Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 27-31vs Duke | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#16
Tanner Heckel
Junior defensive back on Illinois's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 195 lb · Lyndon, KS · Lyndon
CFB Index 48 · #288 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceReturning to Illinois for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 1576 nationally · Signed with Illinois
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive back on Illinois's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2024.
Tanner Heckel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. He has spent three seasons in the Illinois secondary. The receipt: 1 tackles against Duke — Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
20243 games
- Signed with Illinois3-star out of Lyndon
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Illinois
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Illinois
Played his entire career under Bret Bielema.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Bret Bielema — 20-8 over that span.
2024Illinois10-3HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Illinois9-4HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning
2026Illinois1-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
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: 1.0 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 · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
48 · #288 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #288 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #48 of 77 Big Ten DBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
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
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tevin Tucker’s 2025 season.
Matches Tevin on
Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Five Hamilton's sophomore season at Kennesaw State (2025).
Matches Five on
PD rate
Tackle volume
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Tanner Heckel
Background
Pronunciation: HECK-uhl 2025 - Illinois CSC Academic All-District Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Academic All-Big Ten Played in all 13 games with nine starts 37 tackles (26 solo) with 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble Three tackles (two sol...
The secondary · Illinois
- #7Matthew Bailey76 tackles · 2025
- #22Deuce Fillmore39 tackles · 2025
- #16Tanner Heckel36 tackles · 2025
- #6Jaheim Clarke30 tackles · 2025
- Mac Resetich19 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology