Big Ten · Illinois · 2026 roster

Illinois Fighting Illini football roster hometowns

Where are Illinois players from?

On the 2026 Illinois football roster, 33.6% of players with a known home state are from Illinois. The median listed hometown is 363 mi from campus (Homecoming Radius).

The 2026 snapshot was collected before the season. Sources and definitions

The Illinois roster story

In 2016, 31 of 101 roster spots were filled by Illinois players not previously rostered elsewhere in the data. On the 2026 roster, 37 of 116 fit the same definition. The number of players previously rostered elsewhere changed from 2 to 20.

The median hometown distance moved from 343 mi in 2016 to 363 mi on the 2026 roster.

Before and during the portal era

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2536.3%40.0%1.3%13.4%
  • In-state, not rostered elsewhere
  • Previously rostered elsewhere
Measure2016–182021–25
In-state, not rostered elsewhere36.3%40.0%
Previously rostered elsewhere1.3%13.4%

The 2026 roster

  • 543 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 107 located players.
  • 33.6%In-state33.6% of players with a known home state are from Illinois.
  • 7.5%Backyard7.5% of players with a located hometown grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 17.2%Previously rostered elsewhere17.2% of the roster appeared on another college roster in an earlier season.

Where Illinois ranks

Most In-State#5733.6%Most Transfers#10817.2%Closest to Home#94543 miFarthest From Home#45543 miBiggest In-State Shift#12433.6%Most Backyard Players#1257.5%Fewest Transfers#3117.2%Biggest Transfer Shift#9617.2%

Homecoming Radius over time

The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.

0100200300400500FBS median (250 mi)200920122016201920232026

Roster composition over time

Where the in-state lens draws the line: home-state players with and without an earlier college roster, out-of-state players with and without one, and players with unknown geography. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

In-state, not rostered elsewhereOut-of-state, not rostered elsewhereOut-of-state, rostered elsewhere200920122016201920232026

Where do Illinois's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateRostered elsewhereRadius
202611633.6%17.2%363 mi
202511843.6%15.3%210 mi
202411845.7%11.9%284 mi
202312047.5%10.8%207 mi
202211741.7%13.7%286 mi
202111635.7%15.5%475 mi
202011339.6%10.6%286 mi
201910744.9%7.5%157 mi
201810240.4%2.0%326 mi
201710539.0%0.0%219 mi
201610131.7%2.0%343 mi
201511844.1%0.8%205 mi
201411741.0%1.7%217 mi
201311743.6%1.7%207 mi
201210743.9%0.9%197 mi
201111547.0%0.0%197 mi
20109744.3%1.0%244 mi
200910153.5%1.0%149 mi

In-state shares use players with a known home state. Radius uses located hometowns.

Where the roster grew up

Located hometowns on the 2026 roster, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

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Homecoming Radius: 363 mi

This slider is exploratory. Rankings use fixed distance lenses.

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