Aidan Laughery
| No. 21 – Illinois Fighting Illini | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class |  Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 1, 2003 |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | GCMS (Gibson City, Illinois) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Aidan Laughery (born October 1, 2003) is an American college football running back for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Early life
Laughery attended Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School in Gibson City, Illinois. He missed significant playing time during his senior year after suffering an injury.[1] Laughery committed to play college football at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign over an offer from Iowa.[2]
College career
Laughery played sparingly during his first two seasons, redshirting in 2022. In 2023, he scored his first collegiate touchdown against Florida Atlantic.[3] His production increased in 2024, as he served as the Fighting Illini's starting running back in the season opener.[4] Against Northwestern, Laugherty rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns, being named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week.[5] He finished the 2024 season recording 589 yards rushing and four touchdowns.[6][7] Entering the 2025 season, Laughery was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list.[8]
| Season | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| 2022 | Illinois | 1 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Illinois | 9 | 16 | 81 | 5.1 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Illinois | 13 | 97 | 589 | 6.1 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 3.6 | 0 |
| 2025 | Illinois | 4 | 30 | 181 | 6.0 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 5.7 | 0 |
| Career | 27 | 146 | 860 | 5.9 | 8 | 17 | 90 | 5.3 | 0 | |
References
- ^ ohtadmin (December 15, 2021). "GCMS's Aidan Laughery signs letter of intent to play football for Illinois | Ford County Chronicle". Ford County Chronicle. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Haeflinger, Nico (July 14, 2021). "GCMS running back Aidan Laughery commits to Illinois". WICS. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Rosten, Andrew (September 24, 2023). "GCMS grad Aidan Laughery scores first touchdown as member of Illinois football team | Ford County Chronicle". Ford County Chronicle. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Rosten, Andrew (August 30, 2024). "GCMS grad Aidan Laughery starts at running back for Illini in 2024 season opener | Ford County Chronicle". Ford County Chronicle. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Gourdie, Carson (December 2, 2024). "Gibson City native and Illini back Aidan Laughery is Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week". WICS. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Daniels, Matt (August 16, 2025). "Local connection: Laughery, Feagin making most of Illini opportunity". The News-Gazette. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "Laughery back with confidence after strong 2024 finish". WCIA.com. August 2, 2025. Archived from the original on August 2, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "Illini's Feagin, Laughery named to Doak Walker Award watch list". WCIA.com. August 6, 2025. Archived from the original on August 23, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.