Illinois Linebacker Gabe Jacas Sends Message to 2025 Opponents: 'Good Luck'

Illinois’ outside linebacker Gabe Jacas is every bit of 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds. In other words, he’s a scary man and, many would argue, dangerous – never more so than when he's screaming off the edge in pursuit of an opposing quarterback. Yet he has many sides, capable of the warmest of gestures, and recently took that kind-heartedness to new levels by graciously wishing the Illini's 2025 opponents well.

“We’ve got a whole D-line that is elite – so good luck,” Jacas said to the media on Wednesday.

OK, so maybe it was less of a salutation and more of a warning. Still, the sentiment was a thoughtful one for opposing blockers, who will definitely need some fortune on their side this season.

Let’s go ahead and take a deeper dive into that loaded D-line referred to by Jacas (along with the accompanying outside linebackers living on the edge).

Click here for Illinois’ projected depth chart

Illinois' defensive interior

The likely starter at nose tackle, Curt Neal has the potential to be a disruptive force. A 12-game starter at Wisconsin last year, Neal – just a sophomore at the time – led the program in tackles among defensive linemen (29).

At defensive end, Illinois is expected to roll out another pair of transfers in James Thompson Jr. (also Wisconsin) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (Florida State) – each of whom have at least three years in college under their belt. The former – Thompson – was an absolute load in Madison, accounting for 52 tackles, five sacks and 12 TFLs between 2022 and 2023. (He missed all but one game in 2024 because of an injury.)

The edge

Oct 12, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Alec Bryant (3) before game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

And now for Jacas and his boys at outside linebacker.

Of course there is the star of the show in Jacas himself, but the Illini are also sneakily deep at OLB, with yet another Wisconsin transfer in Leon Lowery Jr., along with Alec Bryant, Daniel Brown and the young Joe Barna. And who will be Jacas' wingman on the other edge? We’ll let him answer that question:

“I feel like there’s no drop-off," Jacas said. "You’ve got Leon Lowery, you’ve got Daniel Brown, you’ve got Joe Barna, you’ve got Ismael Kante. All those guys are ready for their opportunity."

Gabe Jacas: "We got a whole D-line that is elite, so good luck."

Says the depth at the EDGE spot is really solid.

"All those guys are ready for their opportunity... We've all been working hard." pic.twitter.com/RScpKh8932
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) August 20, 2025

Well, that didn’t exactly give us an answer, but it’s an encouraging sign that Jacas sees Illinois having such depth at outside linebacker (even if he is a touch biased).

So we'll provide the answer for him: Leon Lowery Jr. is your other Illini starting outside linebacker – and for good reason. Not only has Lowery played in more than 40 college games, but the veteran has already shown how dominant he can be. (At Syracuse in 2023, Lowery had 46 tackles, eight TFLs, 3.5 sacks and a pass breakup.)

And if anyone is able to beat out Lowery and convince defensive coordinator Aaron Henry and his staff to turn elsewhere, then the Illini may be even more potent on the edge than anyone could have predicted.