Bret Bielema | Bio

Douglas C. and Linda M. Mills Endowed Head Football Coach
Fifth Season in 2025
X: @BretBielema

Bret Bielema was named as the 26th Fighting Illini Head Football Coach in the history of the program in December 2020. A native of Prophetstown, Illinois, Bielema has 27 years of collegiate coaching experience and compiled a 16-year record of 125-80 (.610) as head coach at Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Illinois.

Bielema, who signed a six-year agreement in 2025 that will keep him at Illinois through 2030, has elevated Illinois to new heights during his first four seasons with 28 wins, 18 Big Ten victories, and a victory in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl to give Illinois its fifth 10-win season in program history. He has brought national relevance to the Fighting Illini program with continued appearances in the AP Top 25 and College Football Playoff rankings, two New Year’s Bowls, three national award finalists, 11 All-Americans, and 12 NFL Draft picks since he arrived in 2021. In 16 years as a Power-4 head coach, Bielema has led 12 of his teams - including the 2024 Illinois squad - to bowl games.

In 2024, Illinois tied the program record for wins with 10, was ranked by the CFP selection committee for a program-record four straight weeks, appeared in 11 AP Top 25 polls, and tied the program record for ranked wins with four. The Fighting Illini capped one of the best seasons in program history by beating #14 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, 21-17, in one of the top bowl game victories in Illinois history.

Bielema was the first Illini coach to go to two bowl games in his first four seasons since Lou Tepper (1991-94), after guiding Illinois to the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl, Illinois' first January bowl in 15 years, in just his second season in Champaign. The 2022 Illini won eight games, were ranked by the CFP committee for the first time in program history, reached as high as No. 14 in the AP poll, led the nation in scoring defense (12.8) for the first time in program history, and led the nation and set a school record in interceptions (24).

Two Illini were national awards finalists in 2022 in RB Chase Brown (Doak Walker Award) and CB Devon Witherspoon (Paycom Jim Thorpe Award), representing the first time an Illini finished in the top three of either the Doak Walker Award or Thorpe Award. Witherspoon was also Illinois' first winner of the Big Ten's Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, one of five Illini to be named an All-American, and one of 19 Illini to earn All-Big Ten honors, the most in program history. Illinois' five All-Americans included Witherspoon, who was the first Illini defensive back in history to be named a Consensus All-American, RB Chase Brown, DB Sydney Brown, DT Jer'Zhan Newton, and OL Alex Palczewski, who was the first Illini offensive tackle in history to earn a first team All-America honor. A year later in 2023, Newton became the program's next Consensus All-American and was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy.

Bielema has also turned Illinois into one of the top programs in producing NFL talent. Illinois is one of five schools with three or more players drafted in the first three rounds in both the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts, along with Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Penn State. Overall, Bielema has sent over 160 players to the NFL during his career as a head coach. 

From 2006-12 Bielema was the head coach at Wisconsin, where he led the Badgers to three Big Ten championships (2010-12), six consecutive bowl games, and a 68-24 record (.739). Bielema then spent five seasons as head coach at Arkansas from 2013-17. After inheriting a depleted roster, he led the Razorbacks to three consecutive bowl games from 2014-16, including victories against Texas in 2014 and Kansas State in 2015.

Bielema's coaching pedigree and list of football mentors match that of any coach in the nation. He played for and coached under Hall-of-Famer Hayden Fry, spent two years as co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State under Hall-of-Famer Bill Snyder, was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin under Hall-of-Famer Barry Alvarez, and won a Super Bowl under Bill Belichick in New England.

In 16 years as a Power 5 head coach, Bielema has led 12 of his teams - including the 2024 Illinois squad - to bowl games.

Assistant Coaches

Staff

Mark Taurisani - Associate Director of Athletics, Football Chief of Staff
Peter Weiden - Director of Operations
Tank Wright - Director of Football Strength and Conditioning
GC Yerry - Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning
Matt Manninger - Assistant Strength Coach
Nick Elicone - Assistant Strength Coach
Tyler Mayo - Assistant Strength Coach
Santos Ramirez - Strength and Conditioning Intern
Patrick Embleton - General Manager
Nate McNeal - Executive Director of Player Evaluations and Acquisitions
Patrick Pierson - Director of Football Branding and Creative Media
Pat Ryan - Director of Illinois High School Relations
Drake Leeper - Director of Recruiting
Jon Proto - Director of College Scouting/NFL Liaison
Terry Hawthorne - Director of Defensive Player Personnel
Eddie Simpkins - Director of Offensive Player Personnel
Natalie Woch - Director of Recruiting Operations
Ben Dessauer - Player Personnel Assistant
Quentin Singleton - Operations and Recruiting Assistant
Aaron Quinn - Director of Football Graphic Design
Caleb Wood - Director of Football Creative Video
Joe Maggio - Director of Video
Brendan McGuire - Assistant Director of Football Video
Jake Rosch - Director of Football Equipment Operations
Devin McKeough - Assistant Equipment Manager
Jake Anthony - Director of Football Performance Nutrition
Jordan Giese - Assistant Performance Dietitian
Olivia Gilles - Football Nutrition Fellow
Chase Louthan - Head Football Athletic Trainer
Chase Britt - Assistant Athletic Trainer
Rian Healy - Assistant Athletic Trainer
Ally Kriefski - Assistant Athletic Trainer
Zac Williams - Assistant Athletic Trainer
Shari Atwell - Office Administrator