
Illinois LB James Kreutz is a reliable, ascending run-stopper with starter experience
In the 2025 season, James Kreutz projects as a dependable senior linebacker for Illinois: he turned a larger role into production in 2024 with 55 tackles in 13 games, then backed it up in 2025 with 26 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups in 11 games, showing he can stay on the field and contribute in multiple phases.[3][5] His differentiators are steady processing, competitive urgency, and enough speed/acceleration to fit modern linebacking duties, while his injury history is a key context point after stepping up when Dylan Rosiek was lost last year.[4][5]





