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 Draft Scout College Football Player News: Illinois State
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  Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse accounted for three total touchdowns - two passing and one running - and No. 18 FCS Illinois State beat South Dakota 21-13 on Saturday. Will Leyland's 37-yard field goal with 8:47 left in the first quarter gave South Dakota a 3-0 lead. Rittenhouse led a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended with his 11-yard scoring pass to Scotty Presson Jr. early in the second quarter. Aidan Bouman gave the Coyotes their last lead of the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Miller to cap a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Then, 30 seconds before halftime, Illinois State (5-3, 2-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) took the lead for good when Rittenhouse ran it in from the 6 to end a 12-play, 75-yard drive that gave Illinois State a 14-10 advantage.

The lone touchdown in the second half came late in the third when Rittenhouse threw a 2-yard score to Presson for a 21-10 lead. Bouman threw for 173 yards and L.J. Phillips Jr. ran for 129 yards on 26 carries for the 21st-ranked Coyotes (5-3, 2-2). Illinois State holds a 9-2 advantage in the series that dates back to 2011. ISU is 4-1 overall in Vermillion inside the Dakota Dome, with the lone defeat coming in 2016 by a score of 27-24. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026 QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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  10/14/25 - Jake Pope, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-6, 300 (DS#36 OT) + More +

  WEEK 7 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: RT Jake Pope, Illinois State, 6-7, 300, Sr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,...The Redbird offense did everything it wanted to on Saturday night at Murray State, as the Redbirds scored a season-high 46 points and 510 yards of total offense. That performance was thanks to a strong showing on the offensive line, led by senior right tackle Jake Pope who graded out at 91 percent for the Redbirds in their 46-32 win over the Racers. Pope helped the Redbirds rushed for 172 yards on the ground and aided quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse in throwing a career-high four touchdowns in the victory. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#36 OT) rSr/2026 OT Jake Pope, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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  Tommy Rittenhouse was 21-of-25 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns to help Illinois State beat Murray State 46-32 on Saturday night and extend the longest active losing streak in Division I football. Murray State (0-6, 0-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) has lost 15 in a row, dating to last season. Illinois State (4-2, 1-1), ranked No. 10 in the FCS coaches poll, forced the Racers to go three-and-out on the game's opening possession and the Redbirds scored touchdowns on their first four drives. Wenkers Wright returned a kickoff 80 yards and on the next play Victor Dawson ran for a 12-yard touchdown before Rittenhouse hit Seth Glatz down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 28-3 with 12:06 left in the second quarter.

Matt Maldonado kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and the Redbirds opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated when Rittenhouse threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Javon Charles that made it 37-17 just over three minutes into the second half. Daniel Sobkowicz had eight receptions for 162 yards and a TD and ran for a 2-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. Jim Ogle was 23-of-39 for 283 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added scoring runs of 1 and 4 yards for the Racers. Jawaun Northington added 71 yards rushing and a 5-yard TD reception. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026 QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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  WEEK 4 MISSOURI VALLEY NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: DB Shadwel Nkuba II, Illinois State, Jr., Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville High/Louisiana,...Nkuba II had his best day as a Redbird in the team's 38-36 double overtime win over North Alabama. The Louisiana transfer posted a career-best 10 tackles, including five solo stops, and was credited with a sack, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and an interception. Nkuba II has now recorded one interception in each of the team's first four games to tie the team lead from 2024 set by Tye Niekamp. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#48 CB) rSr/2026 CB Shadwel Nkuba II, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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  Tommy Rittenhouse threw a touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to Daniel Sobkowicz in the second overtime, Cam Wilson intercepted a pass to end the game, and Illinois State escaped with a wild 38-36 win over North Alabama on Saturday in a game that had two hour-long weather delays. Ari Patu matched Rittenhouse by throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Justin Pegues on fourth-and-3 but had his successful 2-point pass to KJ Fields negated by a chop block, setting up Wilson's clinching interception in the end zone. Ian Vachon had a 42-yard field goal and Matt Maldonado answered from 38 in the first overtime, overshadowing their misses in the final minute of regulation.

Illinois State (3-1), ranked fourth in the FCS coaches poll, never trailed and was up 27-21 on Maldonado's career-best 51-yard field goal with 2:36 left in regulation. North Alabama marched 75 yards and tied the game on a 25-yard pass from Patu to Fields with 33 seconds remaining, but Vachon hit the left upright on the PAT attempt. Rittenhouse had a 27-yard completion and 16-yard run, setting up a 39-yard field goal attempt for Maldonado with 11 seconds left but Kaleb Brown blocked the kick. Rittenhouse threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 85 yards on nine carries. Sobkowica had 10 catches for 150 yards and two scores. Patu had 243 yards and four touchdown passes with Pegues catching 10 for 91 yards and two scores. Illinois State led 17-0 nothing before the first delay late in the second quarter. The second delay came after a North Alabama TD that made it 24-21 with 5:32 to play. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026 QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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  09/17/25 - Tye Niekamp, rJr/2027, Illinois State, 6-2, 240 (DS#52 ILB) + More +

  WEEK 3 MISSOURI VALLEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, 6-3, 240, Jr., Normal, Ill.,...Niekamp had a career day in Illinois State's 42-30 win over in-state rival Eastern Illinois in the 113th Mid-America Classic. He recorded a career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and was credited with two tackles-for-loss and a quarterback hurry in the victory over the Panthers. The Redbird defense was busy on the day, forcing two turnovers, recording two sacks and seven tackles-for-loss while holding EIU to just 35 yards rushing in the contest. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#52 ILB) rJr/2027 ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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  WEEK 2 MISSOURI VALLEY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: PK Matt Maldonado, Illinois State, Sr., Montgomery, Ill.,...Maldonado connected on both of his field goal attempts and was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts on Saturday night in the Redbirds' 41-13 win over Morehead State. The senior transfer from Murray State connected on a 27-yard field goal late in the first quarter to cut the MSU lead at the time to 6-3, and later in the third quarter he drilled a career-best 45-yarder to put the Redbirds up by two scores at the time. In total, he scored 11 of the team's 41 points and is now a perfect 3-for-3 on the season in field goal attempts. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 K) Sr/2026 K Matt Maldonado, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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  09/16/25 - Jake Pope, rSr/2026, Illinois State, 6-6, 300 (DS#36 OT) + More +

  WEEK 2 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: OT Jake Pope, Illinois State, Sr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,...Pope had one of his best games as a Redbird in his seventh season of collegiate football on Saturday against Morehead State. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, native graded out at 92 percent on the night and was credited with 11 pancake blocks in the win for the Redbirds. The Redbird offensive line was stellar all night, allowing the Birds to rush for 223 yards on the ground while not allowing a sack to the Eagles in the victory. ISU averaged 5.9 yards per carry in the contest and had a pair of backs with over 80 rushing yards in Victor Dawson and Wenkers Wright. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#36 OT) rSr/2026 OT Jake Pope, Illinois State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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  Luke Mailander hauled in five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, Wenkers Wright scored three on the ground with 94 rushing yards, and Illinois State defeated Eastern Illinois 42-30 on Saturday afternoon. Illinois State (2-1) opened on a 14-0 run and never trailed as they captured the Mid-America Classic Trophy in the 112th edition of the in-state rivalry game. They are 61-43-9 all-time in the series played since 1901. Senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Mailander on a 46-yard score that put Illinois State up 20-10 to end the second quarter.

Tye Niekamp had 14 total tackles, with two for a loss. Jack Dwyer and Shadwel Nkuba II each had interceptions. The fourth quarter featured five combined touchdowns, with freshman Connor Wolf throwing three of his four touchdown passes in the frame, but Eastern Illinois (1-2) could not complete the comeback. Wolf completed 28 of his 44 passes for 411 yards for the Panthers in his first career start. CJ Nelson reeled in two long touchdowns of 51 and 75 yards as the longest plays of the day. - AP College Football

(DS#76 RB) rSr/2026 RB Wenkers Wright, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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  Tommy Rittenhouse threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another as Illinois State coasted past Morehead State, 41-13 on Saturday. Victor Dawson (10 carries, 88 yards) and Wenkers Wright (15 carries, 86 yards) carried the bulk of the offensive load for the Redbirds (1-1), and Daniel Sobkowicz and Luke Mailander each hauled in long touchdown grabs.

After Morehead State got on the board first, Illinois State had three straight scoring drives to make it 17-6 at the half. In the third quarter, they ended two straight drives with turnovers, scoring 10 points in three minutes of game time. Cam Wilson recorded three tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for Illinois State. For the Eagles (1-1), Carter Cravens completed 14 of his 28 throws for 134 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Isaac Stopke managed 86 yards on 13 rushing attempts. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2026 QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
News Source: AP College Football
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  2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: LB Amir Abdullah, Illinois State, Jr.,...Rounding out the first-team selections for the Redbirds was another newcomer in Abdullah, who transferred to ISU from Nebraska-Kearney prior to the season. The Chicago product finished in a tie for second in the 2023 MVFC Defensive Player of the Year voting, tied for the league lead with 9.5 sacks and led the MVFC with 14.0 tackles-for-loss. A finalist for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award, he ranked fourth on the team with 64 total tackles (34 solo) and was also credited with two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and one interception on the year. - Illinois State Football

(DS#62 OLB) rSr/2025 OLB Amir Abdullah, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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  2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION: DB Keondre Jackson,...Rounding out the honorable mention selections was Jackson, who led the team with 76 tackles (36 solo) and recorded 3.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one interception on the year. The ISU defensive captain posted a career day at Western Illinois, with 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss in a win over the Leathernecks. - Illinois State Football

(DS#27 SS) rSr/2025 SS Keondre Jackson, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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  11/27/23 - Josh Dinga, rSr/2024, Illinois State, 6-5, 265 (DS#999 DE) + More +

  2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM: DL Josh Dinga, Illinois State, R-Sr.,...Senior Josh Dinga capped off his six-year career at ISU with All-MVFC Second-Team plaudits as well, as he ranked second on the team with a career-best 7.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss to go along with 34 total tackles. - Illinois State Football

(DS#999 DE) rSr/2024 DE Josh Dinga, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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  2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM: WR Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State, So.,...Sobkowicz solidified himself as a No. 1 receiver and one of the best in the league as he picked up All-MVFC Second-Team honors. He recorded a team-high 68 catches for 933 yards and led the league with 10 touchdown receptions while ranking third in yards and yards per game (84.8). - Illinois State Football

(DS#76 WR) rSr/2026 WR Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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  11/27/23 - Tye Niekamp, rJr/2027, Illinois State, 6-2, 240 (DS#52 ILB) + More +

  2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION: LB Tye Niekamp,...A finalist for the 2023 Jerry Rice Award, Niekamp earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors for the first time in his career after starting all 11 games at middle linebacker for the Redbirds. The redshirt freshman tied for second on the team with 74 tackles (42 solo) and was fourth on the team with 9.0 tackles for loss on the season. He was also credited with 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries in his breakout campaign. - Illinois State Football

(DS#52 ILB) rJr/2027 ILB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
News Source: Illinois State Football
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