Brown played for the Illini from 2015-19.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Former Illinois running back Dre Brown is returning to the Fighting Illini as Director of Player Personnel, head coach Bret Bielema announced. Brown is rejoining his alma mater from Notre Dame, where he was the football program's director of recruiting.
"I have been impressed with Dre's career since beginning to follow him when I first arrived at Illinois," said Bielema. "His experiences in recruiting at Notre Dame and Tennessee, as well as his background as a player here at Illinois, will be a great asset to our program. It is exciting to bring a person of his caliber back to the Illini famILLy."
"My wife Lindsay and I are beyond excited to join the FamILLy and return home," said Brown. "As a proud alum, the University of Illinois is a special place and has provided me with more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. I can't wait to work with Coach Bielema and Pat Embleton to bring top-tier talent to this program. Let's get to work. I-L-L!"
Following his playing career at Illinois, Brown was a graduate student at the Gies College of Business before starting his career in college football. He began as a football recruiting coordinator at Tennessee before moving on to Notre Dame, where he was hired as an offensive recruiting coordinator in 2021. Brown was a defensive analyst in 2022 and recruiting analyst focusing on high school relations in 2023, before being promoted to director of recruiting in March 2024.
In each of the last three seasons, Brown has helped Notre Dame land a top-12 recruiting class. The Irish recruited the No. 9 class in the nation last year according to 247Sports and Rivals, including one five-star recruit and 10 four-star recruits.
As a player, Brown rushed for 902 yards and seven touchdowns during his Illinois career from 2015-19, including 584 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a senior in 2019. He was also a standout kick returner, ranking 21st in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in kickoff return average in 2019 (25.3) on his way to leading the Illini in all-purpose yards (1,299).
Brown's biggest games came in three straight wins during his senior year, starting with running for 70 yards on 11 carries against No. 6 Wisconsin to help Illinois win, 24-23, and complete one of the biggest upsets in Big Ten history. He followed up that effort by running for a career-high 131 yards in a win at Purdue, and he then had his first two-touchdown game in a win over Rutgers.
Brown earned a bachelor's degree in recreation, sport and tourism from the University of Illinois in 2018. He graduated from the Gies College of Business with a master's degree in business, management, marketing, and related support services in 2021.
