Dressed head to toe in a fluorescent orange uniform, Illinois kicker David Olano stood a few steps to the left of the hash marks and took a deep breath.
The 2023 Naperville North graduate was about to attempt a career-long 50-yard field goal against No. 19 Kansas.
“It was my first time getting tested,” Olano said.
Holder Hugh Robertson handled the snap cleanly, and Olano’s kick flew between the goal posts. Robertson then embraced Olano in a celebratory hug.
Olano’s field goal, his second of three in Illinois’ 23-17 win on Sept. 7, 2024, proved crucial.
“It was special, and winning a game like that when we had lost the year before to them was super special,” he said.
As the incumbent starting kicker for the Illini, Olano feels he’s living the dream, and it isn’t just the glory that comes with Big Ten football. It’s family too.
After playing soccer at Naperville North with his older brother, Pablo, they went their separate ways. David Olano called an audible and switched to football at North, while Pablo Olano played soccer at Mount Olive, a Division II university in North Carolina.
The separation was agonizing at times for the tight-knit brothers.
“Ever since the beginning, we’ve been really, really close,” Pablo Olano said. “We grew up sleeping in the same room. Whenever our parents told us to go to bed, we’d just stay up and laugh for the rest of the night.
“And growing up playing sports together helped us bond even more. I honestly could not have asked for a better relationship with my brother, even to this day.”
These days are a delight for the Olano brothers, who have reunited at Illinois. As David Olano toured the campus during a recruiting visit, Pablo Olano began to envision himself in Champaign too.
“He saw how nice of a school it was,” David Olano said. “He saw how close it was to home, and it had the major he wanted.”
So as David Olano committed to kick for the Illini, Pablo Olano made the move as well.
“Honestly, it’s been nothing short of unreal,” Pablo Olano said. “If you would have told me three years ago that I would be in Champaign watching (David) live his dream of becoming the football player that he is today, I would consider it a dream.
“I can walk out of my building and just walk down the block to see him. Seeing each other almost every day of the week again is amazing.”
As an added bonus, their parents, Gustavo and Patty, are just a few hours up the road in Naperville and travel to all of David Olano’s games.
“It’s about being with him and supporting him for the good or for the bad, to celebrate or to give him some support,” Gustavo Olano said. “Going to every game is super, super important.”
Gustavo Olano said their friends know the deal. Come Aug. 29, when the Illini will play Western Illinois in Champaign, they won’t see the Olanos on weekends until the season ends.
“I’m super proud of who he is and how committed he is to the sport, to his team members and to the family,” Gustavo Olano said of David. “It’s not just about being successful on the field, but to be the same person in life.”
On the field, the 2024 season was brimming with life-changing moments for David Olano, who has aced the soccer-to-football transition.
After spending his freshman season as Illinois’ kickoff specialist, David Olano slotted into the starting role last year and flourished. He ranked fifth in the conference with an 85% field-goal percentage and was voted an all-conference honorable mention. His smooth kicking helped power Illinois to their most wins since 2001, before the Olano brothers were born.
The season included a victory over South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl, a game in which the Illini were considered heavy underdogs.
“There’s nothing like it, seeing everyone doubt us,” David Olano said. “We knew in our program that we were capable, and winning a bowl game my sophomore year was a super special moment to share and see that all the hard work really was for something.”
David Olano said he’s “super confident” entering his junior season, and his family members continue to pinch themselves as they watch him on college football’s grandest stages.
“Neither my parents nor I would have ever imagined David switching to football and getting to a Big Ten school like Illinois,” Pablo Olano said. “Sometimes we can’t even comprehend what’s going on. It’s insane, the kind of moments we’ve lived so far with David.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter.
Originally Published:
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