Ahead of a showdown with the 23rd ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, I talked to Pleas (pronounced Plez) Honeywood of SB Nation’s Illinois blog, The Champaign Room to get the lowdown on a very good Illinois team!
MS: This is year 5 for Illini Head Coach Bret Bielema. Aside from a 5-7 season in 2023, Bielema has Illinois knocking on the door of the upper echelon of the Big Ten. What do you make of the job he has done so far?
PH: Bret Bielema has been a massive success at Illinois. Illinois football was a bottom-tier Power Conference program for a generation. For context, Illinois will likely make its third bowl game in five years under Bielema. Lovie Smith went to one bowl game in five seasons in charge. And it was the Redbox Bowl. Coach Smith was 10-33 in the Big Ten during his tenure at Illinois. Bret Bielema is 20-20 so far. Furthermore, according to 247Sports, Bielema has signed three of Illinois’ top four recruiting classes of the past 15 years. Everything is demonstrably better than it has been. Bielema gets a solid B+ from me, and running the table for the remainder of the 2025 campaign would raise that grade.
MS: Barry Lunney is the offensive coordinator, and he has quite an impressive quarterback at his disposal in Luke Altmeyer. Altmeyer has gotten off to an impressive start, throwing for 1821 yards, 13 touchdowns and 1 interception. What do you like about Altmeyer, how does he fit into Lunney’s scheme and who are the other weapons to watch for Husky fans?
PH: Luke Altmyer has brought a higher ceiling and more consistency than Illinois has had at quarterback in over a decade. (Are you sensing a pattern here?) Luke generally does a really good job protecting the ball. He does not take dumb risks. And he can definitely move the chains with his legs. It doesn’t hurt that this is his third year in Barry Lunney’s system after transferring from the University of Mississippi. His primary receivers are All-American candidate Hank Beatty (39 catches, 617 yards), Collin Dixon (22 catches, 357 yards), and newly emerging tight end Cole Rusk (10 catches, 113 yards). Ball State transfer Justin Bowick (4 touchdowns on 12 catches) has emerged as a primary red zone threat, while West Virginia transfer wideout Hudson Clement is starting to develop real chemistry with Altmyer.
The Illini operate on a running back by committee/hot hand approach. Sophomore Ca’Lil Valentine (5.1 yards per carry) is the versatile, precocious Arizona native who looks every bit the four-star label he obtained as a prep prospect. Kaden Feagin is a physical phenom (6’3, 265 pounds) but has struggled with injuries since high school. And Aidan Laughery has track star speed, but has battled injury and inconsistency this season. This is a more pass-heavy Illinois squad than Bret Bielema is used to rolling out.
MS: Aaron Henry coordinates the Illini defense, led by defensive backs Matthew Bailey and Myles Scott. What is this defense like schematically and who are the other playmakers on this defense?
PH: Schematically, Aaron Henry likes playing man coverage. You will see a lot of similarities to the Washington defense, since Henry was the secondary (primarily corners) coach when Ryan Walters was Illinois’ defensive coordinator. Matthew Bailey resembles current Philadelphia Eagle and former Illini great Sydney Brown. He is an in-the-box safety who packs a wallop. Miles Scott is a versatile converted receiver who is a leader on the defense. Both had excellent bounce-back games against Ohio State after struggling against Purdue. (I know it sounds like it should be the other way around, but both put up 70+ PFF grades against the Buckeyes.) The Illini secondary has a total of one interception this year, so this is not a classic, opportunistic Illini back end.
The unquestioned best player on the defense is senior outside linebacker Gabe Jacas. Jacas is a physically imposing athletic phenom with stellar technique. He has 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this season. He sees plenty of double teams. He has largely been projected as a day two pick, so Jedd Fisch and crew are likely circling number 17 during film study.
Veteran middle linebacker Dylan Rosiek and Wisconsin transfers Curt Neal and James Thompson bring a steady interior presence at the first two levels.
MS: What is the schedule like for Illinois, and how do you see the rest of the season shaking out? What is the future like for this program?
PH: Playing in Seattle is no picnic. However, after facing the Huskies, Illinois will conclude its season with home games against Rutgers, Maryland, and Northwestern, as well as one more road test at Camp Randall. Back-to-back Florida bowl games and back-to-back 10-win campaigns are squarely in play for the Illini this season.
Looking to next season, Illinois has a positive outlook. As of now, Illinois has the number 25 recruiting class for 2026 on 247Sports. So the long-term prospects are tremendous if that class holds. But losing Altmyer and Jacas with no obvious replacements on the roster will require both significant player development and transfer portal moonshots. So while the short-term is cloudy, there is reason for long-term optimism in Champaign.
(The $100M donation from proud Illinois alumnus Larry Gies doesn’t hurt, either.)
MS: It’s time for a score prediction! What will the score be to this Saturday afternoon game in Seattle?
PH: Before I predict a score, I just want everyone to sailgate safely. For those who aren’t sailgating, the rooftop bar at the Graduate Hotel in NE Seattle is a great spot with great views for your pregaming needs.
As far as the game goes, Washington has one of the truest home field advantages in all of the Big Ten. With a healthy, dangerous triumvirate leading the offense, the Huskies have all the firepower to give Aaron Henry and the Illini defense fits. I think Illinois will play well offensively, but this game could come down to the last drive. I think the Huskies will win an exciting, fun 38-34 shootout.
Thank you Pleas, both for the football talk, and the well wishes to those who may be sailgating this weekend! Good luck to the Illini the rest of the way! For my answers to his questions, head on over to The Champaign Room!