Just four days before the Illinois Fighting Illini kicked off their 2025 season, head coach Bret Bielema shared one of the most promising updates yet about one of the team's returning starters.
J.C. Davis, a starting offensive lineman for the Illini, had missed a handful of weeks as he struggled to get past plantar fasciitis this offseason and had been sidelined in a walking boot. On Monday, Bielema shared that the veteran had officially returned to practice.
Davis, who transferred to Illinois after two years with the New Mexico Lobos, started in all 13 games last season and was named the Fighting Illini Male Newcomer of the Year.