Captain Chronicles | 'I Knew I Could Come Here and Make an Impact': Arkin Builds Trust, Confidence in Second Year at Illinois

Tanner Arkin’s football journey has been full of fun coincidences. The first football game he ever attended was Ohio State at Wisconsin while Bret Bielema was the head coach in Madison. His first collegiate touchdown reception came against his formerly beloved Badgers. The first two years of college were spent 25 minutes from his parents’ home.

His current success at Illinois, though? It’s far from coincidental. Arkin has put in the work every step of the way throughout his football career, and he has not slowed down en route to earning the opportunity to start and be a team captain for the Fighting Illini football team this season.

“I want to set the standard with the way I play every day, how I interact with people, and how I carry myself. I have to set the standard high for myself and the people around me with everything I do,”  Tanner said. “It's a huge honor and a huge responsibility to always put my best foot forward, always lead the team, and always set a high standard. 

“It's a big responsibility and a huge honor, and I'm very thankful and humbled that the team voted for me.”

Football was a big part of Arkin’s DNA from the day he was born. His grandfather was a long-time high school football coach, and even though he had retired from coaching by the time Tanner was born, the sport remained a staple in the Arkin family.

Growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, located near the Illinois-Wisconsin border and about 40 miles south of Milwaukee, Arkin supported the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers, two teams his dad’s side of the family rooted for.

After always playing football with his older brother, Owen, in their family’s backyard, Tanner got his first taste of playing in an organized manner when he joined a local flag football league in third grade. Once his family moved from Wisconsin to Colorado, he took part in rec league tackle football from fourth through sixth grade before competing for his middle school tackle football team in seventh and eighth grade.

Realizing he enjoyed such a physical, contact sport, Tanner continued playing football in high school and was named the captain of his freshman team.

As a sophomore, Tanner made the jump up to varsity, though he saw the majority of his snaps at outside linebacker rather than his preferred position of tight end.

It was during his first two years of high school that he recognized his desire to compete at the collegiate level. Not only did he believe he was skilled enough to play college football, but he also found his passion for the game to be growing at a similar rate.

He started an offseason 7-on-7 team, the Warriors, which gave him additional opportunities to play the sport he loved. It was at this point, surprisingly, that Tanner’s college recruitment gained serious traction.

“The coach of that team also does recruiting coordination, and he told us, ‘Let me know when you're ready to talk about Tanner’s future playing college football,’ because I guess he could see right away that Tanner had the physical skills, the desire, and the drive to do that,” Grady Arkin said. “That's when we realized that Tanner had a future in football beyond high school.”

Tanner’s football journey took a bit of a turn before he even played a snap during his junior year. He suffered a broken collarbone in a preseason practice, an injury that sidelined him for the first half of the season. Eager to return to the field and make an impact, albeit for only the final few games of the year, Tanner made it only one half of one game before getting hit and breaking his collarbone again.

Given the heartbreaking turn of events, Tanner’s mother, Veronica, still had little doubt that her middle child would be back on the field in no time.

“He had a great attitude and persevered,” Veronica Arkin said. “Surprisingly, I think it frustrated us and devastated us more than him. He's always been strong. He was like, ‘God has a purpose and a plan, and I'm going to keep moving forward.’”

Looking to finish his high school career on a positive note, Tanner was as motivated as ever for his senior year, which was ultimately abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The injury bug hit Tanner once again, this time in the form of a broken fibula during his second game of the season.

Tanner played through it but, understandably, could not be as effective or move as easily. Despite yet another setback, Tanner announced his commitment and signed for his hometown school, Colorado State, in December 2020.

After graduating from Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, Tanner joined the Rams program ahead of the 2021 season. Making one catch during his true freshman year, Tanner played in three games and took a redshirt before being named Preseason All-Mountain West ahead of the 2022 slate.

As a redshirt freshman, Tanner saw action in all 12 games while recording 14 catches for 116 yards, including a career-long 26-yard reception against San Jose State.

After completing his second season in Fort Collins, Tanner decided to enter the transfer portal and immediately received interest from multiple power-conference programs. The process was “a whirlwind” for the Arkin family, as Tanner did not take any official visits during his initial recruitment due to the pandemic.

Looking to enroll at his new school and join his new team for the spring semester, Tanner knew he needed to make his decision quickly. He knew exactly what he was looking for, and less than three weeks after playing in Colorado State’s season finale, Tanner announced his commitment to Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini.

“I wanted to go to a place where I could develop with good coaches and a good vision for my future. It was a place where I could have an impact and where I was wanted and felt at home. That's what happened when I came here,” Tanner said.

The decision to move to Champaign marked the first time Tanner had ever competed far from home. Often going home to do laundry or enjoy home-cooked Sunday dinners while at Colorado State, Tanner and his parents had to adjust from hopping in the car for a quick drive home to getting on a plane to see each other.

“When he came out here, I said, ‘I need you to call me every day, just for a week. Just for a week, call me every day.’ He still calls me every day,” Veronica Arkin said. “That's the kind of kid he is. He still calls me every day, so I think he hasn't lost the closeness to us. It's different because we don't physically see him as much, but every time he gets time off, he comes home. We're lucky to be able to make most games. We don't go longer than two months without seeing him. 

“It's definitely not every Sunday dinner or picking him up to do his laundry, but it’s the best we can do.”

On the field, it took Tanner some time to find his stride. Knowing he needed to make significant changes to succeed at Illinois and in the Big Ten, Tanner immediately got to work in hopes of carving out a role for himself.

“I was expecting a big change,” Tanner said. “I had to adjust a lot, but I was focused on coming in, keeping my head down, doing the best I could, earning respect here, and finding my way.”

In his first campaign in Champaign, Tanner played in all 12 games while making three starts at tight end. His lone catch, a 1-yard touchdown reception, came in the Illini’s eighth contest of the year, the team’s Homecoming contest during the 2023 season.

Illinois’ opponent? Wisconsin, the same team the Arkin family had supported up until Tanner arrived in Champaign. They are 100%, all-in on the Illini now, but the moment was still special for both Tanner and his family in the stands.

“That was just amazing,” Grady Arkin said. “We were like, ‘Did that really happen? Did he really just catch that touchdown pass?’ My brother and his wife were there, and they were instantly in tears. We couldn’t believe what just happened. It was really cool, and because it was against Wisconsin, it was even cooler to us.”

Now, in his second season with the Orange and Blue and with another touchdown reception already under his belt, Tanner has taken on an even greater honor and responsibility as a captain. Admittedly “shocked” when he heard the news, Tanner is eager to lead by example and serve as a team-elected captain this season.

“I'm not a huge vocal guy; I'm bigger on the one-on-one conversations and the one-on-one interactions with the guys. I think it’s important to have relationships with people on the team who usually I don't talk to: going up to them and talking to them, but also leading by example,” Tanner said. “I didn't really expect it, but it was always in the back of my head a little bit.

“It was an awesome feeling to know that my teammates trust me and want me to be in that position for them.”