Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 48-10vs Southern Illinois | 5 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 7 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#38
Jack Paris
Freshman linebacker for Illinois. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 225 lb · River Forest, IL · Fenwick
The numbers
7
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL, vs Southern Illinois
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Freshman linebacker for Illinois. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2025.
Jack Paris
The receipt: 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Southern Illinois — Week 3, 2026.
7 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with Illinois3-star out of Fenwick
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Illinois
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 7 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 7 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 48–10
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +5 tackles, +0.5 tackles for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
2026Illinois2-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 3.5 TKL/g, 0.2 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
48.8%
81 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
55.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
91 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Starter
The No. 1,738 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big Ten as a freshman.
Background
2025 - Illinois Did not play in a regular-season game and redshirted Made Illinois debut in Music City Bowl victory vs. #23 Tennessee (12/30/25) High School Three-star recruit by 247Sports No. 8 linebacker in Illinois and No. 170 in the nation by 247Sports Played for head coach Matthew…
The linebacker corps · Illinois
- #45Robert Edmonson47 tackles · 2025
- #24William Holmes45 tackles · 2025
- #10James Kreutz30 tackles · 2025
- #4Daniel Brown11 tackles · 2025
- #38Jack Paris2 games · 2026
10 more on the roster · Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology