Illinois Coach Bret Bielema's Long Journey Leading To His Fourth Season in Champaign

The Fighting Illini has a head man with over 15 years of Power 4 coaching experience. Here is what his presence means for their team against Nebraska.

Aug 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema greets running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) before the first half at Memorial Stadium. / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois coach Bret Bielema has not had an ordinary journey in his head coaching career.

He got his first opportunity to lead a college football program when he was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach by Wisconsin in 2006 with the retirement of Barry Alvarez. Alvarez chose him to be his replacement, and he had immediate success.

Bielema won 17 of his first 18 games at Wisconsin, which is the third-best start to a head coaching career in Big Ten history. He ended up with four double-digit victory seasons during his time coaching the Badgers. From 2010 to 2012, he won three consecutive Big Ten championships and played in three Rose Bowls. His success at Wisconsin was undeniable, but he was ready for a new challenge.

He accepted the head coaching job at Arkansas in 2013 and attempted to conquer the SEC as he had done with the Big Ten. But he found that to be tougher than he anticipated. He went 29-34 in five seasons in Fayetteville after going 68-24 in seven years at Wisconsin. He simply was not cut out for the SEC and the difficulties that come with a job like Arkansas in the SEC West. Despite some success, he was fired after failing to meet expectations.

Oct 14, 2017; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema looks on from the sidelines against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Bielema was hired as an assistant on the New England Patriots staff and ended up winning a Super Bowl with them in 2018. In 2020 he served as the outside linebackers coach for the New York Giants before making his return to college football. Illinois gave him a six-year contract and allowed him to coach in the Big Ten again, a conference he won three times with Wisconsin.

It has been a work in progress, but so far, Bielema is 21-19 at Illinois heading into Friday's matchup with Nebraska. After having a disappointing 5-7 campaign last year, the Fighting Illini are 3-0 and ranked No. 24 in this week's AP Poll. They are preparing for a ranked matchup with No. 22 Nebraska in the biggest game of the year so far for either team.

While he may have taken a long time to get to where he is now, Bielema has plenty of experience coaching in big games. That experience will help the Fighting Illini when they walk into a frenzied Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

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