Joe Barna
Joe Barna
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. He has spent two seasons in the Illinois linebacker corps. The receipt: 6 tackles, 1 sacks against Indiana — Week 4, 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
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
How he plays
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Illinois
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Illinois
Returning around him
- 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
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Elijah McAllister’s 2023 season.
Matches Elijah on
Differs from Elijah on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to David Santiago's sophomore season at Michigan State (2025).
Matches David on
Differs from David on
Background
2025 Sophomore Played in all 13 games 20 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble on the season Had a game-changing strip sack that led to a fumble recovery touchdown in Illinois' Music City Bowl win over #23 Tennessee Made first-career start in win vs. #...