NORMAL, Ill. – It seems like just yesterday Redbird Nation was in Nashville watching the Illinois State football team play for an FCS National Championship against Montana State. However, for the Redbird coaches, players and staff, it seems like an eternity ago as preparations for the 2026 campaign were underway almost immediately upon return to Bloomington-Normal.
Following a short hiatus, weeks of training and conditioning led to the official start of the process of preparing for another championship run on Tuesday, when the Redbirds went through their first practice of 2026 spring camp inside the OSF HealthCare Athletic Training Facility.
Practice Highlights:
•   Tuesday's non-padded practice began with a quick install period, followed by a full team stretch period and a special teams circuit.
•   After individual position drills, action shifted to the perimeter drill, with quarterbacks Beckham Pellant and transfer Gage Roy sharing snaps. Roy got some help quickly from Victor Dawson out of the backfield, who took a swing pass up the sideline for a strong gain. Pellant then got into the action with a connection to Mar'Quan Gary and one to transfer tight end Alex Herrera. Cooper Kmet got the final three snaps of the session, as he completed a pair of passes to Andrew Rockford.
•   In the 7-on-7 session, Pellant was 3-for-4 with two completions to Stevan Gavric and one to Ian Willis. Roy was 4-for-4 in his snaps, with connections to Brady Probst, Herrera, Travis Stamm and Gary. Chase Kwiatkowski and Kmet also got two reps each, with Kwiatkowski going 2-for-2 with passes caught by transfer running back Anthony Hall and Luke Olson. Kmet was 1-for-2, with the defense's big play coming on the final rep of the session when converted safety Rylan Crawford picked off Kmet.
•   As things moved onto the team session, Pellant came out firing with three-straight completions to Rockford, before Dawson ripped off a first-down run. A strong run by Tyler Lofton the set up the biggest play of the day, a 60-yard touchdown strike from Roy to Gary that fired up the offensive sideline.Â
•   Two plays later, the defense settled down as transfer cornerback Key Crowell nearly picked off a pass that would have likely resulted in a pick six. Kmet then completed three-straight passes, with the final two finding the hands of Nick Arogundade. The defense came right back, as Dexter Neikamp recorded the second turnover of the day when he recovered a fumble on an errant quarterback-running back exchange. The final defensive highlight would come from Aidan Crews, who broke up a deep pass attempt with a strong one-handed leaping effort.
•   Pellant would finish the segment completing his final three pass attempts, with catches from Dallas Amos and Gavric. Kwiatkowski would close things out, as he picked up a pair of first downs on scrambles and finished the day with a big connection to Willis as the horn sounded.
Up Next:Â
The Redbirds will have practice on Thursday, March 5, before they get a week off for the University's Spring Break. ISU's annual Pro Day will follow Thursday's practice and will start at approximately 11:30 a.m. in the weight room at CEFCU Arena. Practices will resume on Tuesday, March 17, and continue a regular schedule until the Spring Showcase on April 11.
For updates, photos, and video from 2026 Redbird Football Spring Camp, follow the team's official X (@RedbirdFB) and Instagram (isuredbirdfb) 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.
