Hudson Samolinski brings freshman size and upside to Illinois State’s defensive front
Hudson Samolinski is a 2026 freshman defensive lineman at Illinois State, listed at 6-3 and 295 pounds, giving the Redbirds an already-college-ready frame with room to develop into a disruptive interior presence[1][2]. The case for caring: he arrives as a physical, in-state-style trench piece whose value is less about box-score flash and more about leverage, mass, and developmental upside—exactly the kind of DL who can fit a team that wants to win the line of scrimmage[1][11].
