Ismael Kante: 'People don't know who I am'
- Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
- Ismael Kante: 'People don't know who I am'
Aug. 12—CHAMPAIGN — Roger Cooper made a point to share a quick word with Ismael Kante during a pre-practice stretch at the start of spring practices.
The new Illinois linebackers coach had watched film after being hired to get an idea of who he'd have in his room. Kante didn't have a lot — at least not from games after playing primarily on special teams during the 2025 season — but Cooper was intrigued.
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"Looking at who we had in the room, who I thought would be in my room, it was a no-brainer he was going to have to be one of the guys," Cooper said. "I tapped him on the shoulder and said, 'I'm counting on you, man. You've got to be great. You've got to be one of my guys.'
"He said, 'I got you coach.' Since that moment, he's done nothing but prepare. He's changed his body. He's changed everything."
Kante could fill a much more significant role in the Illinois defense this fall. He's received snaps at both outside linebacker positions — starting on the boundary, or short side of the field — and has taken it upon himself to learn as much as he can from Daniel Brown at middle linebacker.
The former Northern State and Iowa Central Community College linebacker took Cooper's start-of-spring message as a challenge.
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"The competitor I am, as soon as he told me that, something lights up inside me," Kante said. "Let's do it. I'm ready. Coach me up hard and get me ready for whatever comes my way."
A week-and-a-half into his second Illinois training camp, potential bigger role aside, Kante understands he's got plenty to prove.
The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native redshirted at Division II Northern State as a freshman in 2022. He was productive, albeit in a limited role, the next season before moving to the JUCO ranks.
That single season at Iowa Central enhanced Kante's profile. He was the top-ranked JUCO linebacker and a top 25 overall JUCO recruit in the Class of 2025 after putting up 71 tackles, 9 1/2 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and four sacks for the Tritons.
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Landing in the Big Ten at Illinois, though, meant starting over to some degree. Kante played in all 13 games last season for the Illini and got some defensive snaps in 10 of them as his playing time on defense picked up as the season progressed.
It's why he embraced Cooper's challenge. To do more. To be someone the Illini relied on defensively.
"I feel like I did decent (answering the challenge), but at the same time, in my head, I'm not complacent," Kante said. "I feel like I haven't done enough yet. It's just what it is. I've got to keep getting up every day and just keep attacking. Don't get complacent. To tell you the truth, people don't know who I am. I haven't done nothing yet. I've got to keep working."
Kante's approach through spring practices into summer workouts and now the first week-plus of training camp has left Cooper "thoroughly impressed." The first-year Illinois assistant, who followed new defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck from Montana, has seen Kante put in the time to be more of a leader and learn the defense.
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Every linebacker spot in the defense as it turns out.
"He's athletic enough to be in the field," Cooper said, referencing the wider side of where the ball is placed. "He has enough pop and natural ball skills to be in the boundary. He picks things up quickly and rarely makes the same mistake twice. It's easy to put him out there."
Kante has benefited in the run-up to the 2026 season by sticking to a precise daily routine. It got disrupted a bit Monday, with media obligations delaying his time in the cold tub after practice, but that routine has helped him shape his body and deepen his football knowledge.
Monday's routine included a 6 a.m. wakeup and treatment on his knee at the Smith Center before meetings, the team walkthrough and then practice. Post-practice during training camp gives him time to get food, grab an hour nap in the hyperbaric chamber and get in some Instagram reels scrolling for a few laughs before more meetings to end the day.
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That plan has worked. The 6-foot-2 Kante is turning himself into an indispensable part of the defense with the physicality to match.
"I've put on more muscle," he said. "I'm 240 right now, and I don't feel slow. I feel good at where I am. ... With this defense, I feel like I'm more free, and I can play a little bit more like Ish. It's a little see, ball get ball. Play hard. Play mean. Play fast. Don't think too much."
