Oklahoma 2025 Football Opponent Preview: Illinois State Redbirds

Oklahoma opens the 2025 season against an NCAA Division I FCS opponent.

The Sooners host Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday, Aug. 30. The Redbirds went 10-4 a year ago and went two rounds deep in the FCS playoffs.

Here’s what to know about the Redbirds:

Illinois State went 4-3 in its first seven games before ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak to reach the FCS playoffs. The Redbirds beat Southeastern Missouri State in the first round before falling to No. 5 UC Davis in the second round. 

Their only game against an FBS opponent came in Week 1, when Illinois State fell 40-0.

QB Tommy Rittenhouse (Sr.), RB Wenkers Wright (Sr.), WR Daniel Sobkowicz (Sr.), LB Tye Niekamp (Jr.).

TE Caleb Schmitz (Cincinnati), S Christian LeBrun (UMass), WR Kaevion Mack (Western Michigan), DL Christian Lorenzo (Georgia State), DB Shadwel Nkuba II (Louisiana), OL Jack McGarry (Missouri), OL Logan Brasfield (Coastal Carolina).

Illinois State’s biggest strength is offensive experience: The Redbirds return their leading passer, rusher and receiver from the 2024 season this year.

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As a junior, Rittenhouse completed 66.4% of passes for 2,840 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 480 yards and eight touchdowns.

Wright, Illinois State’s leading tailback, went for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. And Sobkowicz caught 80 passes for 1,108 yards and nine touchdowns.

Illinois State was an FCS playoff team in 2024, and with so much returning offensive talent, it’s likely that the Redbirds return to the playoffs this year.

While Illinois State had the Missouri Valley’s fourth-best scoring defense (24.9 points allowed per game) in 2024, the Redbirds struggled mightily to defend pass plays.

The Redbirds finished 10th out of 11 teams in the conference, allowing 266.3 passing yards per contest. That mark was No. 115 of 123 teams that compete at the FCS level.

Illinois State also lost a handful of its most productive defensive players — linebacker LaVoise-Deontay McCoy (graduation), defensive back Keondre Jackson (graduation), defensive lineman Jalan Gaines (graduation) and defensive lineman Steven Curtis (transferred to Minnesota) — during the offseason.

Illinois State isn’t a bad team by any means. The Redbirds were among the FCS’ best a year ago, and with so much returning talent, they should maintain that status in 2025.

But the season opener shouldn’t be particularly difficult for the Sooners.

Illinois State’s pass defense struggled mightily in 2024. With new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer, the Sooners’ offense will likely be very pass-heavy. The season opener will be an opportunity for that duo to show what they bring to the program.

The Redbirds’ offense is proven at the FCS level, but Oklahoma’s defense should overpower them with sheer athleticism and size. Though it will be interesting to see the defense’s performance without Danny Stutsman, Ethan Downs, Billy Bowman Jr. and Woodi Washington.

It’s possible that the Redbirds can keep things close in the first half, but the Sooners’ advantages across the depth chart should allow them to win comfortably and start the season 1-0.