Senior linebacker Reese Edwards will end his career Jan. 5 in the national title game in Nashville against Montana State. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
In the past four weeks, Illinois State has beaten four seeded opponents in four states and three different time zones.
When the national championship game kicks off Jan. 5 in Nashville against Montana State, many Redbirds won’t want the season to end.
“To keep extending it one more game is awesome,” junior defensive lineman Jake Anderson said of the playoff run. “You get one time to go out and play with your brothers out there. It’s what you work all off-season for, all of fall camp and all of the fall season.”
Being together week after week – especially when the Redbirds were one of the last four teams to make the FCS playoff field – has provided plenty of memories, celebrations, highlights and joy.
“It’s been really cool seeing everything come to fruition,” senior linebacker Reese Edwards said. “We have a good group of guys who keep the main thing the main thing. A lot of the corps guys stuck around and made a commitment to the program.”
For Anderson, he is especially appreciative of the long playoff run and what will be a national record 17 games for ISU.
“It means everything,” he said. “Being here four years, I’ve seen not making the playoffs. I’ve seen getting knocked out early. To be able to extend this means a lot.”
The national title game is a pinnacle for FCS teams and is something ISU has experienced only once before. It’s also a goodbye for some.
“For older guys like me, these aren’t just playoff games,” Edwards said. “Every one of these games (could have) been my last. Everyone realized that and we’re all giving it our best.”
Running it back in 2026
Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said this week that running backs Victor Dawson and Seth Glatz, along with linebacker Mason Kaplan, all have one more year of college eligibility.
All three players have told Spack they plan to return to the Redbirds in 2026.
Dawson has been a major weapon in the ISU run game this season and throughout the playoffs.
He is the Redbirds’ leading rusher with 1,251 yards and five TDs. In ISU’s semifinal win against Villanova, Dawson rushed for a career-best 155 yards.
Glatz has rushed for 355 yards and five TDs this season. Kaplan is the team’s third-leading tackler with 76 stops. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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