| Illinois Fighting Illini–No. 21 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class |  Junior |
| Major | Management |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 1, 2003 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | GCMS (Gibson City, Illinois) |
Aidan Laughery (born October 1, 2003) is an American college football running back for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
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]
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 | 1 | 9 | 101 | 11.2 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 0 |
| Career | 24 | 125 | 780 | 6.2 | 7 | 13 | 78 | 6.0 | 0 | |