CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois opens the 2025 season on Friday with an in-state matchup against Western Illinois. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT on Peacock.
Illinois is ranked #12 in the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the program's highest preseason ranking since 1990, when the Illini started #11 in the Preseason AP Top 25.
Illinois returns 16 starters from last season — tied for the most in the nation — and 18 starters from last year's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl team that finished #16 in the final AP Poll. Last year's team tied the program record for wins with 10 and tied the program record for ranked wins with four. The Fighting Illini capped one of the best seasons in program history by beating #14 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, 21-17, in one of the top bowl game victories in Illinois history.
Among the returners are QB Luke Altmyer and OLB Gabe Jacas, who were voted by the media to the Big Ten's Preseason Honors list of the top 15 players in the conference. Jacas had 74 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, and 8.0 sacks last season to lead the Illinois defense, while Altmyer threw for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024.
The Illini and Leathernecks will square off for the fourth time on Friday in their first matchup since 2018. Illinois leads the all-time series, 3-0, with all three games occurring at Memorial Stadium.
Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Phil Simms (analyst), and Zora Stephenson (reporter) have the television broadcast on Peacock. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the radio call with Brian Barnhart, Carey Davis, and Michael Martin.
Tickets are available at FightingIllini.com.
Press Conference
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Notes
Welcome to the 2025 College Football Season
• Illinois opens its 136th season of football on Friday against Western Illinois.
• Illinois opens the season at Memorial Stadium for the fifth straight season and the 14th time in the last 15 seasons (2020 at Wisconsin).
• Illinois hosts Western Illinois for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2018.
• Illinois enters 2025 on a four-game winning streak, tied for the longest active streak in the Big Ten with reigning national champion Ohio State.
Illinois in the Rankings
• Illinois is ranked #12 in the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.
• Illinois has its highest preseason ranking since 1990, when the Illini started #11 in the Preseason AP Top 25.
• Illinois is ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since 2008.
• Illinois' #12 preseason ranking is the ninth-highest in program history since the AP Preseason Poll began in 1950.
• Illinois' #12 Preseason Coaches Poll ranking is tied for the second-highest in program history since the Preseason Coaches Poll began in 1978, behind only Illini teams in 1985 (#10) and 1990 (#12).
• Illinois was #16 in last year's final AP Top 25 poll, the program's highest final ranking since finishing #12 in 2001.
Familiar Faces
• Illinois returns 18 starters from its Cheez-It Citrus Bowl victory over #14 South Carolina, tied with Michigan for the most returning starters of any bowl team in the nation.
• Illinois returns 16 season starters from last year's 10-win campaign, which is tied with Arizona State, Clemson, and Penn State for the most returning starters in the nation. Alabama, Boise State, Duke, San Diego State, and Texas A&M are next with 14 returning season starters.
• Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., who returns for his fourth season, is the longest-tenured offensive coordinator in the Big Ten.
• Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry, who returns for his third season, is the third-longest-tenured defensive coordinator in the Big Ten behind only Iowa's Phil Parker (14th season) and Oregon's Tosh Lupoi (fourth season).
• Illinois is the only Power-4 team to return its offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and starting quarterback for a third straight season in 2025.
• Illinois was the only Big Ten team to have the same head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, strength coach, and starting quarterback in 2023 and 2024. All five are back again for 2025.
• Illinois is one of six Big Ten teams to return both its offensive and defensive coordinators in 2025, along with Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Oregon.
• Illinois and Oregon are the only Big Ten teams to return both their offensive and defensive coordinator for at least the third straight season.
• Illinois returns nine of its 10 primary position coaches.
Attendance Growth
• Illinois announced on May 21 that its season tickets had sold out for the first time in at least 20 years.
• The Fighting Illini's final season ticket total for kickoff against Western Illinois is over 42,000.
• Student season tickets sold out on Aug. 18.
• Illinois' Oct. 11 matchup against Ohio State sold out on Aug. 6.
• Over the last four seasons, Illinois has experienced the largest growth in attendance in the nation and the largest growth in the Big Ten by a wide margin. Average attendance increased by nearly 20,000 from 2021 to 2024, ranking Illinois #1 in the nation in three-year growth (+19,403 average attendance gained) and #9 in the nation in percentage growth (+54.89% attendance increase).
The Bielema Era
• Bret Bielema is 28-22 during his Illinois career. Since Robert Zuppke went undefeated in two of his first three seasons at Illinois from 1913-15, Bielema's 28-22 start is the second-best through 50 games by an Illini head coach, behind only Mike White (30-19-1, 1980-84).
• Bielema has won at least eight games in two of his first four seasons at Illinois, becoming the first Illini head coach since John Mackovic (1988-91) to reach eight wins twice in his first four seasons in Champaign.
• Bielema's 18 Big Ten wins through his first four seasons at Illinois are the most since John Mackovic won 22 in his first four seasons from 1988-91.
• Bielema's six ranked wins (AP/Coaches/CFP) during his first four seasons are the second-most in program history, behind only John Mackovic (8, 1988-91).
• Bielema's four road/neutral ranked wins (AP/Coaches/CFP) are the most of any coach in Illini history during his first four seasons in Champaign.
• Bielema has had the Illini ranked in 17 AP polls during his first four seasons in Champaign. Only John Mackovic (39 weeks, 1988-91) had the Illini ranked more during their first four seasons as Illinois head coaches.
• Bielema joined John Mackovic (1988-91) and Lou Tepper (1992-95) as the only head coaches in Illinois history to win 5+ games in each of their first four seasons leading the Fighting Illini.
• Bielema is 10-8 in Big Ten road games at Illinois. His 10 Big Ten road wins are tied for the second-most by an Illini head coach in his first four seasons, behind only Mike White (11, 1980-83) and tied with Lou Tepper (10, 1992-95) and John Mackovic (10, 1988-91).
The Illinois-Western Illinois Series and Connections
• Illinois leads the all-time series against Western Illinois, 3-0.
• Illinois assistant head coach/running backs coach Thad Ward was the running backs coach at Western Illinois from 2005-10.
• Illinois senior analyst Myers Hendrickson played college football at Western Illinois from 2008-11 was the head coach at Western Illinois from 2022-23. His father, Mark Hendrickson, was on staff at Western Illinois from 1999-2012 as the program's offensive coordinator (1999-2007) and head coach (2008-12).
• Bret Bielema's second career win as a head coach was against Western Illinois, a 34-10 for his Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 9, 2006.
