NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State hosted its annual Media/Photo Day on Wednesday and several questions were asked of players and coaches about the team's makeup and ability to make it back to Nashville for another FCS Championship game appearance. The sentiment was the same in the answers: that the experience gained from last year and the influx of new talent has this year's Redbirds ahead of schedule compared to last season.
Whether or not that will turn into wins and success on the field this fall is yet to be seen, but the one thing is certain: the identity of the 2026 Redbirds is quickly taking shape after a week of practices during Fall Camp. On Thursday, the team returned to the turf on Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium after a day of to continue the work of getting ready for the season opener on August 29 at home against St. Francis (Ill.).
Practice Highlights:
•   Thursday's fully padded practice was the second of Fall Camp `26 thus far and will give way to a helmet only workout on Friday before the team's first intrasquad scrimmage of the fall.
•   Instead of the team's normal tempo section of practice, action focused on a two-minute scenario where each of the top three units got a chance to drive the field looking for a field goal to win the game with no time outs. The first team unit was ultimately the only one that was successful, as Michael Cosentino connected on a field goal to earn a win for the first-team unit.
•   The blitz period followed, with Redbird quarterbacks Beckham Pellant and Gage Roy each taking snaps against Redbird defenders applying pressure from all angles. On the second play of the drill, Roy connected with Dylan Lord on a 30-yard touchdown strike to start things off strong for the offense. However, just a couple plays later the defense came up with two stops, as Key Crowell came up with a diving interception as he jumped in front of a pass and Wyatt Mueller broke up a pass deep in the secondary for a nice break up.Â
•   Three-straight completions to Ian Willis, Lord and Luke Mailander got things back on track for the offense, before Josh Crandall got home for a sack. Pellant would go on to finish the session with three-straight completions, including a pair to tight ends Nick True and Brady Probst. Roy also finished strong, completing four of his last five attempts with two completions to Andrew Rockford.
•   A rotating special teams circuit drill then gave way for the 7-on-7 session, where Pellant was 4-for-6 with two completions to Luke Mailander. Roy was also 4-for-6 during the session, as he found True and Mar'Quan Gary for first-down gains.Â
•   The team session took place in the red zone, with the first and second-team offenses each having two cracks at scoring while the third and fourth team units competed on the opposite side of the field. On the first drive, a sack by Dexter Niekamp put the offense behind the eight ball early and they were forced to settle for a 40-yard field goal make by Cosentino to cap things off.
•   The second team unit found the end zone in four plays, as Pellant threw a strike to Gary at the front pylon for the touchdown. On the third drive of the period, Tye Niekamp stopped Tyler Lofton in the backfield for a TFL to start things off and that led to another field goal make by Cosentino, this one from 29 yards. On the fourth and final drive of the session, Aden Cannon picked up a sack on first down to put the offense behind the sticks early and that led to a Drew Drzonek 34-yard field goal make to cap off the day.
Up Next:Â
The Redbirds will take the field for Practice No. 8 on Friday at 8:30 a.m., before holding their first scrimmage of fall training camp on Saturday morning. 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.
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