Illinois coach Bret Bielema is feeling great. The Illini are coming off their first 10-win season since 2001. A junior day over the weekend had more than a dozen of the top local prospects on campus.

Sure, Illinois won 10 football games in 2024. Beat some good teams along the way. But nobody on the 2025 Illinois roster had a victory as impressive as the one on Ethan Hampton's resume. As the ...