Bret Bielema Takes Reins of Illinois Football

[B-ILL]

Here's your F+ ratings comparison between what Bielema has done in his head coaching career and where Illinois has been during the same timeframe. A few things stand out:

- Bielema did inherit a good program from Alvarez, but actually *improved* it during his last 4 years at Wisconsin
- Top 20 in 4-straight years at Wisconsin, with a peak of #8 in 2011
- The turnaround at Arkansas was substantial - from #87 to #9 by year 2
- The turnaround at Arkansas was short-lived
- It's been a long time since Illinois has been good

 

[BRucks]

The word ‘retread’ kept popping into my head every time I heard his name come up. Yes, he’s had success in the past and things could work out... but I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re one of the only P5 programs that would have made this hire.

We're also one of the worst P5 programs in the country so realistically we weren't choosing from among the best.

 

[SampsonRelpenk]

That's because there is no logic to it. My only fear was that we didn't have the money.

Bringing back Lovie for 2021 would have been bringing back Tepper for 1996 and Turner for 2004 all over again. It was over, we did absolutely the right thing.

Even accounting for the vastly different landscapes of 2003 vs. 2020, bringing back a 1-11 coach for Year Eight is still astonishing.

 

[Lexis20]

Needed a new head coach to take advantage of the upcoming transfer market. Lovie would have squandered the opportunity. Waiting another year was not an option. The time to strike was now.

Let's face it...the Lovie era was over. He was doing nothing for UI in the community, the program was floundering and trending downward, and he was going along on name recognition only. Folks that know him generally say he is a good guy and that's admirable, but he was getting paid big bucks to win and grow a program. He wasn't doing either. I think BB is a great hire. Can't understand the naysayers. This guy was the right guy and I expect big things. In the era of transfers, he may be able to get things moving in the right direction much quicker than in past coaching changes too.

 

[FortWayneFan]

I admit, I was not initially thrilled with this hire. But BB and Underwood both appear to be old school, no-nonsense, go hard or go home, guys. Maybe not the sexiest hires out there, but COACHES. I kind of like this trend from JW. I’m getting more excited.

 

[TCTORNADO]

When Fitz moves on to the Bears, LL will be perfect @ NW.

 

[Wokker]

This strikes me as...fine?

I think we’ve become a bit inured to some real outlier behavior from our coaches over the last ten years, be it nepotism or the ghosting of HS coaches or disastrous hires (see also: nepotism) or truly terrible in-game decision-making. I have a hard time seeing Bielema doing any of that stuff. Does that translate to certain success? Obviously not. But it might mean a significantly higher floor.

We’re Illinois. We can’t have nice, or even decent, things right?

 

[Boomauer]

I am not a fan of the hire and would have rather had Lovie stay on for another year and take our time courting someone. I'm guessing the next four years will go something like 3-9, 2-10, 4-8, 4-8, Bret fired. This is among the worst jobs in the P5. There are probably MAC jobs that are more attractive. It's a tough one to sell and we should probably spend at least a year seriously pitching it to prospects. We've literally just set that process back 4+ years.

Would love to be wrong, but I'm thinking I'm right.

Glass half empty kinda guy, eh?

 

[Wokker]

When Fitz moves on to the Bears, LL will be perfect @ NW.

This makes me very sad, for several reasons

 

[illjni 4 ever]

I like the hire. We will see improvement in recruiting. Our options were limited. Didnt think another MAC coach was the right move. I just want to be excited for Illinois football again.

 

[ChiefGritty]

Here's your F+ ratings comparison between what Bielema has done in his head coaching career and where Illinois has been during the same timeframe. A few things stand out:

- Bielema did inherit a good program from Alvarez, but actually *improved* it during his last 4 years at Wisconsin
- Top 20 in 4-straight years at Wisconsin, with a peak of #8 in 2011
- The turnaround at Arkansas was substantial - from #87 to #9 by year 2
- The turnaround at Arkansas was short-lived
- It's been a long time since Illinois has been good

View attachment 6860

One other thing to mention, the Barry Alvarez halo effect owes a great deal to his very strong ending in the job, which was driven very substantially by the quality of Bielema's defense.

From 01-03 Alvarez went 5-7, 8-6, 7-6, 9-15 combined in the Big Ten. Then 34-year-old Bielema takes over the defense, and in 04 they surged back into the top 15 with a 5-0 start and scores of:

Wisconsin 34 UCF 6
Wisconsin 18 UNLV 3
Wisconsin 9 Arizona 7
Wisconsin 16 Penn State 3
Wisconsin 24 Illinois 7

That was a hinge moment in the history of the magical Wisconsin juggernaut. It could have gone another way. But Alvarez ended 9-3, 10-3, and retire upstairs to be Head Coach Emeritus.

 

[DaChief4ever]

I’m surprised. I don’t hate it.

Anyone have an idea what happened at Arkansas? He seemed to have that program more on less on track, competitive in an absolute beast of a division, bowl games and wins over top 10 teams in three consecutive seasons, and then the wheels came off in season 5.

If someone could convince me there was something flukish to his end at Arkansas and not the gradual erosion of talent that bottomed out when his predecessor’s last recruit left town, I’d feel better about this hire.

Gets a negative vibe from Arkansas....BUT... 3 back to back bowl games looks pretty good.

 

[Lexis20]

Bielema played college football as a defensive lineman at the University of Iowa under coach Hayden Fry from 1989 to 1992, serving as team captain his senior season. In his senior season, after Iowa beat Iowa State 21-7, Bielema approached Iowa State head coach Jim Walden for a post-game handshake and said "You’re a big prick. It’s been a pleasure kicking your !!! the last five years" (Iowa State had never beaten Iowa during Bielema's tenure with the team). The moment caused considerable stir, with University of Iowa officials reprimanding Bielema and sending an official letter of apology to Walden.[1] Bielema graduated from Iowa with a bachelor's degree in marketing. He went on to play for the Milwaukee Mustangs, a team in the Arena Football League.

From Wikipedia. If true, I really like it.

I really like it too..this is the kind of fire I want in the football program. I am tired of being a national embarrassment, clownish (Beckman), gimmicky (Cubic, Beckman), lazy (Lovie). I want teams to circle the game against Illinois knowing there will be some hitting coming down the pike. You play Illinois and you have your hands full.

 

[IlliniReb]

We could have spent the year tempting head coaches at P5 schools that are consistent but underpaid. We'd have some post-pandemic clarity on the reality of our situation. This whole season has been a wash. There was no rush to part ways with Lovie. I'd rather be set back one year than 4+. At best, Bret will give us what Lovie was. He's not the guy for the job, but we're stuck with him for at least four years.

No, we had to give Lovie an extension after this year so he could recruit. Why throw good money after bad? I’m willing to give BB a chance.

 

[BRucks]

Yep - I am out of here. They hired the wrong Illinois native. Burt imploded at Arkansas and St. Louis coaches loathe him. In addition, we paid him a Top 20 salary for no reason - there was zero competition to get him. We are about to be Wisconsin Jr. led by a coach with an Iowa Hawkeyes tattoo.

Enjoy this one y'all. See you on the dark side of the moon.

Gee, we hardly knew ya:

ChicagoKid​

Joined Dec 8, 2020

 

[illiniCA]

When Fitz moves on to the Bears, LL will be perfect @ NW.

Does NW have an AD right now?

 

[DaChief4ever]

To be fair Les Miles probably should have also turned the Kansas job down.

Give Bert some time.....I could see alotta fans pulling for LES MILES before Kansas......

 

[Elgin7680]

So you'd be happy with 29-34? This is your definition of success?

Certainly I would like for him to be better here, but we are talking about nearly 500 in six years, which far from what Illinois has been.

 

[CogDog]

I agree with Ligs and Lou.

What is with the love for Cory? He got some recruits that he directly coached. Besides that, he has followed through with very few others from that area. On top of that, we have no idea what his coaching is even like. It was a risk I was willing to accept from Lovie, but I don’t think it’s paid off.

Those are all fair arguments for sure. I failed to realize that he really didn’t have much of an impact on guys in StL besides his Trinity players.

 

[DocMorgan]

Maybe this should be in the Lovie thread but it also pertains to BB. JW said he made the decision to move on from Lovie after the Iowa game. I am not sure when Lovie decided to not participate in the IHSFCA zoom conference, but for me it was the final nail in his coffin. I hope and believe that JW came to the same conclusion. It was a slap in the face to every prep football coach in the state. It is very telling that within hours of being hired, BB placed a call to the head of the IHSFCA. To me this means that JW understands the importance of this relationship and urged BB to make this connection.

 

[lh1216]

Can someone post an article or link to a credible source that provides some actual proof to Bielema's so called bad behavior or questionable character? The only things I have seen posted are rumors, tweets, posts from other message boards, and stuff from want to be bloggers. The guy has been a head coach in the Big Ten and SEC for a combined twelve years and I haven't heard of any major scandals, just some small gossipy stuff. So he is either really good at getting away with his wrongdoings or he has just been lucky so far.

Everything that I have seen points in the direction that some people just don't like him. I'm fine with having a coach that not every one likes. The two football programs that I personally know a few former players who played for their current head coach are Illinois State University and University of Northern Iowa. The only words I have heard describe those head coaches are d**k*ead*, a**h**e, and c**ks***r. Guess what, both programs win. I would rather win than feel good about losing.

 

[Joel Goodson]

No, we had to give Lovie an extension after this year so he could recruit. Why throw good money after bad? I’m willing to give BB a chance.

You really meant "recruit", right?

 

[BexleyIllini]

I wasn’t going to be thrilled with any coach we reasonably could’ve expected to get. I think BB does check a lot of boxes, and his abrasive style will annoy other BIG schools. Maybe an abrasive, obnoxious personality will work? Nothing else has worked for us.

 

[BRucks]

He didn’t get a scholarship offer to play at Illinois. I would assume if he’s discussing this with a kid he’s probably offering them a scholarship.

I don't think he had a scholarship offer to Iowa either. Be that as it may, as a high school lineman I'd choose Fry over Mackovic every time.

 

[IlliniFanHere]

Yep - I am out of here. They hired the wrong Illinois native. Burt imploded at Arkansas and St. Louis coaches loathe him. In addition, we paid him a Top 20 salary for no reason - there was zero competition to get him. We are about to be Wisconsin Jr. led by a coach with an Iowa Hawkeyes tattoo.

Enjoy this one y'all. See you on the dark side of the moon.

Welcome to the Bigs, where 3 consecutive bowl appearances at Arkansas will be recorded as an "implosion"