Illinois Football 2026 Scouting Report: Offensive Tackle Nathan Knapik

Illinois on SI is delivering scouting reports for each of the key players on the Illini football team's 2026 roster. Below, we present our breakdown of junior offensive lineman Nathan Knapik. We will add more as other on-field contributors emerge during the season.

Nathan Knapik | Offensive tackle | Junior | No. 71

Hometown: Kennewick, Washington

High school: Kennewick

Transfer school: Idaho

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 300 pounds

Scouting report

Knapik has excellent size for an offensive tackle, even in the Big Ten, though it will be interesting to see how his power plays on the right side of Illinois' front five. He has great length and good agility, which may be exactly what the Illini need (especially coming off a year of struggling to protect the quarterback).

At worst, Knapik has the ability to wall off powerful defensive ends to allow his backs to get around the edge, and he should be right at home in pass pro, running screen plays (a staple of Barry Lunney Jr.'s offense) and working to the second level in the run game.

Experience

Knapik has very little college experience for what amounts to a returning starter for Illinois. After signing with Idaho out of high school, he played in five games before redshirting the 2024 season. He then joined his brother, Ayden (also an offensive tackle for the Vandals), in entering the transfer portal and signing with Illinois.

When All-Big Ten left tackle J.C. Davis (headed for the NFL) opted to sit out the Music CIty Bowl, Nathan took his place protecting quarterback Luke Altmyer's blind side, earning his first and only career start in the Illini's biggest game of the year. Knapik held down the fort, and he joins Brandon Henderson as the only two Illinois offensive line returners who have started for the program.

Media highlights

What they're saying

Nathan Knapik on making his first start in Illinois' Music City Bowl win and how he prepared for it:

"I think it just provided me a lot of confidence, knowing that I can play at this level, knowing that I can play against top-25 teams and hold my own and compete at a high level. Just a lot of confidence from that. ... As weird as it is, I always prepared like I was a starter just to try to get in that mindset, that mentality, so it didn't feel like anything new."

2026 outlook

As Illinois approaches its opener, Knapik is the team's starter at right tackle. Whether he locks down the role and ultimately thrives – and to a certain extent the potential of the Illini front five in 2026 – depend on his offseason development and how he handles a full-season and Big Ten grind.

One promising note: Knapik said he fell ill before last year's bowl game, losing 20-30 pounds, and admitted he wasn't at his best for Tennessee. So if that performance was him at 70 or 80 percent, the Illini might find themselves pleasantly surprised by his work this fall.

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