Heading into any college football season, we have have general ideas - and maybe a few lead-pipe locks. Katin Houser lined up behind center to take the season's first offensive snap for Illinois, and Matthew Bailey and Xavier Scott were on the field when it was the Illini defense's turn. No suprises there.
But at other positions, there were - and still are - unknowns. On Thursday night, one key position group whose pecking order remained a bit up in the air revealed the man at the top of the depth chart.
Illinois running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) runs the ball ahead of Tennessee defensive back Andre Turrentine (2) and linebacker Jadon Perlotte (27) for a first down in the first quarter of the Music City Bowl against Tennessee in an NCAA football game on Dec. 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Illini backfield made headlines this offseason. The three-headed monster of Kaden Feagin , Aidan Laughery and Ca'Lil Valentine was slashed to two after Feagin elected to transition to tight end.
That left the majority of touches to be split between Laughery and Valentine. Although it felt like the RB1 label was leaning in Valentine's direction, there was no clear consensus.
To clarify, there still isn't. It's entirely possible that Laughery "overtakes" Valentine after a huge performance next week vs. Duke (or down the road), or that the Illini just feed whoever has it going on a given night.
But against UAB, it wasn't even close. Laughery carried eight times for 29 yards, although he did nearly have the play of the game - which was called back after review.
Valentine, meanwhile, pounded for 88 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. He had runs of 17 yards and 51 - the latter of which went for the score. His 51-yard touchdown run more than doubled his previous career-best rush, which was just 25 yards.
Here's an interesting anecdote: Despite having never run for more than 25 yards on a single carry, Valentine still managed 4.7 yards per carry last year. He consistently found ways to gain positive yardage, and he would rip off an 8- or 10-yarder on seemingly every other carry. If he's also a big-play threat in 2026, Valentine's rushing efficiency is going to be through the roof.
But more than just statistically productive, Valentine's performance against the Blazers suggested an ability to sustain excellence. His patience, vision, explosion off cuts and straight-line speed were absurdly impressive, and he even punished defenders on a run up the gut and protecting Houser in pass protection.
"We had the iPad on the sideline, watching the play again," Houser said, rehashing Valentine's rushing touchdown in his postgame press conference. "Just letting the play develop, having the patience to sit in the hole and then burst out of there and go score. That's just his talent showing. He's a great player."
In a perfect world, Laughery was just getting his legs under him in the opener and he is poised to quickly reestablish himself alongside Valentine, giving Illinois a dynamic one-two punch. Worst case scenario, the Illini appear to have one of the premier backs in the league.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as Ca'Lil Valentine Answered Illinois' RB1 Question Loud and Clear in Week 1 .
