Illinois Football Postgame Injury Report: Latest Update on the Offensive Line

Illinois entered Friday's home game against Western Illinois riding a wave of good fortune and vibes, and the Illini rode the surf all the way in for a 52-3 win. If they looked a little wobbly, though, it could blamed on some injuries at the pillar positions on the offensive line.

Left tackle J.C. Davis, who was in a walking boot only two weeks ago (plantar fasciitis), started and played without apparent incident against the Leathernecks, which is obviously great news for the Illini. But if there was some anxiety about him holding up over the course of the game, it could have been forgiven: That's because his backup, Idaho transfer Ayden Knapik, was out for the game with an undisclosed injury and, in the first half against WIU, starting right tackle Melvin Priestly then went down, pausing the game for an extended period.

But Priestly returned to the action shortly thereafter and finished on his feet, as the Illini ground out 209 rushing yards and three touchdowns – while ringing up Western for 440 total yards, 21 first downs and a 5-for-7 success rate in the red zone on their way to their highest single-game point total since 2018 (a 55-31 win over Minnesota). All's well that ends well, right?

Maybe. But Illinois gave up three sacks and struggled to consistently buy time for quarterback Luke Altmyer against a pretty feeble FCS program, unconscionable under any circumstances – but especially troubling for an offense working with a multiple-touchdown lead for three-plus quarters. The pass protection looked exceptional at times, yet it was sketchy on a play-to-play basis.

Illini coach Bret Bielema seemed to suggest in his postgame press conference that Priestly had rolled his ankle, said the medical staff "wrapped it up" and moved on. Assuming Davis is fine, Priestly is on the mend and the O-line stays healthy the rest of the way, great. But with Knapik out (his return timetable is unclear), Illinois lacks depth at tackle – and the team clearly can't afford quarterback Luke Altmyer's protection to be compromised any further.

Big Ten Availability Report vs. Western Illinois pic.twitter.com/IslG3wxCNR
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 29, 2025

Other Illinois injury implications

As suggested by Bielema last week, cornerback Tywan Cox, running back John Forster, offensive lineman JJ Hirdes and tight end Grant Smith will all sit out the 2025 season because of injuries. None was expected to play a big role this year, but each will miss developmental reps.

In the shorter term, defensive backs Jaheim Clarke and Ben Clawson also missed Friday's opener, in addition to Knapik. The Illini like to discuss their depth and versatility in the defensive backfield, but the secondary's performance against WIU – like that of the Illinois O-line – was arguably spotty.

Sure, the Illini kept the Leathernecks out of the end zone (although just barely) and mostly put the wraps on quarterback Chris Irvin (134 passing yards, 48 percent completion rate) and WIU's pass-happy attack. But they also showed vulnerability over the middle and on certain one-on-one sideline throws – and that was on a night when the pass rush mustered four sacks and a bunch of additional pressure. The coverage needs to tighten up quick, starting next week against Duke and quarterback Darian Mensah, and injuries at defensive back will do Illinois no favors in the meantime.