Senior linebacker for Illinois. 2021: 32 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.
6′1″ · 230 lb · Tarpon Springs, FL
Recruiting
ILB recruit
No. 1985 nationally · Signed with Illinois
Statement game15 tackles · 6 TFLvs Kent State (FBS) · W 31-24
Top 0.1% tackles for loss game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 linebacker for Illinois. 2021: 32 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.
Jake Hansen
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Jake Hansen has been at Illinois through three head coaches in five seasons. His first career honor landed in 2020: All-Big Ten. The receipt: 12 tackles, 1 TFL against Maryland — Week 3, 2021.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Five seasons at Illinois, 274 tackles — his college career is complete.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM
All-Big Ten 2nd team (2020)
Coaching lineage · 2016–2021
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Lovie Smith, Rod Smith, and Bret Bielema. Multi-era developmental context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: passes defended (19th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2021 season · 5 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 6.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 6.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 6.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2021
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 5 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-22vs Nebraska | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | L 30-37vs UTSA | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 14-42@ Virginia | 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-20vs Maryland | 12 | 11 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 0-24vs Wisconsin | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 18 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
His 2021 production profile sits closest to Desmyn Baker’s 2021 season.
Matches Desmyn on
Differs from Desmyn on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Trenilyas Tatum's senior season at Georgia Tech (2022).
Matches Trenilyas on
Player DNA