Mahomet-Seymour football excited for 2026 with key returners on both sides of the ball

MAHOMET, Ill. (WCIA) -- After a 7-4 finish and a second-round playoff loss to Washington, Mahomet-Seymour football is bullish on the 2026 campaign.

While the Bulldogs have some notable returning varsity players, there is a notable new name on the coaching staff.

Former Illini All-American linebacker J Leman is now teaching what he's learned about football to the next generation.

He's the defensive coordinator for Mahomet-Seymour's freshman team — coaching his son Colt and a group of kids he previously coached in junior high.

"Number one, we want it to be fun and that they come out next year. I think that's the number one thing is retention. Number two, I want to teach them the fundamentals. It's all about blocking and tackling, and lastly, if we do those things, have fun, do the fundamentals, we'll win."

Part of the optimism at MSHS stems from nine returning starters on defense.

"Just experienced players being able to come back, the new players coming in can learn off the experienced players and it helps a lot," senior linebacker Beau Back said.

On offense, the Bulldogs bring back 1,000-yard rusher Marco Casillas for his junior season.

He's also state runner-up wrestler, a skillset that he says makes him tough to tackle on the gridiron.

"I definitely get a lot of balance from wrestling, and it helps out a lot," Casillas said. "I can run through kids, and it just helps with agility too."

All this and more has head coach Jon Adkins excited to get the 2026 season underway

"Overall, feeling really good about this team and kind of maybe what we got and where we can go with it," Adkins said.

The Bulldogs non-conference schedule features a pair of Big 12 opponents, Bloomington in the regular season finale and a matchup at Central week three. Week two is a meeting of former Cornbelt Conference foes against Normal U-High, and it all gets going right here at Frank Dutton Field on August 21 for a matchup against Morton.

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