FALL CAMP REPORT 1: Back To Work

NORMAL, Ill. – Not that long ago, Redbird Nation was in Nashville watching the Illinois State football team play for an FCS National Championship against Montana State. Following a strong spring camp and weeks of training during the summer, the Redbirds officially kicked off Fall Camp 2026 on Thursday with their first practice on Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium.

Practice Highlights:
•    Thursday'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. 
•    In the first 7-on-7 session, Pellant was 6-for-6 with three completions to Luke Mailander. Roy was 4-for-6 during the session, as he found Ethan Loss and Alex Herrera over the middle for strong gains. Chase Kwiatkowski also picked up a couple reps, going 2-for-2 a 20 plus yard connection to Ian Willis. 
•    As things moved onto the passing under pressure drills, the defense came up with some big plays while the offense had a few of its own. Jamaricus Thomas recorded the first TFL on the day as he broke through the line to stop Tyler Lofton in the backfield and Rico Clay broke up a pass downfield on the next play from scrimmage. A big connection on the sideline from Roy to Andrew Rockford and a strong run by Victor Dawson swung the momentum a bit, before a breakup by Doreon Dubose was followed by Ben Cooper coming away with a fumble recovery to end the drill.
•    The second 7-on-7 session was quicker, with Pellant, Roy and Cooper Kmet each getting three reps. Pellant went 2-for-3 in the red zone with a touchdown pass to Stevan Gavric, while Roy was also 2-for-3 with a TD of his own to Mailander in the corner of the end zone. Kmet was a perfect 3-for-3, with connections to Rockford and Dallas Amos.
•    During the team period, the offensive primarily focused on first and second down situations to start a drill. The connection between Pellant and Mailander stayed strong as they had a first down conversion on the first play from scrimmage. Dawson and Lofton also ran strong, each picking up first downs during the period, and Roy was completed three-straight at one point with two catches by Willis.
•    Practice concluded with kickers Michael Cosentino, Casey Roney and Drew Drzonek each taking turns kicking field goals and PATs.

Up Next: 
The Redbirds will take the field for Practice No. 2 on Friday at 8:30 a.m. For updates, photos, and video from 2026 Redbird Football Fall Camp, follow the team's official X (@RedbirdFB) and Instagram (isuredbirdfb) accounts and visit 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.