see right now and that (team) ranking,” Altmyer said. “We trust our abilities. We know we belong in those conversations. We know we’re a gifted group. And, man, it’s what we asked for.”
It should help that Altmyer will be playing behind an offensive line with all five starters returning, including third-year starting center Josh Kreutz and All-Big Ten left tackle J.C. Davis. The Illini also expect to lean on a running game led by Aidan Laughery (97 carries, 589 yards, four touchdowns in 2024) and Kaden Feagin (67 carries, 308 yards in five games before a hip injury).
3. Who will step up at wide receiver?
Altmyer’s success in 2024 was helped by a big year from wide receiver Pat Bryant, who had 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns on his way to becoming a third-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos this spring.
Now the Illini have to find replacements for Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, who had 55 catches for 652 yards and four touchdowns.
Bielema called Collin Dixon and Hank Beatty, who combined for 558 receiving yards last season, “impressive dudes” for the work they put in and the leadership they’re providing among a young receivers group.
He thinks 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior Malik Elzy could be ready to make a “big jump” after totaling just nine catches over his first two seasons. And the Illini also have pass-catching options in transfers Hudson Clement (West Virginia) and Justin Bowick (Ball State).
“It’s a really healthy competition because everyone is so talented that it raises the floor,” Dixon said. “There’s not a lot of room for error out there. We push each other every day to the best of our abilities.
“We just try to be the best version of ourselves every day. When you lose guys like (Bryant and Franklin), you don’t want to be them. You want to be your own receiver and just play to the best of your abilities.”
4. Can an experienced defense with several stars become more dangerous?
Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry recently told reporters that his first two years at the helm of the Illini defense were about growth and establishing himself as a play caller.
Now, as he enters the 2025 season?
“Year 3 and 4 are being dominant,” he said. “If we have a chance to put teams away, put them away. Don’t let them linger. Really, really good football teams do that.”
The Illini look to make a step forward after allowing 21.7 points and 373.2 yards per game, ranked ninth and 14th in the Big Ten, respectively. And they’ll do it with an experienced core of players.
Outside linebacker Gabe Jacas and defensive back Xavier Scott are two of the biggest names to return this season.
Jacas is an ESPN preseason All-American after totaling 74 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery last season as a junior. Scott had four interceptions, six pass breakups, a sack, a forced fumble and 49 tackles on his way to being an All-Big Ten selection last year.
Linebacker Dylan Rosiek and safeties Matthew Bailey and Miles Scott are among the other key veteran returnees.
But the Illini will need a revamped defensive line, led by Wisconsin transfers James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal, to step up, particularly in the run defense.
“It’s always usually my biggest concern coming in is how we are going to play live tackle football against the run,” Bielema said. “Passing game, we get a good look at it. We do have some new bodies up front, so we don’t know how those guys are going to respond.
“But I like our edges, I like our inside backers. James Thompson and Curt Neal played a lot of football. So some of these new guys, to get off and make a play is going to be a good thing.”
5. How will the Illini handle early tests?
The Illini need to succeed early to position themselves well for a CFP berth, including two big September road games.
They play Sept. 6 at Duke, which received votes in the AP and coaches preseason polls. But the real matchup to circle on the calendar is a Sept. 20 trip to Indiana.
The No. 20 Hoosiers were a surprise playoff team last season with a program-best 11-2 record. Behind transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Curt Cignetti’s team is expected to be competitive again.
After those tests, plus a Sept. 27 home game against USC, the Illini take on defending national champion and third-ranked Ohio State at an already sold-out Memorial Stadium on Oct. 11.
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If the Illini can survive the first seven weeks, the home stretch of the schedule appears to set up well for a big finish.
“We’re confident,” tight end Tanner Arkin said. “We know how good we can be. But at the end of the day, our biggest opponent is ourselves. We have to overcome that. … Put last year in the past and focus on a day-to-day mission this year.”