Illinois State ranks No. 7 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Redbirds finished 10-4 last year, losing 42-10 at UC Davis in the FCS second round.
Here’s a look at the 2025 ISU football squad.
Returning 2024 FCS All-Conference Players (5)
1st Team
LB Tye Niekamp
2nd Team
WR Daniel Sobkowicz
DL Jake Anderson
Honorable Mention
QB Tommy Rittenhouse
RB Wenkers Wright
D1 Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (1)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Matt Maldonado | K | Murray State |
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (10)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Caleb Schmitz | TE | Cincinnati |
| Victor Dawson | RB | Cincinnati |
| Logan Brasfield | OL | Coastal Carolina |
| Christian Lorenzo | DT | Georgia State |
| Nick True | TE | Illinois |
| Shadwel Nkuba II | DB | Louisiana |
| Jack McGarry | OL | Missouri |
| Logan Jellison | DE | Purdue |
| Christian LeBrun | LB | UMass |
| Kaevion Mack | WR | Western Michigan |
Transfers Lost To The FCS (2)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Josh Robinson | RB | Lamar |
| Paul Omodia | DB | Lamar |
Transfers Lost To The FBS (5)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Steven Curtis | DL | Minnesota |
| Hunter Zambrano | OL | Texas Tech |
| Teon Parks | DB | Colorado |
| Mark Cannon Jr. | DB | Bowling Green |
| Xavier Loyd | WR | Missouri |
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Offensive Outlook
Illinois State’s offense returns its All-Conference quarterback, two All-MVFC running backs, All-Conference and leading wide receiver, two full-time starting offensive linemen, and a third offensive lineman who started six games last year.
Tommy Rittenhouse returns for his senior season after taking the reins as the full-time starting quarterback. Last season, he finished 259/390 for 2,840 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while rushing for 480 yards and eight scores. He was graded just inside the Top 20 of FCS quarterbacks by PFF and earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention.
The Redbirds will have a loaded backfield, returning both of their back-to-back All-MVFC running backs. Wenkers Wright rushed for 1,123 yards and 11 touchdowns last year on 218 carries. Also returning is Mason King, a 2023 All-MVFC First Team selection and Newcomer of the Year after leading the team with 983 yards and 14 touchdowns on 150 carries. King suffered a season-ending injury in Game 1 last fall. Victor Dawson also adds to the RB room, arriving from Cincinnati. In 2022, he rushed for 744 yards and 10 touchdowns at FCS Merrimack, getting named to the All-NEC Second Team as a freshman.
Two-time All-MVFC Second Team wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz will lead ISU again on the outside. He totaled 933 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns in 2023 and had 80 catches for 1,108 yards and nine scores last season. Two-year starter Eddie Kasper is also back at WR after tallying 48 receptions for 432 yards and a touchdown in 2023 and 52 catches for 440 yards and another score in 2024.
ISU has decent experience returning on the offensive line. Landon Woodard (6’5″ 330 lbs) and Jake Pope (6’7″ 310 lbs) were No. 1 and 3 in offensive snaps last year, both logging more than 970. Woodard had the No. 20 PFF pass-blocking grade among FCS offensive guards, while two-year starter Pope owned the No. 22 overall PFF grade for an FCS offensive tackle. Micah Barnhart (6’4″ 305 lbs) also returns after playing more than 440 snaps last fall with six starts.
Defensive Outlook
Illinois State’s defense has a bit more rebuilding to do than the offense. The Redbirds lose 10 of their top 13 tacklers. They do return two All-MVFC players, including their leading tackler, and six players who logged more than 220 snaps last fall.
Tye Niekamp highlights the unit as a returning First Team All-Conference linebacker and a four-time 2024 All-American. In 2023, he had 74 tackles, nine TFLs, 1.5 sacks, seven QB hurries, and seven pass breakups, being named on the All-MVFC Second Team and the MVFC Freshman of the Year. Last year, Niekamp racked up 112 tackles, 11 TFLs, three sacks, four interceptions, two QB hurries, and eight pass breakups.
Other experience at linebacker is Patrick Bauer, who started two games in 2024 and played more than 220 snaps, registering 20 tackles and two TFLs as a redshirt freshman. Reese Edwards added 300 snaps, 28 tackles, two sacks, and two QB hurries. Dexter Niekamp, the younger brother of Tye, also looks to be in the LB mix after redshirting his freshman year last season.
Jake Anderson is a returning standout on the d-line. A two-year starter since his redshirt freshman season, he enjoyed a breakout year last fall. The 6-foot-5 and 290-pounder totaled 59 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and three sacks, strong production on the interior. That level of play earned him a spot on the All-MVFC Second Team. Defensive lineman Nick Kessler (6’6″ 265 lbs) is also back after starting all 14 games and notching 29 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and three sacks. Donovan McBride (6’2″ 300 lbs) earned four starts last year and played in 14 games, tallying nine tackles.
ISU needs to retool its secondary, losing its top seven defensive backs in snaps and taking a couple of transfer portal hits this offseason when it lost Teon Parks and Mark Cannon Jr. to the FBS.
2025 Preseason Preview Central
Illinois State Football Schedule
8/30 at Oklahoma
9/6 vs Morehead State
9/13 at Eastern Illinois
9/20 vs North Alabama
10/4 vs No. 1 North Dakota State
10/11 at Murray State
10/18 vs Youngstown State
10/25 at No. 4 South Dakota
11/1 vs Northern Iowa
11/8 at Indiana State
11/15 at No. 3 South Dakota State
11/22 vs No. 16 Southern Illinois
Bold indicates MVFC games
HERO Sports’ rankings
