Ca'Lil Valentine holds the RB · Starter spot in Illinois Fighting Illini’s running back room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Ca'Lil Valentine logged a 17.5% overall usage rate in 2025.

Ca'Lil Valentine is a junior running back for Illinois who attended Chandler High School in Arizona as a four-star recruit. In his 2024 freshman season, he appeared in 12 games and recorded his first career touchdown against #1 Oregon on 10/26/24. During the 2025 sophomore campaign, Valentine played in all 13 games with six starts, rushing 131 times for 614 yards and four touchdowns while adding 10 receptions for 55 yards. He posted a career-high 95 rushing yards in a win at Purdue on 10/4/25 and ranked 17th in the Big Ten in yards per carry at 4.46 during the regular season.

Illinois2024 — present