The Fighting Illini signed a total of 17 recruits on Early National Signing Day on December 20, 2017.
Listed in the order that they were released
The 2018 schedule consisted of seven home and five away games in the regular season. The Fighting Illini hosted Big Ten foes Penn State, Purdue, Minnesota, Iowa, and traveled to Rutgers, Wisconsin, Maryland, Nebraska and Northwestern.[3]
The Fighting Illini hosted all three non-conference opponents, Kent State from the Mid-American Conference, Western Illinois from Missouri Valley Football Conference, and South Florida from the American Athletic Conference. The South Florida game was played at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears.
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
September 1 | 11:00 a.m. | Kent State* | | BTN | W 31–24 | 31,898 |
September 8 | 6:30 p.m. | Western Illinois* | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| BTN | W 34–14 | 39,252 |
September 15 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. South Florida* | | BTN | L 19–25 | 21,725 |
| 8:00 p.m. | No. 10 Penn State | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| FS1 | L 24–63 | 34,704 |
October 6 | 11:00 a.m. | at Rutgers | | BTN | W 38–17 | 36,702 |
October 13 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL (rivalry)
| FS1 | L 7–46 | 41,966 |
October 20 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 23 Wisconsin | | FS1 | L 20–49 | 79,736 |
October 27 | 2:30 p.m. | at Maryland | | BTN | L 33–63 | 30,387 |
November 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Minnesota | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| BTN | W 55–31 | 35,774 |
November 10 | 11:00 a.m. | at Nebraska | | BTN | L 35–54 | 88,316 |
November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Iowa | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| BTN | L 0–63 | 33,313 |
November 24 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 20 Northwestern | | BTN | L 16–24 | 37,124 |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Central time
|
[3]
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Golden Flashes
|
7
|
10
|
7
|
0 |
24 |
Fighting Illini
|
3
|
0
|
21
|
7 |
31 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Leathernecks
|
7
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
14 |
Fighting Illini
|
0
|
14
|
10
|
10 |
34 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Bulls
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
18 |
25 |
Fighting Illini
|
10
|
6
|
3
|
0 |
19 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
No. 10 Nittany Lions
|
7
|
14
|
7
|
35 |
63 |
Fighting Illini
|
7
|
10
|
7
|
0 |
24 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
10
|
14
|
0
|
14 |
38 |
Scarlet Knights
|
7
|
7
|
0
|
3 |
17 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Boilermakers
|
14
|
15
|
7
|
10 |
46 |
Fighting Illini
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
0
|
10
|
7
|
3 |
20 |
No. 23 Badgers
|
14
|
14
|
14
|
7 |
49 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
3
|
6
|
10
|
14 |
33 |
Terrapins
|
14
|
14
|
21
|
14 |
63 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Golden Gophers
|
7
|
10
|
0
|
14 |
31 |
Fighting Illini
|
14
|
10
|
21
|
10 |
55 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
14
|
7
|
0
|
14 |
35 |
Cornhuskers
|
21
|
17
|
7
|
9 |
54 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Hawkeyes
|
7
|
28
|
14
|
14 |
63 |
Fighting Illini
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
0 |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
10 |
16 |
No. 20 Wildcats
|
7
|
14
|
3
|
0 |
24 |
2018 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
QB
|
1
|
A. J. Bush
|
Sr
|
RB
|
2
|
Reggie Corbin
|
Jr
|
RB
|
3
|
Jakari Norwood
|
Fr
|
WR
|
4
|
Ricky Smalling
|
So
|
WR
|
5
|
Carmoni Green
|
So
|
WR
|
6
|
Dominic Stampley
|
So
|
QB
|
7
|
Coran Taylor
|
Fr
|
QB
|
8
|
M. J. Rivers II
|
Fr
|
WR
|
9
|
Sam Mays
|
Sr
|
QB
|
10
|
Cam Thomas
|
So
|
WR
|
11
|
Carlos Sandy
|
Fr
|
QB
|
12
|
Matt Robinson
|
Fr
|
TE
|
13
|
Caleb Reams
|
Jr
|
QB
|
14
|
Drake Davis
|
Fr
|
QB
|
15
|
Trenard Davis
|
Jr
|
QB
|
16
|
Cam Miller
|
So
|
WR
|
18
|
Mike Dudek
|
Sr
|
TE
|
19
|
Louis Dorsey
|
So
|
RB
|
21
|
Ra'Von Bonner
|
So
|
RB
|
22
|
Kenyon Sims
|
Fr
|
RB
|
25
|
Dre Brown
|
Jr
|
RB
|
26
|
Mike Epstein
|
So
|
LB
|
32
|
Justice Williams
|
Jr
|
TE
|
36
|
Austin Roberts
|
Sr
|
WR
|
37
|
Zach Holman
|
Sr
|
OL
|
52
|
Adam Solomon
|
Jr
|
OL
|
53
|
Nick Allegretti
|
Sr
|
OL
|
55
|
Kendrick Green
|
Fr
|
OL
|
58
|
Preston Engel
|
Fr
|
OL
|
63
|
Alex Palczewski
|
Fr
|
OL
|
65
|
Doug Kramer
|
So
|
OL
|
66
|
Jordyn Slaughter
|
Fr
|
OL
|
68
|
Jake Stover
|
Fr
|
OL
|
70
|
Reuben Unije
|
Fr
|
OL
|
71
|
Zeke Martin
|
Jr
|
OL
|
72
|
Kievan Myers
|
Fr
|
OL
|
73
|
Jake Cerny
|
So
|
OL
|
74
|
Andrew Trainer
|
Jr
|
OL
|
75
|
Kurt Gavin
|
So
|
OL
|
76
|
Larry Boyd
|
So
|
OL
|
79
|
Vederian Lowe
|
So
|
WR
|
80
|
Edwin Carter
|
Fr
|
TE
|
81
|
Griffin Palmer
|
So
|
WR
|
82
|
Dylan Thomas
|
Fr
|
TE
|
83
|
Bobby Walker
|
Jr
|
WR
|
84
|
Jordan Holmes
|
Fr
|
WR
|
85
|
Cam Stacy
|
Fr
|
WR
|
86
|
Donny Navarro (I)
|
So
|
TE
|
87
|
Daniel Barker
|
Fr
|
TE
|
88
|
Brandon Jones
|
So
|
TE
|
89
|
Alex Pihlstrom
|
Fr
|
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Hardy Nickerson – Defensive coordinator / linebackers
- Rod Smith – Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks
- Gill Byrd – Passing Game Coordinator / Safeties
- Bob Ligashesky – Special teams coordinator
- Luke Butkus – Offensive line
- Austin Clark – Defensive line
- Andrew Hayes-Stoker – Wide receivers
- Cory Patterson – Tight ends
- Thad Ward – Running backs
- Rob Delaney – Graduate assistant – offense
- Joe Fotu – Graduate assistant – defense
- Zach Grant – Graduate assistant – offense
- Miles Smith – Graduate assistant – defense
- Peter Collins – Defensive analyst
- Cody Gibson – Offensive analyst
- Bob McClaine – Offensive analyst
- Kingsley Osei-Asibey – Defensive analyst
- Robert Wright – Defensive analyst
- Jake Zweig – Special team analyst
- Jake Ellsworth – Defensive analyst
- Joey Boese – Head football strength and conditioning coach
- Tim Knox – Director of football operations
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Roster Last update: August 22, 2018
|
Players drafted into the NFL
edit