News

Eight Illini football players earn All-District Honors for academic excellence

Photo: Contributed


CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Chambana Today) — Eight members of the 2025 Illinois football program were honored earlier this week as College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2025 Academic All-District performers. The program recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom.

To be eligible, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore with a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade-point average, while also competing in 90% of the team’s total games or starting at least 66% of the team’s contests.

All eight honorees move on to the ballot for CSC’s Academic All-America team, which is announced on January 27. The Fighting Illini football program has received 37 Academic All-America honors over the years, dating back to the program’s beginning in 1952.

The honorees are as follows:

  • TE Tanner Arkin, Senior, Health Communication
  • WR Hank Beatty, Senior, Marketing
  • WR Colin Dixon, Sophomore, Marketing
  • RB Kaden Feagin, Junior, Recreation, Sports & Tourism
  • OL Josh Gesky, Senior, Public Health (Master’s)
  • DB Tanner Heckel, Sophomore, Accountancy
  • LB Kenenna Odeluga, Senior, Strategic Leadership & Management
  • DB Miles Scott, Senior, Health Communication

Recent Headlines

10 hours ago in Entertainment

Actor Michael Keaton is named Man of the Year by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals

Actor Michael Keaton has been named 2026 Man of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The theater group, which dates to 1844 and claims to be the world's third-oldest still operating, announced Wednesday that Keaton will receive his Pudding Pot award at a celebratory roast Feb. 6.

17 hours ago in Entertainment

Trevor Noah to host Grammys for the sixth and final time

Trevor Noah will be hosting the Grammy Awards for the sixth consecutive year, but this time, it's being billed as a farewell gig. The Recording Academy announced Tuesday that the South African comedian is returning "one final time" for the Feb. 1 show, for which he will also serve as an executive producer.

17 hours ago in Entertainment

Actor Kiefer Sutherland arrested for allegedly assaulting a ride-hail driver, police say

Actor Kiefer Sutherland was arrested on suspicion of criminal threats early Monday morning after Los Angeles police say he assaulted a ride-hail driver.

3 days ago in Entertainment

‘Hamnet’ and ‘One Battle After Another’ take top honors at Golden Globes

Paul Thomas Anderson's ragtag revolutionary saga "One Battle After Another" took top honors at Sunday's 83rd Golden Globes in the comedy category, while Chloé Zhao's Shakespeare drama "Hamnet" pulled off an upset over "Sinners" to win best film, drama.

3 days ago in Entertainment

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ tops box office for fourth straight week with newcomer ‘Primate’ second

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" kept on smoldering at the box office, taking the top spot for a fourth straight week on a relatively quiet weekend as the January doldrums began setting in for the industry.