How Healthy is Illinois Football Healthy Entering Fall Training Camp?

It may not feel like it just yet, but fall camp for the 2025 season is underway in Champaign — and Bret Bielema’s Illinois Football team is hitting the turf at full speed, kicking off one of the most eagerly anticipated seasons in recent program history. The Illini return the majority of their starting production (19 starters) from a momentous 2024 season, fueling growing media buzz and rising expectations for a team aiming to take the next step of reaching the college football playoff.

However, before getting too far down the road into discussions of postseason dreams, the focus must now remain on the “here and now” fundamentals. It may not seem like much time, but these 28 days will be crucial for this team —  not just for sharpening execution ahead of kickoff vs Western Illinois (8/29) but also for getting key contributors back to full strength and game speed, who may have battled injuries over the offseason, or late in the 2025 campaign.

According to the Illini head coach, the team is pretty healthy overall, kicking off fall camp with only a few minor restrictions on the IR. So, how does he feel about his roster with only a few weeks to week 1? 

Illinois Football. Dec 31. 2024. Orlando. FL. USA. Illinois Fighting Illini. Wide receiver Malik Elzy. Ashton Hollins. South Carolina Gamecocks. Camping World Stadium. Credit: Jeremy Reper. Imagn Images.

Illinois Football Health Report & Roster Update From Bielema

Bielema: “As far as injuries, literally, there are two or three guys that might be a little bit restricted. One guy might get cleared tomorrow and be ready to go. But all of the guys that didn’t participate in the spring are cleared to go now.” Bielema states. “So, from Kaden Feagin on offense, to Miles Scott, Xavier Scott on defense, and everybody else, those guys are 100% cleared. Have been with us, really, the last half of the summer – July on.”

He states further, “So, the only guy that could be restricted for us, it looks like the entire season, would be Grant Smith — an incoming true freshman TE that unfortunately has got some medical issues that are going to be able to be taken care of. It’s just going to prohibit him from being with us.”

The Illini head coach concludes, “So, really excited about that — to have 116 players enter fall camp this coming week, and we have to be down to about 110 when we start our first game vs Western IL, so, until then, we’ll be working through that, and kind of figuring out a little bit of the roster on that final 110 is going to be depending on how things happen this fall. So, it’s a little bit of a unique time in college football to make that happen, it’ very exciting.”

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