Bret Bielema hasn't exactly been the same coach style-wise with the Illinois football program that he was with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Those old Wisconsin teams that Bielema coached had a run-first mentality. They had hogs up front and running backs who benefited greatly behind them. The Illini have strayed away from that style, though.
I don't blame Bielema for changing up in the modern times. Football is a more passing game right now, and Illinois has done a good job adapting. That doesn't mean the running back position is obsolete, though. In fact, I think Ca'Lil Valentine is in for a big year.
Valentine is coming off a season where he led the Orange and Blue with 614 yards on the ground. He also added four touchdowns in his breakout season. He is now back for the 2026 campaign, which is bucking a nasty trend that was started a few years back.
Illinois hasn't had a leading rusher return to the program since 2022. The last Illini lead dog to come back was Chase Brown , who was a different animal. His college career was in the early stages of the transfer portal, so coming back wasn't out of the ordinary.
Brown returned to Illinois in 2022 after rushing for 1,005 yards the year before. That ended up working out pretty well, as he would rush for 1,643 yards as a senior, and the NFL came calling.
In 2023, Reggie Love III was Illinois' leading rusher with 567 yards. After the season, he transferred to Purdue. That worked out well.
Illinois then had Josh McCray rush for 609 yards in 2024. After a massive bowl game performance, Georgia backed up the Brinks truck, and McCray bolted for the Bulldogs.
In 2025, Valentine led the Illini with 614 yards on the ground. He didn't bolt, though. He stuck with us, which is refreshing for fans.
It was a rough offseason for the Illinois offensive line. We had four out of the five starters depart due to the NFL and graduation. That is a lot of talent to replace.
Bielema did a good job filling the gaps. Jake Renfro will be a good anchor in the middle. I am excited to see what a myriad of new additions can do for the Illini as well.
With that being said, so many new faces mean a little bit of uncertainty with the offensive line. How quickly will they gel, and will they work well together?
What is great is that Illinois has a running back in Valentine who can make up for any offensive line shortcomings. He is quick and can get through offensive lines even when there isn't a hole that is formed.
Illinois hasn't had this quick of a running back in a while. Again, Brown might be the last Illini running back to have this much talent. Valentine is geared up to have a big year, and we can get back to having a consistent running game.
This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Ca'Lil Valentine bucking an ugly Illinois football trend with big year on the horizon .
