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University of Illinois Athletics

2015 Football Roster

43 Mason Monheim

  • Ht./Wt. 6-1 / 235
  • Position LB
  • Hometown Orrville, Ohio
  • High School Orrville

Biography

Career Highlights

  • Seventh on UI career tackles list (392)
  • Fourth on UI career forced fumbles list (7)
  • Ended his career with 47 straight starts
  • Two-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2014 & 2015)
  • AFCA Good Works Team Nominee (2014)
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2014)
  • Three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2013, 2014 & 2015)
  • Team Captain (2015)
  • Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient

2015 Senior

  • All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media for second straight season
  • 2015 Team Captain
  • Started all 12 games at linebacker & made 47 career starts
  • 98 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, two INTs, six PBUs on season
  • Third on the team in tackles & second on the team in PBUs
  • Ended 2015 with the third-most tackles among active players in FBS (392)
  • Ranked 11th in Big Ten & 72nd in FBS in tackles per game (8.2)
  • Returned an interception for a touchdown vs. Northwestern, his second career pick-six and second against the Wildcats
  • Season-high 14 tackles vs. Middle Tennessee
  • Four games with 10+ tackles
  • Season-high 2.0 TFLs at Minnesota
  • Illini’s Scholar Athlete Award winner
  • Academic All-Big Ten

2014 Junior

  • Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
  • Recipient of Illinois' Defensive Big Skill Points Award
  • Started all 13 games this season and has started 35 consecutive games in his career
  • Ranked 18th among all active FBS players and first in the Big Ten among players with at least 30 games played in career tackles per game (7.95)
  • Ranked eighth in the Big Ten with 8.5 tackles per game
  • Led the Big Ten and ranked 17th in FBS in fumbles forced per game (0.31)
  • Tied with Butkus Award winner Kevin Hardy and Earnest Thomas III for fourth on Illinois' career fumbles forced record list (7)
  • Had five tackles, a fumble recovery and a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown in the win at Northwestern
  • Tied his career high with 15 tackles against Iowa
  • Totaled 10 tackles, including a career-high nine solos at Washington
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (3.7+ GPA) and Academic All-Big Ten

2013 Sophomore

  • Ranked ninth in the Big Ten and third on the team in tackles per game (8.1)
  • Started all 12 games at middle linebacker, posting 97 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, one PBU, one QB hurry and one forced fumble
  • Led the team with 14 tackles against Michigan State
  • Recorded his first career QB hurry against Wisconsin
  • Forced his third career fumble at Nebraska
  • Had eight tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, against Miami (Ohio)
  • Recorded career highs with a solo sack and 2.0 TFLs among 10 tackles against Cincinnati
  • Had eight tackles and a half-TFL in season-opener against SIU
  • Academic All-Big Ten

2012 Freshman

  • Named to Phil Steele's second-team freshman All-America team
  • Led the entire Illinois squad and all Big Ten freshmen in tackles with 86
  • Played in all 12 games and made 10 starts as a true-feshman
  • Had six TFLs, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, one pass break-up and one fumble recovery to go along with his team-high 86 tackles
  • Earned Illinois Point Award as top Defensive Big Skill Player at annual postseason banquet
  • Registered a game- and career-high 15 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs and a half-sack against Minnesota to earn his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors
  • Earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors (10/1) after recording a game-high 11 tackles and forcing a fumble against Penn State
  • Recorded the first interception of his career, 1.5 TFLs and five tackles against Charleston Southern
  • Recorded one tackle and forced a fumble in his Illini debut against Western Michigan

High School

  • A three-star recruit by Scout.com and Rivals.com
  • Ranked the No. 33 inside linebacker in the nation by Scout.com
  • Two-time Division IV Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Associated Press Division IV first-team All-State
  • 2011 Ohio Cardinal Conference Defensive Player of the Year
  • Had 129 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2011
  • Set the area's single-season tackles record with 191 in 2010
  • Is Orrville's career leader in tackles
  • Played in the Ohio/Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star Game
  • High honor roll student with a 4.0 grade point average
  • High school coach was Doug Davavlt

Personal

  • Son of Jan and John Monheim
  • Born Dec. 16, 1992
  • Has two brothers and two sisters
  • Majoring in community health

Career Highs

Tackles: 15, twice (last vs. Iowa, 11/15/14)
Solos: 9 at Washington, 9/13/14
TFLs: 2.5 vs. Texas State, 9/20/14
Sacks: 1.0 vs. Cincinnati, 9/7/13
QB Hurries: 1, twice (last vs. Louisiana Tech, 12/26/14)
Fumbles Forced: 1, seven times (last vs. Penn State, 11/22/14)
Fumbles Recovered: 1, twice (last at Northwestern, 11/29/14)
PBU: 1, seven times (last vs. Ohio State, 11/14/15)
Interceptions: 1, four times (last vs. Kent State, 9/5/15)
Interception Return Yards: 58 at Northwestern, 11/28/15
Touchdowns: 1, twice (last at Northwestern, 11/28/15)

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 43

    2012Freshman

    LB
    6'1" 230 lbs
    43
  • 43

    2013Sophomore

    LB
    6'1" 235 lbs
    43
  • 43

    2014Junior

    LB
    6'1" 235 lbs
    43
  • 43

    2015Senior

    LB
    6'1" 235 lbs
    43