Kankakee, Illinois. Population, roughly 26,000. The rural township about an hour south of Downtown Chicago on Interstate 57 used to be a marsh. Nightly talk show host David Letterman once donated a pair of gazebos to the city after it was rated the No. 354 urban area to live in — out of 354 urban areas.

And according to real estate data analytics provider Neighborhood Scout, residents here have a 1 in 23 chance of becoming the victim of a property or violent crime.

It’s not exactly the kind of place you’d expect one of the most happy-go-lucky, good-natured guys in college football to be born and raised. But there are about as many layers to Minnesota receiver Chris Autman-Bell as there are passing routes in the Golden Gophers’ playbook.

There’s the reflective side of Autman-Bell. The one who realizes if not for a remarkably loving and supportive family, he probably wouldn’t be here. The one who has the name “Kevin Wright” tattooed on his body for a best friend who was lost to gun violence in Kankakee.

Minnesota’s top receiver says he plays every game with Kevin weighing heavy on his heart.

“I was raised right,” Autman-Bell, who also has the name of his hometown inked across his chest, told Saturday Tradition. “My mother and my my father and my stepdad kept me out of the way of the violence. I had my head in the books. I’d play sports, do my homework and do my chores at home.”

There wasn’t much time to run with the wrong crowd. That’s where the grateful side of No. 7 comes out.

Autman-Bell is often seen smiling and heard emitting a heartfelt belly laugh. But there’s a tenacious side, too. Like when he’s going up for a jump ball between two Big Ten defenders and coming down with it in the end zone.

In 33 career games, he’s caught 78 passes for 1,250 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s been the beneficiary of playing alongside current NFLers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman.

But this year — as soon as he returns from a leg injury that has him “week-to-week,” according to coach P.J. Fleck — Autman-Bell is the guy. It’s why the Gophers took a collective “big, deep breath,” the coach said, after Autman-Bell was helped off the field following a one-on-one drill.

“There’s a legitimate chance he plays against Ohio State” in Minnesota’s Sept. 2 season opener, Fleck said.

In the meantime, the leadership side has come out as Autman-Bell tries to bring younger players along. But the powerful side will be counted upon as the Gophers try to get back on track 2 years removed from their first 11-win season in over a century.

“I’ll tell you what [receivers coach] Matt Simon has told me many times: I have to be no hero,” Autman-Bell said. “I just need to grow in my role, and in doing so, help influence others.

“I’m ready to step up and do it, but I need to bring others with me.”

The redshirt senior likes what he sees out of proteges Dylan Wright, Daniel Jackson, Michael Brown-Stephens and the rest of a relatively inexperienced receiver corps. Autman-Bell is self-aware enough to know he can’t do it alone.

So were Johnson and Bateman, who took time to walk him through the position’s finer points — from releases at the line of scrimmage to how to read a defensive back’s pre-snap alignment.

Autman-Bell still studies film of those two.

“I’m honored to be their friend and brother,” Autman-Bell said. “I’ve learned a lot from them.”

And anyone who’s spent much time around Autman-Bell knows he doesn’t take himself too seriously. In fact, it’s hard to imagine him taking anything too seriously.

Early in fall camp, Autman-Bell described his team’s personality as “funny.” You can bet he plays a leadership role in that department, too.

Inside jokes that ring throughout the locker room. Sharing memes at the training table.

“[Running back] Trey Potts sent me a link to a video four days ago and we’ve been quoting it to each other every time we see each other since then,” Autman-Bell says with a howl.

Who’s the most unexpectedly humorous guy on the team? Workhorse running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

“He’s probably the funniest guy I’ve ever met,” Autman-Bell said. “He can definitely cut it loose.”

But if you really want to get Autman-Bell going, ask the former high school basketball star to talk about the best hoopers on the football team.

The group doesn’t play together much, for prudence’s sake. But Autman-Bell can name his starting five without prompting: himself, Jackson, Brown-Stephens, tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and linebacker Braelen Oliver. Defensive back Jordan Howden would be the sixth man and defensive stopper.

“There have been a couple times during the offseason we’ve got a little sweat in and relived our hoops dreams,” Autman-Bell said with a chuckle.

It was those dreams that carried Autman-Bell through much of his childhood. He grew up wanting to play for Duke, and had a pretty successful showing on the AAU circuit.

He also had 10 brothers and sisters by virtue of a blended but tight-knit family. That helped with accountability.

“I’d go upstairs and play with my little sister, then go downstairs and wrestle my big brother, then go beat my little brother in Madden,” Autman-Bell said. “It was awesome. When we weren’t home, we were scattered all over the city, s0 wherever I went, I’d usually see one of them.”

Collegiate football became a serious proposition heading into his junior season. Bishop McNamara coach Rich Zinanni put it simply: “Do you want to try to make a team with 60 roster spots or 10?”

“That made it pretty easy to focus on football,” Autman-Bell said.

He was rated a 3-star prospect but missed most of his senior season with a thumb injury. Autman-Bell had committed to Fleck while he was still at Western Michigan, then — like quarterback Tanner Morgan — followed the charismatic coach to the Twin Cities.

“I’m nothing but thankful,” Autman-Bell said. “Every day, I wake up thankful and I go to sleep thankful. I love these coaches and teammates to death. They’ll probably be in my wedding someday.”

Fleck’s wife, Heather, will surely get an invite, too. She’s been known to check in on players and help support them off the field. Autman-Bell calls her a second mother.

“Shout out to Momma Fleck — nothing but greatness there,” he says.

When he’s not preparing for the next opponent or spending extra time on pass patterns with Morgan, he’s challenging teammates to a bout of Madden, UFC or Mortal Kombat on X-Box or PlayStation. “I don’t own a system, but I beat everyone in every game,” he says.

It’s easy to peg the jokester as a big comedy movie guy, but no. His favorite titles include cult classics “Donnie Darko” and “The Butterfly Effect.” He and Spann-Ford binged every Quentin Tarantino film they could find this past summer.

So there’s an existential side, too.

“Whenever it’s lock-in time, we get serious,” Autman-Bell said. “It’s one of those most focused teams I’ve ever been around. But it’s also the funniest group I’ve ever been around.”

And that’s the reminder that comes with having a guy like Autman-Bell in the fold. Amid all the pressures of performing, the microscope of major college football, waiting his turn behind the great ones before him, the intensity of his own NFL aspirations after this season, and the collective pains of the past year-and-a-half — especially stark in Minneapolis — this is still a game.

And games are supposed to be fun.

“That’s exactly why I’m here in this program,” Autman-Bell said. “I’m just looking forward to getting back out there with my family one more time.”