Program field guide · 2026

Big Ten · Illinois

Illinois

Fighting Illini

Illinois’s Illinois-developed core grew from 31 to 37 players.

2026 roster · Roster geography

In 2016, 31 of 101 roster spots were filled by Illinois players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 37 of 116 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 2 to 20.

In 2016 the median player grew up 343 mi from campus. Now it is 363 mi.

Of the 20 players who came from another college, 2 are from Illinois. Those home-state players make up 10% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.

Then → now

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2536.3%40.0%1.3%13.4%
  • Local-developed core
  • Transfer stock
Measure2016–182021–25
Local-developed core36.3%40.0%
Transfer stock1.3%13.4%

The roster, at a glance

  • 543 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 107 located players.
  • 33.6%In-state33.6% of the roster is from Illinois.
  • 7.5%Backyard7.5% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 17.2%Detected transfers17.2% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.

Across the FBS

Where Illinois ranks

Most In-State#5733.6%Most Transfers#10817.2%Closest to Home#94543 miFarthest From Home#45543 miBiggest Localism 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: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

Local-developedOutsider developedOutsider transfer200920122016201920232026

Where do Illinois's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateTransfer signalRadius
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

Where the roster grew up

Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

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Homecoming Radius: 363 mi

(This slider is for exploring — leaderboards use the fixed lenses.)

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