2015 Football Roster
Jersey Number 43
Mason Monheim
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-1 / 235
- Position:
- LB
- Hometown:
- Orrville, Ohio
- High School:
- Orrville
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)
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Thursday, March 05
Illinois Football | Bobby Hauck Introductory Press Conference 2/12/26
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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
