Chambana Sun

Illinois guard/forward Ty Rodgers has announced his return to the Fighting Illini lineup for the 2025-26 season. Rodgers, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, shared the news on his social media platforms Tuesday night, following a season in which he was redshirted.

During his sophomore year in the 2023-24 season, Rodgers started all 38 games. His performance contributed to the Illini achieving 29 victories, the third-most in the history of the school. Additionally, the team won the Big Ten Tournament Championship and made its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance since 2005. Rodgers averaged 6.2 points per game, shooting 52.7% from the field. He was the third-leading rebounder for the team, grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game, and led in offensive rebounds with 2.3 per contest.

Rodgers will rejoin the Illinois lineup after the team completed a 22-win campaign and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round in the 2024-25 season. Under the leadership of head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois has become the winningest team in Big Ten play over the past six years and is among only four teams nationwide with six consecutive 20-win regular seasons.

"???? pic.twitter.com/qghW1Zyfl7," shared Rodgers on Twitter, April 2, 2025.