Ca'Lil Valentine
Buzz vs Tape
Attention percentile: 4th · Production percentile: 25th
His production sits in the 25th percentile among qualified RBs this season, well ahead of 4th-percentile attention — a gap of 21 points between tape and volume.
Ca'Lil Valentine
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. This is his second year in the same backfield at Illinois. The receipt: 95 rush yds, 1 rush TD against Purdue — Week 6, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career Arc
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2025
W 34–32
vs USC
59 rush yds (8 car)
Edged out USC at home in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Illinois
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Illinois
Returning around him
- 52% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 3 Illinois players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -8 net (19 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Illinois · Last season: 9-4 (AP #23) · Talent rank #64 · 2026 recruiting class #24
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Keenan Phillips’s 2025 season.
Matches Keenan on
Differs from Keenan on
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Garrett Groshek’s path through Wisconsin.
Garrett Groshek
Narii Gaither
Joshua Samuel
Andrew Body
Dedrick Mills
Matches Garrett on
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to C.J. Hester's sophomore season at Massachusetts (2024).
Matches C.J. on
Differs from C.J. on
Development
Development Trajectory · rushing yards
2024–2025+190%
Up 190% from first season to most-recent.
Background
Pronunciation: kuh-LEEL 2026 Junior Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten Third Team 2025 Sophomore Played in all 13 games with six starts at running back 131 carries for 614 yards and four touchdowns on the season 10 receptions for 55 yards on the season 17th in the Big Ten in yards per carry (4.46)...