Captain Chronicles | Josh Kreutz Continues Family's Football Legacy, Takes on Captain Role at Illinois

Josh Kreutz is the epitome of a football junkie. From being raised around the sport while his father competed in the NFL to now continuing the family tradition of playing collegiately, Kreutz eats, sleeps, and breathes the game of football.

Now in his fourth year with the Fighting Illini, Kreutz has taken on the role of captain for the first time in his second season as the team’s starting center.

“With the position I play, I think you have to be a football junkie,” Kreutz said. “You have to understand football. You have to understand who you’re going against. You have to understand defense and offense. It helps your game a little bit. I’m just always trying to find ways to improve. That’s why my coaches think I’m a football junkie. You can always watch film and find ways to get better.”

Kreutz was introduced to football essentially as soon as he was born. His dad, Olin, was playing for the Chicago Bears, and the Kreutz family would frequently attend Olin Kreutz’s games at Soldier Field.

Josh Kreutz vividly remembers spending countless hours supporting his dad, both during Olin’s time with the Bears and his brief stint with the New Orleans Saints. Josh fell in love with the sport of football instantly, and that passion only continued to strengthen as he got older.

“I always loved football, and it helped growing up around the game,” Josh Kreutz said. “Everyone in my family loves football. I remember going to Soldier Field when I was a kid and hanging out with my brother, my sister, and my mom. It was really cool.”

Though he was a spectator of the sport of football for the early years of his life, Kreutz was first introduced to actually playing tackle football when he was in third grade while living in New Orleans. Opting to try quarterback, Kreutz gradually made the transition to both offensive and defensive line.

It quickly became clear that his future would be on the offensive line. After growing acclimated to the position and being raised by an NFL family, Kreutz knew he wanted to work toward becoming the next member of his household to play both college and professional football.

“My dream since I was a kid is to play in the NFL, and you have to play in college to do that,” Kreutz said. “When I was in high school, I wanted to play Division I and in the Big Ten.”

Football was not his only involvement in sports. Kreutz also took part in basketball, baseball, and wrestling, but it was always abundantly clear that football was his top choice.

Attending Loyola Academy, located in the Chicagoland area, Kreutz began his high school career by playing both offensive and defensive line as a freshman. He eventually focused on playing entirely on the offensive side of the ball, an area of the game he found most enjoyable.

Sure, it was not as flashy as recording sacks as a defensive lineman, but Kreutz was OK with that. Enjoying the close-knit atmosphere among the offensive linemen, Kreutz knew his future would be at O line.

“O line was the preference. I was probably better at it,” Kreutz said. “As I got older, I realized that the offensive line is more fun because of the brotherhood and stuff like that.”

As a sophomore, Kreutz helped lead the Ramblers to a state title in 2018, a game that was, coincidentally, played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. He did not know, at the time, that that stadium would be the same place he would call home a couple years later, but the experience was surreal for the Bannockburn, Illinois, native.

“It was at Memorial, so that was my first time ever playing here. Little did I know that I’d end up here, but it was cool,” Kreutz said. “We were actually struggling at the beginning of that year, but we just kept getting better, and better, and better. It was cool. Brother Rice beat us 35-3 in the fourth game of the year, and we came back to beat them in the state championship, 13-3, so that was really cool.”

Always wanting to play college football, ideally in the Big Ten, Kreutz initially received interest from several Group of 5 programs in the Midwest. But, as a junior, Kreutz got a call from the Illinois staff, and after receiving an offer from his home-state school, he jumped on the opportunity.

Committing to Illinois under a different coaching staff, Kreutz always planned on staying loyal to his home-state team, and he joined the program in the fall of 2021 in head coach Bret Bielema’s first season at the helm.

As a true freshman, Kreutz played in only three games and redshirted the season. Despite not seeing the field very much, he stayed motivated and ready, a mindset that paid off the following year.

“I think it keeps you motivated because you want to play,” said Kreutz on his redshirt season. “I really wanted to play, and I think that’s what kept me motivated. Obviously, I think everyone thinks they’re going to come in and play right away, even though that’s not realistic. Motivation-wise, I just wanted to play.”

Kreutz made a jump in his second season with the program and competed in all 13 games in 2022, albeit mostly on special teams. The increased number of opportunities provided even more motivation in his quest for the starting center job, and his hard work was rewarded in his third year with the program.

Named the starting center ahead of the 2023 season opener, Kreutz thrived in his first season in a bigger role. Earning the starting spot in all 12 contests, he was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by both the coaches and the media.

One year later, Kreutz was named a team captain by his peers, a title he calls “one of the greatest honors you can have.” Recognized on the Polynesian College Player of the Year Watch List, Kreutz is living his dream of playing a big role for a Big Ten team. He knows there is still room to grow and work to be done, but he is living in the moment in his fourth year with the Orange and Blue.

“I haven’t had time to reflect on everything, but I’m sure that will come eventually. Maybe when I’m older and I stop playing football one day,” Kreutz said. “Right now, I’m just focused on winning these games this year, and that’s entirely where my head is at.”