Illinois State football has been rocked by a midseason shake-up after a sideline altercation reportedly involving one of its wide receivers and his own teammates. What unfolded on the sidelines has now led to a major decision, with the FCS program dismissing its star wide receiver.
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According to Illinois State insider Barry Bottino, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said on October 27 that WR Luke Mailander has been dismissed from the team. The junior was involved in a sideline incident with two teammates on Saturday.
“I felt that was the best decision for both him and us,” Spack said, as reported by the Vidette. “He’s no longer with the program.”
The decision came after the team’s 17–10 victory over Indiana State on Saturday. However, the program has not yet disclosed the specifics of what exactly transpired between the wide receiver and his teammates on the sidelines. The names of the teammates have also not been made public.
In the game, Mailander had three receptions for 38 yards. The wide receiver joined the football program as part of the 2024 recruiting class and redshirted his true freshman year.
Last season, Mailander was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. He caught 44 passes for 671 yards and four touchdowns. Illinois State also finished as the runner-up in the conference championship race. He was looking at the 2026 campaign to further improve his game.
“I wasn’t as sharp last year,” Mailander told Barry Bottino of the Prairie State Pigskin. “I definitely had to work on footwork and route running. This is the most confident I’ve ever felt in route running. It does help the confidence a lot.”
Through seven games of the 2026 campaign, Mailander caught 14 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown. On October 17, against Southern Illinois, Mailander recorded a season-high 90 receiving yards and one touchdown. However, he won’t be able to continue his college career with Illinois State.
Illinois State’s campaign so far
The Redbirds have a 6–2 overall record so far in the 2026 season and 2–2 in the MVFC. Their latest victory against Indiana State did put them ahead in the season, but if we go back to their game against South Dakota State, there were a lot of gaps.
South Dakota State had a powerful offense, and Illinois State’s defense couldn’t consistently stop it. ISU fell short 31-14 in that game. ISU scored fewer points in this game than it had in any other game that season. The team also committed three turnovers, and Spack was not happy with the performance of his wide receivers.
“There were certain guys (receivers) that were struggling a little bit, but that happens in every game, and that’s part of the game,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “We have to get off the press of coverage; we have to get out of re-routes and all the things defenses try to do to mess up your passing game.”
Following Mailander’s dismissal, Dylan Lord might take over as the primary receiver for the Illinois State Redbirds’ matchup against Murray State this Saturday.