Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#3
Nick Hankins Jr.
Freshman defensive back on Illinois's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 200 lb · Belleville, IL · Belleville West
Returning to Illinois for 2026
Recruiting
4★
CB recruit
No. 135 nationally · Signed with Illinois
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 defensive back on Illinois's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Illinois in 2026.
Nick Hankins Jr.
One game to point at: 3 tackles against UAB — Week 1, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
His career
2026
- Signed with Illinois4-star out of Belleville West
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Illinois
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026Illinois1-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 42–23
vs UAB
3 TOT · 3 SOLO
With K. Houser — 182 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 98.9 · 29 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD · C. Valentine — 88 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Illinois
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Illinois
Returning around him
- 3 Illinois players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (20 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Illinois · Last season: 9-4 (AP #23) · Talent rank #51 · 2026 recruiting class #24
Background
High School Four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals No. 92 player in the nation by Rivals Position ranks: #12 (Rivals), #16 (247), #21 (ESPN) State ranks: #2 (Rivals), #5 (247), #6 (ESPN) Played for head coach Ken Turner at Belleville West Three-year letterwinner 2025 IHSFCA 7A All-State...
The secondary · Illinois
- #7Matthew Bailey76 tackles · 2025
- #22Deuce Fillmore39 tackles · 2025
- #16Tanner Heckel36 tackles · 2025
- #6Jaheim Clarke30 tackles · 2025
- #3Nick Hankins Jr.1 game · 2026
16 more on the roster · Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology