Joe Barna holds the DE · Starter spot in Illinois Fighting Illini’s edge room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Joe Barna is a 6'4", 265-pound defensive end for Illinois from Wheaton, Illinois. A three-star recruit in the 2024 class, Barna appeared in nine regular-season games as a freshman, recording three tackles and a sack for a loss of five yards in his college debut against Eastern Illinois. In 2025, his sophomore season, he played all 13 games and totaled 20 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and 2.0 tackles for loss. He earned first-career start honors against #21 USC and recorded a career-high six tackles at #19 Indiana. Barna made a notable play in the Music City Bowl victory over #23 Tennessee with a strip sack that led to a fumble recovery touchdown. A junior in 2026, he returns as a preseason All-Big Ten Fourth Team selection.

Illinois2024 — present