"While a significant amount of the 2024 production returned for 2025, it’s a different story in 2026 when we look at each position unit - this appears to be the reset year for the Illini. Ben gave us a tidbit that shows the overall turnover: of the 114 players currently on the Illinois roster exactly half, 57, will be in Champaign for their first season in 2026 with 37 of them being high school preps and a handful more being transfers or JUCOs with multiple years of eligibility still remaining. All this further drives home that 2026 may represent a reset year after 2 pretty successful seasons to set-up the next window for the Illini.
Although some of that roster turnover this offseason is a result of the positive development of Illinois having players go to the NFL or simply exhaust their eligibility and graduate, a significant portion of the roster and their production from 2025 transferred out to Power 4 schools. To backfill Illinois heavily relied upon players from Group of 6 schools, the FCS, Jucos, and even lower divisions."