Keith Randolph Jr.: DL · Illinois · #88.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Keith Randolph Jr.
Wins the gap play after play. Played for three head coaches at Illinois: Lovie Smith, Rod Smith and Bret Bielema. The first career honor came in 2023: All-Big Ten. On tape: 8 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Penn State, Week 3, 2023.
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
49 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 4 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
LancasterOnline Oct 25
Yahoo Sports Oct 25Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 10 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-28vs Toledo | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 23-34@ Kansas | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 13-30vs No. 7 Penn State | 8 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 23-17vs Florida Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 5 | L 19-44@ Purdue | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 7-20vs Nebraska | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 27-26@ Minnesota | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 48-45vs Indiana | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 13-15@ Iowa | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | L 43-45vs Northwestern | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 20 | 4.0 | 1.5 | — | 1 |
Week 4 · 2023
W 23-17
1 sack · 2.5 tackles for loss · 7 tackles
A close one, won by 6 at home.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
8%4 TFLSack rate
3%2 sacksHurry rate
8%4 hurries49 tackles · 4 for loss · 1.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 4.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 4.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
51.4%
413 pass / 390 run
Plays / game
66.9
12 games
Team sack rate
8.8%
457 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2023
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #89 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons at Illinois, 9 sacks — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The role got bigger.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN
All-Big Ten mention (2023)
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Lovie Smith → Bret Bielema. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
