Giants Assistant Bret Bielema Named Illinois Football Coach

Bielema will begin his duties at Illinois immediately.

Illinois announced Saturday that New York Giants defensive assistant Bret Bielema will become its new head coach.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic first reported the news.

Bielema's contract is for six years starting with an annual salary of $4.2 million, according to Feldman. Bielema will begin his duties at Illinois immediately and will attend the Fighting Illini's game Saturday at Penn State as the guest of Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman.

Bielema, an Illinois native, is no stranger to the Big Ten. He coached at Wisconsin from 2006-12 where he won 40 games in his final four seasons with the Badgers and won three Big Ten championships.

Illinois parted ways with Lovie Smith on Dec. 13. In five seasons as the Illini head coach, Smith went 17–39 and failed to put together a winning season. Illinois also made just a single postseason appearance throughout Smith's tenure, falling in last year's the Redbox Bowl. 

Whitman said in statement that Bielema is a proven winner.

"With three Big Ten championships to his credit, few coaches can match his familiarity with, and success within, the Big Ten Conference," Whitman said. "In our conversations, it became clear to me that he is a life-long learner who is continually looking to grow and improve, and he has enjoyed unrivaled mentorship from some of the game's most distinguished coaches, including Hayden Fry, Kirk Ferentz, Bill Snyder, Barry Alvarez, and Bill Belichick – all of them current or future Hall of Famers.

"Bret's blue collar work ethic and genuine, authentic manner will allow him to form strong connections to his players and staff and positive relationships in our community and our state. These qualities, combined with his commitment to education and his track record of success, give me great confidence in his leadership of our football program."

Bielema led Wisconsin to three Big Ten championships (2010-12), six consecutive bowl games and a 68-24 record (.739). Bielema then spent five seasons as the Arkansas head coach from 2013-17. After inheriting a depleted roster and enduring a difficult first season, Bielema led the Razorbacks to three consecutive bowl games, including victories against Texas in 2014 and Kansas State in 2015.

Bielema said the Illinois job is a moment where it feels like he is coming home.

"I can't be any more excited about the opportunity in front of me with the Fighting Illini," Bielema said. "We want to build a program that makes Illini Nation proud and regain the passion that I've seen when Illinois wins. We want the young men playing football in the state of Illinois from Freeport to Cairo and from Quincy to Danville dreaming of wearing the Orange and Blue and playing at Memorial Stadium. I look forward to re-connecting with the high school coaches around the state making it clear we intend to keep our players home."

Bielema spent the last three seasons in the NFL. His first two seasons in the NFL were with the New England Patriots as a consultant to six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Belichick in 2018 and as the team's defensive line coach in 2019, when the Patriots won the AFC East with a 12-4 record and had the NFL's best defense. In Bielema's first season with the Patriots, New England went 11-5 and defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. He has been the outside linebackers coach and senior assistant for the New York Giants during the 2020 season.

Bielema was a defensive lineman at Iowa from 1989-92, when he was a four-time letterman under Fry. After joining the team as a walk-on, Bielema earned a scholarship after his first year, started as a junior and was named a team captain for his senior season.