Prater impressing early on Illini D-line
· Yahoo Sports
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) - Illinois football will need guys to step up on the defensive line in 2026.
The Illini saw a flood of departures after the 2025 season, via both graduation and the transfer portal. Gabe Jacas, arguably Illinois' best player on defense in 2025, graduated, and was drafted by the New England Patriots. James Thompson and Leon Lowery, both tied for second on the team in sacks on the year, graduated as well. Tomiwa Durojaiye also contributed up front for Illinois, and he transferred to South Carolina.
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Illinois lost young talent to the portal in Angelo McCullum and Eli Coenen, too.
Who could make noise in opposing backfields in 2026?
Illini head coach Bret Bielema offered up three potential starters when talking with reporters at Big Ten Football Media Days in late July. He says Joe Barna, Pat Farrell and Darrell Prater are likely to see lots of snaps in 2026.
Barna and Farrell are both returners and upperclassmen, and both played in all 13 games for Illinois on the 2025 campaign.
Prater enters his first fall in Champaign after four seasons at Jacksonville State. For the Gamecocks, he played in 39 games and saw a rise in production in 2025 with 4.5 sacks.
"Darrel has been a great addition to this room," first-year Illinois defensive line coach Jordan Thomas said. "Coming in here from from Jax State, guy [that has] played a lot of college football. And comes from a football background, his dad being a coach. With this defense, all three guys up front have to have some idea of what's going on coverage wise. And having him in that position with his background on the football he has played has been a huge asset to what we've been doing."
Prater is listed at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds.
Bielema says Prater hit five reps at 600 pounds on the squat rack.
"I've never seen that before in a college football player," Coach Bielema said. "He's kind of freaky."
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