The Philadelphia Stars signed former Illinois State offensive lineman Drew Himmelman on Monday. Drew Himmelman is six foot ten and weighs 325 pounds.
The 26-year-old from Geneseo, Illinois, signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and was placed on the practice squad. In 2022, he signed with the Washington Commanders and was placed on the practice squad before being released and later tried out for the Buffalo Bills. He returned to Washington in 2023 but was again released.
Collegiately, Himmelman played 39 games in four seasons at Illinois State (2017-20), of which 38 were starts playing left tackle. In 2021, Himmelman was part of an offensive line that helped the Redbirds rush for 172 yards per game and aided two different backs in rushing for over 100 yards in a game, including two in the win over Western Illinois. He was named First Team All-MVFC.
In 2019, he earned First Team FCS All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, STATS FCS, and The Associated Press after playing left tackle in 15 games. The offensive line helped lead the way for the league’s leading rusher in James Robinson, who recorded 1,899 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
In 2018, Himmelman played a critical part in the offensive line unit that made ISU the third-best scoring offense in the conference, paving the way for James Robinson, who rushed for a league-leading 1,290 yards with 12 touchdowns. He was named HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America First Team.
In his freshmen season, Himmelman started nine games playing left tackle. He was an instrumental part of ISU’s offensive front that had the fourth-best rushing offense in the MVFC and helped James Robinson rank second in the MVFC in rushing touchdowns (12) and third in yards (933).
