It has been a long wait, but Illinois football enters the 2025 season with the kind of expectations not seen in decades.
Ranked No. 12 in the preseason poll, the Illini bring back 16 starters from last year's 10-3 team that finished inside the top 20 of the final College Football Playoff rankings. Now comes the challenge of proving they can do it again, starting Friday night at Memorial Stadium against Western Illinois.
The Leathernecks arrive from the FCS ranks looking to test themselves against a Big Ten program, and they bring an offense that showed firepower last fall. For Illinois, this opener is about setting the tone for a season in which fans believe a playoff berth is within reach.
Second-year head coach Joe Davis has been rebuilding the Leathernecks, who finished 4-8 in 2024 but led their conference in total offense at more than 427 yards per game. They also averaged 31 points, a big step forward from previous years. Western Illinois earned praise for its most recent recruiting class and was picked to finish in the middle of the Big South/OVC standings.
Senior quarterback Chris Irvin takes over for record-setting Nate Lamb, who graduated after throwing for more than 3,300 yards last season. Irvin saw limited action but showed efficiency in his opportunities, completing 17 of 29 passes with three touchdowns. Running this offense against Illinois' size and speed will be a much tougher challenge, but the Leathernecks believe their improvements will make them more competitive than in last year's blowout loss to Indiana.
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Coach Bret Bielema has steadily built Illinois into a team capable of winning consistently, and now his group looks to take the next step. Quarterback Luke Altmyer returns for his third season as the starter after turning down interest from SEC programs. His experience and command of the offense give the Illini confidence, even as they replace NFL-bound receivers Patrick Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.
New targets Collin Dixon and Hank Beatty have drawn strong reviews in camp, and the running game should remain steady behind an experienced offensive line. There is a small concern with injuries up front, as left tackle J.C. Davis has been limited with plantar fasciitis and right tackle Melvin Priestly missed some time with an ankle issue. Still, Bielema expects the line to be ready.
Defensively, Illinois returns depth and veteran leadership, which should allow the Illini to build on last season's success. This opener provides a chance to work out any early wrinkles before a trip to Duke in early September.
Illinois begins its season with high expectations, the kind that haven't surrounded the program in decades. The Illini want to show from the start that last year's 10-win season was no fluke. Western Illinois, meanwhile, comes in with an offense that believes it can make plays but knows the jump in competition will be steep.
Friday night in Champaign will mark the start of Illinois' most anticipated season in years, with the Leathernecks serving as the first test in a campaign that could make history for the program.