CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini football program named six captains for the 2024 football season: Tanner Arkin, Pat Bryant, Seth Coleman, Josh Kreutz, Dylan Rosiek, and Miles Scott. The six captains were determined by a team vote.
TE Tanner Arkin
Arkin, a junior from Fort Collins, Colorado, enters his second season with the Fighting Illini after transferring from Colorado State. In Year 1 with the Orange and Blue, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound tight end played in all 12 games and made three starts. He tallied one touchdown reception on the season, the first of his collegiate career, vs. Wisconsin.
WR Pat Bryant
Bryant, a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele (third team) and Athlon (fourth team), returns as one of the most dangerous red zone threats in the league. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, the senior recorded catches in all 12 games for the Illini in 2023, including seven touchdown receptions, the ninth-best single-season mark in program history and the No. 4 mark in the Big Ten last year.
OLB Seth Coleman
A two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention selection and preseason all-conference honoree by both Phil Steele (third team) and Athlon (third team), Coleman returns for his sixth season as an Illini in 2024. The Melbourne, Florida product ranks as one of the most productive edge rushers in the nation, having posted more 130 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 20.5 tackles for loss during his career with the Orange and Blue. Last year, Coleman recorded six sacks against Big Ten opponents, the second-best total in the conference. Â
OL Josh Kreutz
Kreutz anchors the Fighting Illini offensive line, returning for his second season as the team's starting center in 2024. The Bannockburn, Illinois native boasts 28 games played entering his junior season, including starts in all 12 contests for the Illini last year en route to an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection. He has been tabbed as a fourth-team preseason All-Conference performer by Athlon Sports.
LB Dylan Rosiek
Rosiek, a 2024 Dick Butkus Award preseason watch list honoree as one of the nation's top linebackers, is back roaming the middle of the Fighting Illini defense after a breakout sophomore campaign in 2023 in which he garnered All-Big Ten honorable mention status. A native of East Lake, Florida, he played in all 12 games with eight start last season and ranked 14th in the Big Ten with a team-leading 82 total tackles. Rosiek led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally with four forced fumbles on the year, the fourth-most in a season in Illinois history.
DB Miles Scott
Scott made an immediate impact in the Illini secondary, starting all 12 games at safety after switching positions from wide receiver prior to the 2023 campaign. The Dolton, Illinois product is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has been tabbed as a 2024 Preseason All-Big Ten (fourth team) selection by Athlon after ranking second on the team with 64 tackles, while adding three breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery last year. Scott returned both of his picks for Illini touchdowns, notching a 48-yarder in his defensive debut in last year's opening win over Toledo, and closing the season with a 55-yard pick six vs. Northwestern.
