The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will face off against each other in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, and there will be plenty of Illinois connections.

A few players born in Illinois will play a major role in the championship game. Several other coaches and players with Illinois ties will be participating in various ways as well.

Here is a list of players and coaches participating in the Super Bowl who either grew up in Illinois, were born here and moved away, played or coached in Illinois or played or coached for the Bears.

The players

Julian Love, Seahawks, safety

Westchester-native Julian Love quickly became one of the best players in the Chicago area and helped Nazareth win its first two state championships in 2014 and 2015. He went on to play at Notre Dame as a true freshman and ended his college career as a consensus All-American in 2018.

The New York Giants selected Love in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, where he played well for four seasons. He signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Seahawks in 2023 and then earned his first Pro Bowl honor that season after he had a career-high four interceptions. Seattle signed him to a three-year extension in 2024.

Love started eight games this season after missing time on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He recovered a fumble against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round.

Eric Saubert, Seahawks, tight end

Eric Saubert, a Hoffman Estates alumnus, has a chance to win a Super Bowl after bouncing around the NFL during his nine-year career. After spending five seasons at Drake, Saubert played for seven teams in the NFL, including the Bears in 2019, before landing with the Seahawks this season.

He’s found his niche both on the Seahawks offense and special teams. Saubert played in 11 games and caught four passes for 31 yards, including a 2-point conversion, to go along with nine tackles and one fumble recovery.

Rylie Mills, Seahawks, defensive end

Lake Forest alumnus Rylie Mills became one of the top prospects in Illinois before he signed with Notre Dame. He spent five seasons with the Fighting Irish and helped them reach the national championship game in 2024. Mills also earned Second Team All-American honors that season.

Seattle drafted Mills in the fifth round in April and placed him on the physically unable to perform list for most of the season after he tore his ACL in December 2024. Mills made his debut in Week 15 and has played in five games since then. He’s collected three tackles during that time.

Robert Spillane, Patriots, linebacker

Like Saubert, Oak Park-native and Fenwick alumnus Robert Spillane will get a chance to win a Super Bowl after bouncing around the NFL. The Tennessee Titans signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in 2018 before he spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders.

Spillane joined New England this season and led the Patriots with 97 tackles to along with two interceptions in 13 games during the regular season. He’s made 14 tackles and defended two passes in the playoffs for the Patriots.

Vederian Lowe, Patriots, offensive tackle

Rockford-native Vederian Lowe has been a dependable player for most of his career. He was one of the best Illinois offensive line prospects in the Class of 2017 out of Rockford Auburn and brought that stability to the University of Illinois’ offensive line for five seasons.

The Minnesota Vikings originally drafted Lowe in the sixth round in 2022 but traded him to the Patriots after one season. Lowe appeared in 42 games over three seasons for the Patriots, including all 17 this year both offensively and on special teams.

Practice squad players

J.R. Singleton, Seahawks, defensive tackle

J.R. Singleton, a Warren alumnus, signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa State this season and has been on their practice squad all year.

Jacardia Wright, Seahawks, running back

After splitting time at Kansas State and Missouri State, Jacardia Wright, who’s from Decatur, signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent and been on the practice squad for most of the year. He appeared in one game and rushed for 20 yards on five carries.

Andrew Rupcich, Patriots, offensive guard

Andrew Rupich, a McHenry alumnus, joined the Patriots practice squad at the end of training camp after playing 12 games over two seasons with the Titans. He hasn’t played in a game this season.

Jeremiah Webb, Patriots, wide receiver

A year after playing in the European League of Football for the Berlin Thunder, Jeremiah Webb, who graduated from Chicago’s Urban Prep Bronzeville, joined the Patriots’ practice squad this season.

Trent Sherfield, Patriots, wide receiver

After splitting time with the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squads in 2025, Danville-native Trent Sherfield joined the Patriots’ practice squad a couple of times in January.

Other Seahawks players

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon played for Illinois from 2019 to 2022, where he earned consensus All-American, First Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year honors in 2022. Bears general manager Ryan Poles drafted wide receiver/running back Velus Jones Jr. in the third round of the 2022 draft, but Jones never made an impact with the team, leading to his release in October 2024. Jones has been on the Seahawks’ practice squad for most of the second half of the season.

Other Patriots players

Quarterback Tommy DeVito played at Illinois in 2022 and led the Illini to an 8-5 record and the ReliaQuest Bowl. Fullback Brock Lampe played at Northern Illinois from 2021 to 2024 but has spent the whole season on injured reserve. The Bears drafted defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga in the seventh round in 2021 and played 15 games in his lone season before he was waived in 2022. Cornerback Charles Woods played at Illinois State in 2018-2020 and has played 15 games, mostly on special teams, this season. Punter Bryce Baringer was at Illinois in 2017 but didn’t play before he transferred. Special teams tight end Marshall Lang played at Northwestern from 2020-24, while special teams offensive tackle Lorenz Metz spent time on the Bears’ offseason roster in 2023.

The Coaches

Leslie Frazier, Seahawks assistant head coach

Former Bears Super Bowl champion Leslie Frazier will be coaching for his third championship. Frazier led the Bears with six interceptions during the 1985 championship season before his career was cut short due to a knee injury. He won his second Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 as the team’s assistant head coach and defensive backs coach going against the Bears.

Frazier has served as the Seahawks’ assistant head coach since he joined head coach Mike Macdonald’s staff last season. Seattle went 10-7 that year but missed the playoffs.

Thomas Brown, Patriots passing game coordinator

What a difference a year has made for Thomas Brown. A year after Brown started out as the Bears’ passing game coordinator to eventually become the Bears’ interim head coach after the team fired former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, Brown has landed well and will be coaching for his second Super Bowl championship. Brown has helped in Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s development this season and is still considered a bright young mind in the NFL.

Frisman Jackson, Seahawks wide receivers coach

Frisman Jackson went to Chicago’s Morgan Park High School, where he was a four-sport athlete and earned All-State and All-Chicago Public League honors as a quarterback. Jackson spent three seasons at Northern Illinois before he transferred to Western Illinois, where he broke single-game program records as a quarterback and a wide receiver. He coached at nine different collegiate and NFL teams, including Northern Illinois and Western Illinois, before he joined the Seahawks staff in 2024.

Keller Chryst, Seahawks special projects

Keller Chryst was born in Lake Forest but went to high school in California. He played quarterback at Stanford and Tennessee and coached at Wisconsin and Iowa before joining Seattle’s staff this season.

Other Seahawks coaches

Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko served the same role with the Bears from 2022 to 2024. Defensive line coach Justin Hinds was the Bears’ assistant defensive line coach in 2022-23.

Other Patriots coaches

Quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant spent training camp with the Bears in 2018. Assistant offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling served the same role with the Bears last season. Defensive assistant Milton Patterson was a Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship intern with the Bears in 2022. Defensive assistant Kevin Richardson was a defensive graduate assistant at Illinois in 2021.