2017 Football Roster
Jersey Number 5
James Crawford
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-2 / 235
- Position:
- DL
- Hometown:
- Deerfield, Fla.
- High School:
- St. Thomas Aquinas
Career Highs
Tackles: 7, twice (last vs. North Carolina, 9/10/16)
Solos: 4, twice (last at Penn State, 10/31/15)
TFLs: 2.0 vs. Nebraska, 9/29/17
Sacks: 1.0, four times (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)
QB Hurries: 1, five times (last at Ohio State, 11/18/17)
Fumbles Forced: 1, four times (last vs. Indiana, 11/11/17)
Fumbles Recovered: 2 vs. Rutgers, 10/14/17
PBUs: 1, three times (last at Iowa, 10/7/17)
2017 Senior
- Team captain
- All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches)
- Played and started nine games at defensive end
26 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, four passes defended, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four quarterback hurries - 0.33 FF per game led the Big Ten ranked and seventh in FBS at the end of the regular season
- Led Illinois in TFLs (5.5)
- Tied for the team lead in sacks (4.0) with Bobby Roundtree
- Tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (3) with Stanley Green
- All three forced fumbles came during Big Ten games
- Tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries (2) with Jamal Milan
- Second on the team in pass breakups (4)
- Second on the team in quarterback hurries (4)
- Led Illinois in sacks (4.0), TFLs (5.5), quarterback hurries (4) and forced fumbles (3) during Big Ten games
- First career sack and career-high 2.0 TFLs against Nebraska
2016 Junior
- Eight games played with three starts
- Starting linebacker for the first three games
- 18 tackles, 1.0 TFL
- Career-high seven tackles against Murray State and North Carolina
- Fumble recovery at Michigan
- Missed the last four games with an injury
- Earned a bachelor's degree in communication in December 2016
2015 Sophomore
- Played in all 12 games, including four starts at STAR
- 36 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, one forced fumble and two PBUs on season
- Career-high six tackles vs. Ohio State
- Five tackles in back-to-back games against Wisconsin and Penn State
- Forced fumble vs. Ohio State
2014 Redshirt Freshman
- Played in the final seven games of the season, primarily on special teams
- Made Illinois debut at Wisconsin Oct. 11
2013 Freshman
- Redshirted the 2013 season
High School
- Three-star recruit by 247Sports
- Ranked as the No. 58 safety nationally by 247Sports
- Earned all-state and all-county honors in 2012
- Grabbed five interceptions and had 65 tackles as a senior while helping St. Thomas Aquinas to a 2012 state championship
Personal
- Born Dec. 2, 1994
- Mother is Molynn Allen and father is James Crawford, Sr.
- Father played football at Virginia Tech
- Favorite athlete is NFL great Charles Woodson
- Earned Presidential Award his freshman year at St. Thomas Aquinas
- Majoring in communication
Illinois Football | Bret Bielema Press Conference 3/5/26
Thursday, March 05
Illinois Football | Bobby Hauck Introductory Press Conference 2/12/26
Thursday, February 12
Illinois Football | Bret Bielema Press Conference 2/4/26
Thursday, February 05
Illinois Football | Xavier Scott Return Announcement Press Conference Press Conference 1/21/26
Wednesday, January 21
