Tanner Heckel
Illinois Fighting Illini
74
Average

Tanner Heckel

Illinois Fighting IlliniAverage
RCBDefenseAverage
2nd String / Backup

Is Tanner Heckel starting?

Tanner Heckel is listed 2nd string at RCB for Illinois Fighting Illini.

Junior · #16 · 5'11", 195 lbs

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

  1. 1674Juice ClarkeStarter
  2. 21674Tanner HeckelYou
  3. 32054Almirian Thomas

Illinois Starting Lineup

Full Illinois depth chart ›

Top defensive backs in the Big Ten

Zach LutmerIowa · FSEarl Little Jr.Ohio State · SSJamari SharpeIndiana · LCB

The Story

Making His Case

A 3-star recruit out of Lyndon, ranked #1,576 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 36 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBU. That's 5% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 74 overall (Average tier).

Recruit3★ · #1,576 Natl2-Yr Total39 tacklesTeam Share5%
Lyndon, KS
Jersey
#16
Class
JR
Height
5'11"
Weight
195 lbs

Career Stats

SeasonTklINTPD
20253612
2024300

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

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★☆☆3-star
Composite
0.8506
National Rank
#1576
High School
Lyndon
Hometown
Lyndon, KS

Why this rating?

On a 75-rated defense; 78th-percentile production (×0.92 for competition level) put them +6 vs unit starters → 74. Capped to the teammate ahead of them on the depth chart.

Team defense (SP+)
75
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 78% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 50% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.92)
Depth-chart adjustment
+6 for role; −6 depth penalty

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 10WMSUTKL 7
TKL
7
SOLO
4
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 38-37 OT

Oct 3LPURTKL 2
TKL
2
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final L 24-17

Sep 26LOSUTKL 1
TKL
1
SOLO
0
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 42-19

Sep 19WSIUTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
3
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 48-10

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

Final L 31-27

Tanner Heckel's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 74 OVR fair?
74
Average
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Team Role

36 tkl · 2 PD · 1 INT
Usage / Involvement63%
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Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.