Tanner Arkin is a tight end who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Illinois.
Arkin shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Played for three head coaches across five seasons and two programs. First career honor, 2022: All-Mountain West. On tape: 33 receiving yards and 2 receptions against Northwestern, Week 14, 2025.
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Illinois | 13 | 114 | 8.8 | 2 | 28 |
| 2024 | Illinois | 16 | 111 | 6.9 | 3 | 16 |
| 2023 | Illinois | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | Colorado State | 14 | 116 | 8.3 | 0 | 26 |
| 2021 | Colorado State | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Career | 45 | 351 | 7.8 | 6 | 28 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 52-3vs Western Illinois | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 1 | 11 | |
| Wk 4 | L 10-63@ No. 19 Indiana | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wk 5 | W 34-32vs No. 21 USC | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 6 | W 43-27@ Purdue | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 9 | L 25-42@ Washington | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 1 | 5 | |
| Wk 10 | W 35-13vs Rutgers | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 14 | W 20-13vs Northwestern | 2 | 33 | 16.5 | 0 | 28 | Season-high 33 yds |
 Bowl | W 30-28vs Tennessee | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | 15 | |
| Total | 13 | 114 | 8.8 | 2 | 28 |
Week 9 · 2025
L 25-42
at Washington
2 rec · 9 yds · 1 TD
With L. Altmyer — 199 yds · 2 TD · 2 INT · QBR 83.5 · 48 rush yds (7 car) · C. Valentine — 27 rush yds (7 car) · 2 rec · 2 yds
The plays that mattered most
Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)
Third-down role
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 1.8 | 18.0 | 10.5 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 1.3 | 6.3 | 4.8 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 1.4 | 11.8 | 8.1 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 2.0 | 18.3 | 9.2 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
45.6%
372 pass / 444 run
Plays / game
62.8
13 games
Team sack rate
8.3%
387 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
Fewer catches a game than most FBS tight ends who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #147 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #25 of 26 Big Ten TEs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 2,042 recruit in the country is starting at tight end in the Big Ten as a senior.
A stat line in 29 games over five seasons.
The role got bigger.
The snaps went the other way.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
All-Mountain West mention (2022)
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Steve Addazio, Jay Norvell and Bret Bielema.
