Jon Proto is in his third season on the Illinois staff and his first as Director of College Scouting/NFL Liaison in 2025. He previously served as an assistant director of player personnel in 2023 and 2024. Proto came to Champaign with nearly a decade of NCAA Division I experience, primarily focused on scouting, talent evaluation, and recruiting.

In his second season on staff, Proto helped Illinois tie the program's single-season wins record with 10 in 2024. The Illini were ranked by the CFP selection committee for a program-record four straight weeks, appeared in 12 AP Top 25 polls, and tied the program record for ranked wins with four. Illinois 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.

Proto joined the Illini after spending the 2022 season as a player personnel assistant at Wisconsin. During his time in Madison, Proto played a vital role in the Badgers’ recruiting efforts by helping to identify, evaluate, and collect data on prospects to provide direction to the coaching staff.

Proto's experience with Wisconsin came on the heels of a two-season stretch at Buffalo (2020-22), and three seasons at UTSA (2017-20). During his time with UB, Proto served as the Bulls’ director of recruiting operations/NFL and CFL Liaison, not only overseeing the program’s overall recruiting efforts, but also working as the team’s contact for all professional football personnel. He helped UB to a 6-1 mark in 2020, including a Camellia Bowl Championship.

While at UTSA, Proto spent three full seasons as the Roadrunners’ administrative assistant/scouting assistant from 2017-19, before being promoted to assistant director of player personnel to close out his tenure in San Antonio.

A native of North Haven, Connecticut, Proto’s career began on the East Coast with stops for one year each at Yale (2014-15), Florida Atlantic (2015-16), and Boston College (2016-17). The 2014 Yale squad posted a mark of 8-2 with Proto working as a recruiting coordinator with additional responsibilities to help manage head coach Tony Reno’s social media. Proto also worked as the Bulldogs’ assistant tight ends coach. In 2015 he moved on to become FAU’s assistant director of player personnel, before going to Boston College as a recruiting coordinator for the Eagles’ 2016 season.

Proto played college football at the former Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts, now the UMass Amherst Mt. Ida Campus, where he was a four-time all-conference defensive tackle and earned team MVP honors as a senior after compiling 164.5 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 34.5 TFLs, and two interceptions, while helping Mount Ida to a conference championship and an NCAA Division III playoff berth. Proto completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a sports management concentration, from the school in 2014 before going on to complete his graduate degree in business administration.

Proto and his wife, Breana, married in 2025.