Sep. 24—CHAMPAIGN — Tanner Heckel was a football, basketball and track star during his high school career that was split between stays at Inman High School and Lyndon High School in Kansas.
Baseball? That one Heckel gave up in the second grade.
But that doesn’t mean Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck’s comparison of Heckel to a utility infielder — based on the versatility he provides in the secondary — didn’t resonate with the Illini junior defensive back.
“If you’ve got guys that can do a lot of different things, it helps,” Hauck said. “Especially in the war of attrition through a season. Right now, we’ve got a lot of guys that are somewhat similar in ability. A guy that can fit in different places is valuable.”
Heckel’s place in the Illinois secondary during last Saturday’s 48-10 home win against Southern Illinois came at cornerback — sometimes playing for Juice Clarke and sometimes opposite the Illini senior. Heckel had played sparingly in the first two games of the season after a lower-leg injury sidelined him for parts of training camp, but the SIU game was his first back in a primary role.
The results were positive.
Heckel made four tackles against the Salukis, including one tackle for loss, as he played his most snaps since the Music City Bowl last December.
“My body felt good,” Heckel said Wednesday. “I was out there flying around doing whatever I could. I was just seeing things a lot quicker and was able to make plays on them.”
Heckel has played on the outside at cornerback during his Illinois career, but the bulk of his playing time has come at nickel back. That’s where the 5-foot-11, 195-pound defensive back made nine starts last season following Xavier Scott’s season-ending ankle injury.
While Heckel had played in all 13 games as a freshman the season prior, the bulk of his snaps came on special teams. Last fall was his first full foray into the Illini secondary, and the results were mixed.
Heckel made 37 tackles during the 2025 season. His total production also included three tackles for loss, three pass breakups, 1 1/2 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. He also had some tough moments against multiple wide receivers that went on to become first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
“Playing against three first-rounders last year really showed me I was very inexperienced,” Heckel said. On the docket last fall were Ohio State’s Carnell Tate (No. 4 overall pick), Southern Cal’s Makai Lemon (No. 20) and Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 30). Washington’s Denzel Boston also went No. 39 overall in the second round.
“Now, I go in there with that mindset of I know my mistakes and I can correct them and I don’t want to make those mistakes again,” Heckel continued. “I didn’t go back to watch all the plays I made (in those games against eventual first-round picks). I went back and watched what I could correct and went out to the practice field the next week and got better.”
Heckel and the Illinois secondary will face a similar challenge this Saturday at No. 7 Ohio State in both team’s Big Ten opener. Jeremiah Smith, who might be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft, leads the Buckeyes with 21 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Star freshman Chris Henry Jr. also has multiple touchdown catches.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Heckel said. “They’ve got a great wide receiver corps, but we get to go out there on national television and make plays.”
Heckel made enough plays at cornerback against SIU to draw Hauck’s praise. What was of particular notice for the first-year Illinois defensive coordinator was the fact Heckel is still not 100 percent after his training camp injury.
“I don’t think he’s in particularly great shape because he had to sit out for a few weeks,” Hauck said. “That’s never very productive, but Tanner played very well. He’s playing a lot in the kicking game. I was proud of the way he played. I was happy for him coming back and performing that well.”
A healthy Scott means Heckel’s opportunity to play will likely come at cornerback, where he’s in competition with Jakwon Morris and Tywan Cox for snaps. Heckel still splits his time with both the cornerbacks and safeties, though, to maintain his plug-and-play ability at both cornerback and nickel back as needed.
“I meet with both coaches whenever I can to get everything down,” Heckel said, referencing secondary coach Ronnie Bradford (safeties and nickel backs) and defensive backs coach Corey Parker (cornerbacks). “I’m seeing what everyone’s thinking. I know what calls are going to be made just being able to go out there with a clear mind and know everything about the defense.”
Given an option, though, Heckel would prefer to play cornerback. Particularly in Hauck’s scheme where those players are given freedom on the edge of the defense. But there are other perks, too.
“It allows me to be able to be out there with Xavier and (safety Matthew Bailey) and not in there for them,” Heckel said. “The knowledge they have and experience they have, you’re always going to have comfort knowing the guys on your right and their left know what they’re doing.
“The corners set the edge. The corners can do what they want, really. We’re playing football like we’ve all played since we were little kids. It’s all fun.”
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