BYRON – Being the oldest son of a former professional football player, the athletic shoes that Caden Considine felt the need to fill were big ones.

But you know what they say to do if the shoe fits — and Caden has worn his pretty well.

The cleats have carried him through a successful high school football career as a Byron Tiger, and now they’re taking him into college play, as a member of the Fighting Illini.

The 18-year-old senior has committed to continue his football playing at the University of Illinois, where he will study finance at the Gies College of Business. There’s not much to worry about financially, though, as he goes forward with his studies. A standout football career — and two state championships on the gridiron — paved the way to a full ride scholarship with the Fighting Illini, who beat out Iowa and Western Illinois for his services.

Caden leaves his mark on the most successful era of Byron Tigers football history, being part of Class 2A state title teams in 2023 and 2025 as a fullback and linebacker under head coach Jeff Boyer. As a sophomore, Caden was part of one of the most dominant teams in Illinois high school history, which scored a state record 823 points and 122 touchdowns. That team defeated Mount Carmel 69-7 in the Class 3A title game, and he concluded his high school career back at the state championship two years later with a 56-50 nail biting win over Tolono Unity.

Not bad for a kid who played soccer as a young child and began his football playing days as a large lineman.

Caden has one more high school state championship than his father, Sean, who was part of the Tigers’ 1999 title team. Sean, who played eight seasons as a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens, has a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Ravens’ winning team in Super Bowl XVLII.

Being a safety, like his dad, will be a role Caden anticipates being in for the Fighting Illini this fall. Along with having led his teammates in the field of sports, he also leads the family siblings as the oldest of five in Sean and wife Nicole’s family: himself; triplets Cohen, Corben and Hadley; and Caiven.

Shaw Media recently caught up with Caden to talk with him about his experiences as a multi-sport athlete, success as a Tiger, and his future with the Fighting Illini.

What do you like and enjoy about football?

Football is a very action-packed game. There’s so much preparation that goes into it, and I’m big on that kind of side of things when I’m preparing to do something. I love that aspect of football that you can put yourself ahead of game and put yourself in a better position than the guy across from you, just with that preparation.

What are some of your earliest memories playing football, as a young child?

I was actually an offensive and defensive lineman because I was so big, bigger than everyone else because I grew faster than everyone else. I was playing O-line and D-line back then, and I think that it helped me in the offenses that I run when I became a running back. I’ve played basically every football position there is because I’ve had different body types growing up. I think putting your body in those different positions has really helped me as an athlete, and that goes along with the multiple sports I play, being put in different positions and having to compete in different ways, and that ultimately helps overall as an athlete.

There are some kids who like to focus on a single sport, and others, like you, who want to be involved in multiple ones. Do you have an opinion on what is best?

I think everybody should play as many sports as they can. Once you get done with football, you don’t get to play it again and get those years back; basketball and baseball, you probably will be able to play them. The high school experience is something that you can’t get back, and I encourage all young athletes to do as many sports as they can, find what they’re good at, and put their body in different positions. You got to love to compete. If I’m not constantly doing something and competing, it doesn’t feel right to me. There’s a time when someone should focus on a single sport, but I do think that there’s a time when you’re in a development stage and find out what you’re really good at.

Fast forward to your high school years and being a fullback. The big guys up front, what have they meant to you?

I’ve grown up with the best O-linemen in Byron. They’re all phenomenal. We’ve had some real big boys come through, and they’ve averaged probably 270, 280 pounds. You can’t ask much more from your linemen, not just with physicals, but in being smart. Guys like Nolan Brass, Josh Harris, Sam Gentz, Maverick Gallister, Jared Claunch — I could go on and on. These are all guys who I’m friends with to this day. I’ve had great connections with them, and that’s a big reason why we’ve won so many football games.

Having once been in the linemen’s shoes before, has it helped you with doing what you do when you’re carrying the ball?

A big thing with me, especially on the defensive side, is that I love to note what everyone’s doing. When you can understand every aspect of the game, it just makes your job easier and you can help them out. Being in their shoes before, it really gives you an understanding of what it’s like to be there and make the holes that you run through, so I know how they’re going to happen, when they’re going to happen and how quick I’m supposed to hit the hole, because I’ve been in their shoes before.

What was it like playing in your freshman year for the Byron Tigers, and with its history in mind?

I weighed more than what I do now (210), and being a 215-pound freshman they knew they could plug me in a lot of different positions. I ended up playing D-line and a little bit of fullback, and having that size as a freshman really helped because even though I was a little bit muscularly underdeveloped, I was still big enough to compete with the seniors and juniors I was going against. I’ve gotten smaller, but I’ve gotten much stronger and faster.

What’s been the biggest improvement in your football play from your freshman year to now?

For sure, it’s been my speed. It’s the one thing I’ve been focused on for a long time. I’ve always been strong, so I knew that if I wanted to get recruited, I wanted to get faster. That’s how I ultimately got recruited to Illinois, putting up some good [40-yard dash] times at camps, around that 4.5 range.

What does it take to be successful in the fullback role?

One, you got to know how to block. Coach Boyer is big on giving you the football, but you got to prove that you can block first. Being an offensive lineman when I was younger really helped me become good at blocking. You have to be very versatile at that position.

Being part of the 2023 Class 2A state championship team as a sophomore, what was that experience like?

We broke the scoring record that year. We had one close game early on in the season, but ultimately being in that atmosphere was incredible. Playing in that big game — I’ve played in a lot being a three-sport athlete — once you’ve been in that position, you know what to do, you know how to prepare yourself. Playing on that stage at such a point really helped my in the future playing in more big games.

Not many athletes can say they can conclude their high school football careers with a win. When the clock went 00:00 and your team won another state championship in 2025, what were your emotions like?

That state championship game was a heart attack, to say the least. It came down to the wire. It was a last-second play, and we got a pass breakup and won the game. I was laying on the field cramping because I didn’t come off the field one time during the game. I literally couldn’t stand up. My dad wrote me a quote before that game, by Vincent Lombardi, saying there’s no greater feeling in the world than when a man is lying victorious on the battlefield and exhausted. It’s kind of funny how that quote came to life after that game. That’s a surreal experience. That, and having your dad as a coach and finishing out your season like that, it was a dream come true. It was just incredible.

Being a captain, you’re mentoring some of the younger kids on the team, what has that experience been like?

At Byron, the past couple of years, we’ve always brought up younger kids who have been great athletes. This year, we had a lot of kids like that who played defense. Being able to be a leader for them, it’s a great feeling knowing that hopefully I’ve made a positive mark on them, and I’m excited to see what they do in the near future.

If you can sum up your Byron Tiger football experience in two sentences, what would it be?

Byron Tiger football is all about brotherhood, and if you ask anyone on the team about that, they’ll say that. A big part of my career was attention to detail, and that’s been a goal that we’ve set as a team, so a big part of Byron Football is paying attention to the little things.

Who was your favorite rival?

We’ve had some battles with some schools. The two that pop up are Montini Catholic [of Lombard] and IC Catholic [of Elmhurst] — those are two private schools that have always given us a tough time. Both schools we’ve beaten once and lost to once. IC’s got a great thing going there with coach Matt Bowen, and Montini has a culture with winning state championships like it’s crazy. Those are two prestigious programs, and I’m honored to have played them.

Being recruited, take us through that process and how it came down to committing to Illinois.

I’ve been recruited by Iowa just because my dad played there and we had a connection there. My junior year was going to be a big year for my recruitment, but I pulled both of my hamstrings and had to get wrist surgery. A lot of these Big Ten schools do a lot of their recruiting during one’s junior year. That was a major setback, but fortunately I was back by the end of that season — but still rough a little bit with my speed. Eventually I improved my speed and went to a lot of camps in the summer. Iowa gave me a walk-on on the spot, and it was my first offer. Then I went to camps at North Dakota State and Northwestern, got a Western Illinois scholarship, North Dakota State scholarship. Then I went to an Illinois camp, and coach Bret Bielema liked the way I moved at the safety position, and he said, “We’ll keep in touch.” Fast forward to after the state championship game, coach Pat Ryan, their recruiting coordinator, was at that game and really liked what he saw. I ended up taking a visit to Illinois, and they gave me a full-ride scholarship, and I took it.

What have you come to like and enjoy about Byron as a community?

In Byron, everybody knows everybody. They all rally behind a team. It’s a great sports system. It’s like a family. Whether it’s in football, with the girls basketball team down at state [in March], the whole community rallies around them, and you feel special, like you’re doing something very good. Having that backup of people around its truly incredible.

What has it been like being the son of a former NFL player?

As a kid growing up in that atmosphere, playing with all of the other NFL kids, you’re instantly brought into following the dream of following in your dad’s footsteps, which I’ve been working for my entire life. This is just another step in that journey, and a big step committing to a Big Ten school just like he did. I got a lot of work ahead of me, though, but having him as my coach and dad has been a big part of the success that I’ve seen throughout high school, middle school, and hopefully at the college level. I attribute a lot of — if not all of — the success to him, being the father figure that he is, the man that he is. People will tell you he’s the hardest worker they’ve been around, and hopefully I can get half of that title someday.