Ismael Kante
Illinois Fighting Illini
77
Solid

Ismael Kante

Illinois Fighting IlliniAverage
WLBDefenseSolid
Projected Starter

Is Ismael Kante starting?

Ismael Kante is the projected starter at WLB for Illinois Fighting Illini.

Redshirt senior · #26 · 6'2", 240 lbs

See full Illinois Fighting Illini depth chart ›
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Depth at WLB · Illinois Fighting Illini

  1. 12677Ismael KanteStarter
  2. 23875Jack Paris
  3. 3861Cameron Thomas

Illinois Starting Lineup

Full Illinois depth chart ›

Top linebackers in the Big Ten

Jayden MontgomeryIowa · WLBMason PosaWisconsin · WLBRolijah HardyIndiana · WLB

Up next for Illinois

Illinois plays Nebraska at home on Fri, Nov 6. The listed kickoff time is 08:00 PM ET.

The Story

Making His Case

In 2025: 8 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0 sacks. That's 1% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 77 overall (Solid tier).

Team Share1%
Brooklyn Park, MN
Jersey
#26
Class
RS SR/TR
Height
6'2"
Weight
240 lbs

2025 Stats

SeasonTklTFLSacks
202580.50

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Why this rating?

On a 82-rated defense; 46th-percentile production (×0.92 for competition level) put them -5 vs unit starters → 77.

Team defense (SP+)
82
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 46% of peers
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.92)
Depth-chart adjustment
-5 for role

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

2026 Game Log

Oct 31WMDTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 20-17

Oct 24WORETKL 7
TKL
7
SOLO
4
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 21-10

Oct 10WMSUTKL 8
TKL
8
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 38-37 OT

Oct 3LPURTKL 10
TKL
10
SOLO
7
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 24-17

Sep 26LOSUTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 42-19

Sep 19WSIUTKL 5
TKL
5
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 48-10

Sep 12LDUKETKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 31-27

Sep 4WUABTKL 6
TKL
6
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
1
PD
0

Final W 42-23

Ismael Kante's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 77 OVR fair?
77
Solid
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

8 tkl · 0.5 TFL · 0 sacks
Usage / Involvement20%
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Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.