Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman introduced Bret Bielema as the head coach of the Fighting Illini football program on Monday.
Whitman and Bielema addressed the media via Zoom.
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Josh Whitman
"Bret Bielema's experience speaks for itself. 10 bowl game visits in 12 seasons as a college head coach, career winning percentage over 60%."
"Coach Bielema is a big culture guy. He is an excellent relationship builder which I believe will serve him well in recruiting and interacting with our local community. He has a very high football IQ, and as we talked to former players, coaches, and support staff, truly no one had any ill words to say about Coach Bielema."
"A trademark of Coach Bielema's players is how much they love football. His players may not have always been 5-star recruits, but Coach Bielema knows how to get everything out of his players."
"I sensed a really strong commitment from him to our program, community, and state. It was evident from our first conversation that he was committed to recruiting in the state of Illinois and being a strong member of the community."
Bret Bielema
"I couldn't be more excited to be the head coach here at the University of Illinois. It has all really come full circle for me, being born in Illini hospital in Silvis, Illinois. I want to thank Chancellor Jones, President Tim Killeen and the Board of Trustees for this opportunity."
"I was able to lay in bed with my oldest daughter Briella and be with her. I pulled out my iPhone and looked up the ILL-INI chant and for about a half an hour we taught each other that saying and I can't imagine having any greater moment than that as a father."
"The opportunity that is in front of us now is a tremendous challenge and one that I am excited about. One thing that I want to express to everyone is that we want everyone here to have success. Josh and I have formed a partnership with everyone on the athletic staff, but I am talking about having everyone from the athletic department, students, staff, coaches, fans, and donors to have success. I can't wait to walk down the street and see someone representing Illinois and give them an ILL- and get an -INI back."
On what the program is capable of…
"The plan may be a little different than previous places, but the root of good football is simple: we will build a roster of smart, tough, and dependable players. That doesn't have anything to do with their 40 times, bench presses, how they catch the ball, but they will understand what that means and how that ties into the offensive, defensive, and special teams plans."
On building the Illinois program…
"I see it as a land of opportunity. One of the messages I gave to the team was we aren't just talking about success five years from now, we are talking about success as fast as we can. The part that we have to understand as coaches is that we need to get it right the first time."
On keeping Illinois recruits in-state...
"I don't care what size school, location, those schools will have the opportunity to be in contact with me and my staff. Anybody who believes that they have a player that wants to be a part of Illinois to win a Big Ten Championship or national championship , we want them. If we are built with the DNA and a structure from the state of Illinois then we have a great chance to be successful.
