Bret Bielema Intro Press Conference
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The entire conference is built around crazy offense. Judging on one game is pure idiocy, the Buffalo defense was the best in the MAC this year. Leipold is a really good coach and I hope he gets a bigger opportunity somewhere soon.
What he has to offer didn't add up for our program in this moment, which is neither his fault nor ours.
(EDIT: A chill just went down my spine...he'd be perfect to replace Fitzee if he goes to the NFL)
My recollection is that Bielema would have been in Mackovic's first recruiting class. Bielema was a fairly well regarded recruit, so not really sure why Mackovic didn't recruit him harder. I think he was looking to recruit more nationally, so maybe that was it
altenberger22
- South Carolina
Bielema was a walk-on at Iowa from what I recall. Not so sure he was recruited by any Power 5 programs.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Yeah he said in the presser yesterday that he walked on to Iowa.
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Leipold will get a chance at a P5 school if he continues to put up good numbers at Buffalo . one would think Syracuse has him on the radar if Barbers can’t win anymore there .
IF Fitz leaves NU for NFL , one would surmise they likely promote from within . but who knows . they need an AD first .
Bielema is a pretty good fit for us . It all seems right once you look at it all . I think JW & him have been quietly discussing things for awhile , and JW will never admit that , nor does he have to nor should he
Illinivek23
- Gurnee
Newsome declared for the draft - also Leota (DE) and McGowan (WR) are in the transfer portal, so something might be going on in Evanston. Also Phillips (AD) as you mentioned
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
They had the same AD and both coordinators for 12 years, 2008-2019. All three are now gone. That no longer looks like a promote from within scenario.
Personally, I am convinced a backroom deal was cooked up with the Bears to hand Fitz the keys around the time of the Green Bay loss (thus everyone jumping ship in Evanston), and that this Mitch resurgence is currently destroying everyone's plans and creating a huge mess, that will somehow harm the Bears and the Illini because that's how life works.
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
The days since the hire are looking positive for my suspicion that, in a vacuum, Bielema is maybe a somewhat above-average P5 college football coach but at Illinois could be a startling upgrade over what most have us have seen for our entire fandom.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Here's a fun one: objectively, based on what they inherited, which was the more impressive coaching tenure, Zook at Florida or Bielema at Arkansas?
I think I'd have to say Zook by a hair, but Larry Fedora and Charlie Strong weren't going to come along to Champaign.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Whomever our S&C coach will be just needs to get him squatting and deadlifting with his boys and that belly will slim down nicely. Can you imagine his presence if he were properly jacked?
I hear that Lovie is looking for a job; maybe he can be NW's DC
I understand that BB was looking for an escape hatch at Wisconsin, but Arkansas seems like one of the toughest possible college coaching gigs. Their expectations are out of control and they play in the SEC. Oh yeah and you have to try to recruit kids to Arkansas. Not an easy task.
Definitely have to disagree there. Zook stepped into a team that had just won the Orange Bowl and had been to BCS bowls three of the previous four years. He followed that up by winning no more than 8 games. Bielema came into a team that had been coached for a year by a failed retread following a fallout with Petrino. While not very successful, he did match Zook’s highest win total in one of the toughest divisions in the history of the sport. It can definitely be argued about what was left for them, but Bielema worked through a much tougher situation.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
It's not body-shaming. He's substantially overweight and that's seriously unhealthy. If he cares about his longevity as our coach, and about his ability to be there for his family for many years, then he should to do something about it. Now, preferably. High correlation (and causation) exists between middle-aged male belly circumference and major health problems, including early mortality. I'm simply wishing him well. I'd love to see him here for 10-15 years until he retires if he makes us relevant on a fairly annual basis.
If he gets back in the weight room under the bar regularly, and watches his diet, he can take care of this inside a year.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
If you really want to make the case against Zook, Florida failed to win at least 9 games only three times between 1990 and 2009 - Zook's three years there.
On the flip side, Zook's recruiting performance as Florida HC was nothing short of an A+, which can't just be ignored, especially in the SEC. And he did beat a bunch of really good teams, though the same is true of Bielema. And you're right, they both peaked at the same win number, which given Zook's advantages speaks volumes.
It's a fun argument.
It’s definitely an interesting argument. And you are right about his recruiting. Didn’t Urban Meyer credit his recruiting for their championship in 2006? Wish he could have maintained the recruiting at Illinois. That definitely did not help him have a chance past 2011.
Here's my bottom line on Bielema after hearing his pressers and having a few days to reflect on the choice. If nothing else, the guy is a pro. There are a range of outcomes as with any new hire, and a set of concerns that always follow someone who wasn't successful at his last stop. And until you prove you can build a competitive program from the basement up (which Bielema hasn't), there will be questions whether you have those special skills. But you don't log a 97-58 career record in twelve seasons in the B1G and SEC if you're nothing but a hack and pretender. At this level you get found out fast. I can't imagine any scenario where any of our recent coaches could have replicated Bielema's record. You could hand them the Oklahoma Sooners in the 50s and couldn't have done it. Beckman and Smith especially would have struggled to take Arkansas to one bowl appearance, much less three. And that's ignoring that neither would have made it past the receptionist to interview for the Wisconsin or Arkansas jobs. So I feel confident that this indeed a significant upgrade to a baseline level of competence that many of us haven't experienced here in our lifetimes. What that translates to on the field, I have no idea.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Bielema is also our first hire since Lou Tepper that had any idea what they were getting themselves into.
Possibly excluding Beckman, who reportedly had cold feet about accepting, so even what he knew gave him trepidation about whether he was up to it.
But Bielema grew up in Illinois, played against Illinois, coached against Illinois teams good and bad, won and lost recruiting battles in and with Illinois, has had coaches on his staff formerly with Illinois (including Reggie Mitchell who we should definitely hire back as RB coach), he knows this gig and ran to it, in a way he ran away from a Kansas opening he surely could have had.
He was going Zapruder film on the promo videos of the football facility. There is no learning curve here, the guy knows what he's setting out to do.
Bravo regarding point #2.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
As others have alluded to, it’s the fact that he knows what he’s doing and willing took this job, knowing the risks and seemingly EXCITED to take them on, that has me so optimistic. This job - high ceiling with VERY little recent success of any kind - requires passion and energy. BB seems pumped to prove he can bring us to respectability, and that is all we can expect right now.
Preacher said what?
Govoner Vaugn Fan
- New Orleans
I dunno. I do, but I don't. Then again at 72 just getting up each morning is a bit of a victory, so.................
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sacraig
- The desert
For a while he did. He got people like Arrelious Benn and Martez Wilson to come to Champaign. Under Zook, we were second in the conference for sending players to the NFL after Ohio State. Our record didn't reflect that because he was a great recruiter and a poor game coach. Urban Meyer took Zook's great recruits and then actually coached them to play as a cohesive team at Florida.