Illinois State Football Embarks on its 2026 Season Journey Against St. Francis

Image courtesy of Illinois State football

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State football kicks off its season campaign against St. Francis (IL) at 6 p.m. on Aug. 29 at Hancock Stadium. The Redbirds are coming off a strong 2025 season where they fell short in the Football Championship Subdivision national title game to Montana State 35-34 in overtime. The runner-ups face the Fighting Saints in the Week Zero game for the fourth time in program history after a 12-5 finish last season.

ISU is 3-0 in previous meetings with the NAIA school, with the last one being a 47-3 win in 1995.

ISU’s offense has seen some changes with the absence of players like wide receivers Daniel Sobkowicz and Eddie Kasper and tight end Scotty Presson Jr. Despite the losses, the Redbirds retained key players such as running back Victor Dawson and receivers Dylan Lord and Luke Mailander.

Lord is said to be a big name for the Redbirds this season, and Head Coach Brock Spack feels the same.

“Dylan Lord is a good player. He played a lot, majority of the reps in the national championship game, and had a great game,” Spack said in Tuesday’s press conference. “I told him ‘let’s put a whole year together like that and you’ll have special opportunities out there’.”

Dawson was named to the 2026 Walter Payton Award watch list in July. The sixth-year senior had 1,377 yards and five touchdowns on 278 carries during the 2025 season. The running back will be a major component of the Redbirds’ offense this season and could have a strong start against St. Francis’s defense that allowed just over 29 points per game last season.

On the other side of the ball, linebacker Tye Niekamp was named to the Stats Perform 30-player preseason watch list for the 2026 Buck Buchanan Award. The three-time All-American stayed true to his hometown roots by returning to Normal for his senior season, alongside his brother Dexter Niekamp.

Tye Niekamp was fourth overall in the Missouri Valley Conference in tackles last season and could cause trouble for the St. Francis offense that had just 3,846 yards last season compared to ISU’s 6,641.

Dawson and Tye Niekamp were named team captains, alongside Hayden Futch.

The Fighting Saints finished last season with an overall record of 3-7. Their offense is led by quarterback Jonny Sorensen, a transfer from Bowling Green State University. The redshirt sophomore is in his second season with the NAIA team and saw action in seven games last season.

Sorensen’s right-hand man seems to be wide receiver Connor Engstrom. The redshirt sophomore averaged 39 yards per game in 2025 and had four touchdowns on the season. He succeeds Ryan Little, who graduated in the spring after averaging 78 yards per game during his final season.

In terms of who is going to be controlling the ball for the Redbirds, Spack said that both Gage Roy and Beckham Pellant will see the field on Saturday. Roy is a transfer from USC and Pellant is in his third year with the program, but neither has had much playing time. Spack mentioned the difference between both players is what makes it difficult to definitively name a starter at this moment.

“I like a lot about both of them… they have different skill sets… Beckham has a strong arm and a very good release,” Spack said. “Gage Roy is a little bit of a bigger guy…he throws a real catchable ball, he probably doesn’t have quite the arm strength that Beckham does…he’s maybe a tad faster.”

Both guys will have the opportunity to showcase why they should be QB1, but St. Francis is not a foe that can be overlooked.

“I think they’re pretty experienced,” Spack said. “The whole group is back…their team is pretty veteran and that’s a little concerning, we’re not quite as veteran as they are,” he continued. “I like the way they play, they’re well coached, they play their system and they’re good at it.”

When the lights go on at Hancock Stadium on Saturday night, ISU begins its redemption tour, but St. Francis has something to prove that could spoil the Redbirds’ opening night.

For all things Redbird football, stay tuned to wznd.com.