FALL CAMP REPORT 1: The Work Starts Now

NORMAL, Ill. – A long offseason of workouts in the heat and lifting in the weight room, the Illinois State football team gathered Thursday morning at Hancock Stadium and were greeted with unseasonably cool weather for the first practice of 2025 fall training camp. The Redbirds will have 13 practices before hosting their annual Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday, August 16, as they prepare for the season-opener on August 30 at Oklahoma.

Practice Highlights:
•    Thursday's practice last just under two hours, as the team took the field in helmets as the acclimate to the new season. With music blaring through speakers at the stadium, the Redbirds took the field with energy for their first full-team workout since April.
•    Practice began with an installation period for both the offense and defense, before the full team stretch period and a brief special teams circuit.
•    From there, the first 7-on-7 session commenced as quarterbacks Tommy Rittenhouse and Beckham Pellant split reps on one side of the field, while freshmen quarterbacks Chase Kwiatkowski and Cooper Kmet ran their huddles on the opposite end of the field. Rittenhouse was first up and was 5-for-6, with two completions to Daniel Sobkowicz and a 35-yard touchdown strike to Luke Mailander. Pellant was stellar as well, going a perfect 6-for-6 with with two completions to Rylan Crawford.
•    The blitz period was next up, as the offense looked to get the ball out quick to avoid pressure from the defense. Rittenhouse was able to complete a pair of passes to Sobkowicz and Wenkers Wright ripped off a first-down run, before the defense was able to get their first stop on a pass breakup by CJ Richard Jr.
•    A second special teams session, which featured the punt and punt coverage team, followed as Hayden Futch, Matt Maldonado and Ari Daniels each took turns kicking to Eddie Kasper and Chris Taylor.
•    Following a quick perimeter drill, the second 7-on-7 session began with Rittenhouse and Pellant both finishing the drill 5-for-6. Rittenhouse found Sobkowicz twice and completed a 20-yard throw to the sideline to Luke Olson, while Pellant connected with Brett Kasper and transfer tight end Nick True. The defense also got into the act, with pass breakups on the first two snaps by Cam Wilson and Shadwel Nkuba II. 
•    The team session was up next and was uneventful for the most part, with the offense picking up solid gains while defense made big plays as well, including a breakup at the line of scrimmage by Travis Jones and a breakup in the secondary by Taylor.

Up Next: 
The Redbirds will return to the field Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. for the second practice of Fall Camp 2025. For updates, photos, and video from 2025 Redbird Football Fall Camp, follow the team's official X (@RedbirdFB), Instagram (isuredbirdfb) and TikTok (@redbirdfb) accounts and log onto GoRedbirds.com.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.