Illini Football 2025

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#152      
fuddrules
Mr. Tibbs said:
crazy
Fickell was thought to be a rising star while at Cincy & everyone had that as a great hire in fall 2022. His time to turn that around is quickly shortening .
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Yep. 1 year, or else. Will McIntosh join him if things implode?
 
#153      
mhuml32
Big Ten Coaches Hired Since Ferentz (post-1999) Who Have Coached 50 Games*


Jim Harbaugh 89-25 .781
Paul Chryst 67-26 .720
Bo Pelini 37-15 .712
James Franklin 101-42 .706
Mark Dantonio 114-57 .667
Brady Hoke 31-20 .608
PJ Fleck 58-39 .598
Bret Bielema 28-22 .560
Pat Fitzgerald 110-101 .521
Jeff Brohm 36-34 .514
Jerry Kill 29-29 .500
Mike Locksley 33-41 .446
Greg Schiano 26-34 .433
Tom Allen 33-49 .402
Ron Zook 34-51 .400
Kevin Wilson 26-47 .356
Lovie Smith 17-39 .304


A bunch of guys just missed the cut: Danny Hope (49 games, .449), Bill Lynch (49 games, .388), John L. Smith (48 games, .458), Scott Frost (47 games, .340), and Tim Brewster (45 games, .333).

*I'm throwing out Ohio State because their environment is so vastly different than every other B1G school in this time period.
 
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#154      
ChiefGritty
mhuml32 said:
Big Ten Coaches Hired Since Ferentz (post-1999) Who Have Coached 50 Games*


Jim Harbaugh 89-25 .781
Paul Chryst 67-26 .720
Bo Pelini 37-15 .712
James Franklin 101-42 .706
Mark Dantonio 114-57 .667
Brady Hoke 31-20 .608
PJ Fleck 58-39 .598
Bret Bielema 28-22 .560
Pat Fitzgerald 110-101 .521
Jeff Brohm 36-34 .514
Jerry Kill 29-29 .500
Mike Locksley 33-41 .446
Greg Schiano 26-34 .433
Tom Allen 33-49 .402
Ron Zook 34-51 .400
Kevin Wilson 26-47 .356
Lovie Smith 17-39 .304


A bunch of guys just missed the cut: Danny Hope (49 games, .449), Bill Lynch (49 games, .388), John L. Smith (48 games, .458), Scott Frost (47 games, .340), and Tim Brewster (45 games, .333).

*I'm throwing out Ohio State because their environment is so vastly different than every other B1G school in this time period.
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Whether combined or separate I suppose Bert's Wisconsin tenure ought to be in there.
 
#155      
AZILL
spotter said:
This is my all-time favorite football highlight. Everything about it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1875620385217265752
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I'm wondering if Henry on the sideline was signaling McCray to protect the ball there at the end while seeing the defender coming in behind him with the chop to loosen the ball. McCray's timing was perfect when he brought his other arm in at that exact moment. Either way, the timing was perfect!
 
#156      
MajorNathanMaxwellJanice
More likely a shouted heads up from #4, Z. Franklin trail blocking as he was closing in on both the defender and Josh.

(ESPN YouTube highlight package has better camera perspective for that aspect)
 
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#157      
BalloonsTheElephant
AZILL said:
I'm wondering if Henry on the sideline was signaling McCray to protect the ball there at the end while seeing the defender coming in behind him with the chop to loosen the ball. McCray's timing was perfect when he brought his other arm in at that exact moment. Either way, the timing was perfect!
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It also looks like the defender touches McCray's back just prior to him securing the ball.
 
#163      
TheChief4Life
Fighter of the Nightman said:
At the same time, how many past Illini teams let so many close games slip away? While there’s always good/bad luck involved, good staffs find a way to maximize their luck … and we FINALLY have a good staff, better than most of our conference peers. 😎
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Yeah, I’ll go one step further and mention again how in Bielema’s time at Illinois he has coached exactly 50 games. The Illini have been within one score (or outright won) in the 4th quarter in 43 of those 50 games. That's how close and exciting nearly every game has been (even the losses) since his arrival.

So, it’s not even that we’re winning these close games, it’s that we’re even in them to begin with. That’s only 7 games in 5 years where “the game felt over before the game was over”.

We had five games that fit the “over before being over” criteria in just the last season before he got here.

God I’m glad he’s coaching here!
 
#164      
Chukwuwumba
Mr. Tibbs said:
Bret is our guy

I liked Josh selecting him in late 2020, and was also good with Leopold. Wanted Bret first though.
I had forgotten Fickell blew us off. What a mistake that would have been. We dodged a bullet there.
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I think Marcus freeman was another interview/ finalist. Impressive list.
 
#165      
saleen970
Mr. Tibbs said:
Bret is our guy

I liked Josh selecting him in late 2020, and was also good with Leopold. Wanted Bret first though.
I had forgotten Fickell blew us off. What a mistake that would have been. We dodged a bullet there.
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I really was against the Bret hire. Dont remember why. Maybe just because I wanted Leopold? I soon became a Bret fan, not just as a coach but think he is a good person as well.
 
#166      
Mr. Tibbs
saleen970 said:
I really was against the Bret hire. Dont remember why. Maybe just because I wanted Leopold? I soon became a Bret fan, not just as a coach but think he is a good person as well.
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my recollection is that there were more people expressing anger or dismay at selecting Bret than praising him.
And iirc, it was 95% related to his earlier perceived persona of being part of the "football coach partying fraternity" than anything else.
No one really disputed his coaching chops
 
#167      
ChiefGritty
Chukwuwumba said:
I think Marcus freeman was another interview/ finalist. Impressive list.
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It was reported that we very nearly hired Freeman, that he was the 2nd choice and that the pursuit of Lance Leipold wasn't as intense as we thought.

Freeman was a non-Power Five coordinator at the time, it would have been a serious reach, but everyone who has ever crossed paths with that guy has identified him as a major talent.

It's not just about raw, objective coaching ability with Bielema though. He fits, and fit is everything. Both the credibility he walked in the door with, and especially the plan to retain the existing roster (which was better than we realized) and start developing a culture of two-way loyalty between the program and its players was the perfect move for our situation at that moment in time.

Mr. Tibbs said:
my recollection is that there were more people expressing anger or dismay at selecting Bret than praising him.
And iirc, it was 95% related to his earlier perceived persona of being part of the "football coach partying fraternity" than anything else.
No one really disputed his coaching chops
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He got made into an embarrassment at Arkansas for a variety of reasons.

But the harder you look at his tenure there, the better it looks in terms of the actual quality of those teams, and at age 55 with a wife and two kids, we are frankly just getting a better and more professional Bielema than his previous employers had.

A good job in the interview and investigation process by Whitman.
 
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#168      
Pikeillinifan
saleen970 said:
I really was against the Bret hire. Dont remember why. Maybe just because I wanted Leopold? I soon became a Bret fan, not just as a coach but think he is a good person as well.
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I was mildly excited about the Bret hire, but I am with you on Leopold, I thought he would have been the best choice.

I'm glad Josh was right, and we were wrong; Bret is the perfect fit here and a much better coach, representative of the university, and program builder than we could have hoped for.
 
#169      
illinoistradition
ChiefGritty said:
It was reported that we very nearly hired Freeman, that he was the 2nd choice and that the pursuit of Lance Leipold wasn't as intense as we thought.

Freeman was a non-Power Five coordinator at the time, it would have been a serious reach, but everyone who has ever crossed paths with that guy has identified him as a major talent.

It's not just about raw, objective coaching ability with Bielema though. He fits, and fit is everything. Both the credibility he walked in the door with, and especially the plan to retain the existing roster (which was better than we realized) and start developing a culture of two-way loyalty between the program and its players was the perfect move for our situation at that moment in time.


He got made into an embarrassment at Arkansas for a variety of reasons.

But the harder you look at his tenure there, the better it looks in terms of the actual quality of those teams, and at age 55 with a wife and two kids, we are frankly just getting a better and more professional Bielema than his previous employers had.

A good job in the interview and investigation process by Whitman.
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Right when Pittman had his first pretty good year, their fans automatically felt like he was such a better coach than Bielema. And now here they are, once again facing the prospect of firing another coach who cannot have consistent success.
 
#170      
the juiceman cometh
ChiefGritty said:
It was reported that we very nearly hired Freeman, that he was the 2nd choice and that the pursuit of Lance Leipold wasn't as intense as we thought.

Freeman was a non-Power Five coordinator at the time, it would have been a serious reach, but everyone who has ever crossed paths with that guy has identified him as a major talent.

It's not just about raw, objective coaching ability with Bielema though. He fits, and fit is everything. Both the credibility he walked in the door with, and especially the plan to retain the existing roster (which was better than we realized) and start developing a culture of two-way loyalty between the program and its players was the perfect move for our situation at that moment in time.


He got made into an embarrassment at Arkansas for a variety of reasons.

But the harder you look at his tenure there, the better it looks in terms of the actual quality of those teams, and at age 55 with a wife and two kids, we are frankly just getting a better and more professional Bielema than his previous employers had.

A good job in the interview and investigation process by Whitman.
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What's also interesting is that if Bieleman, Freeman, and Leipold were the main contenders, JW did a great job of identifying candidates in the earlier stages of the search too. All of them have done well. While Leipold's W/L total is not as outwardly impressive, Kansas was a tough assignment and he's made them bowl eligible in 2/4 of his seasons, and nearly did it last season by winning some big games against tough opponents, even after an awful start.
 
#171      
mhuml32
I was advocating for Leipold because he had won at unconventional places that had lacked historical success, something that crossed over with Illinois' past 30 years. I thought Bielema was antithetical to that need - he won at a place that had been set up for success for him (Wisconsin) and lost at a place that has similar disadvantages as Illinois (Arkansas). I still like my thought process, and Leipold has been a great hire for Kansas, but the fit between Bielema and Illinois has been incredible.
 
#172      
Bucktown
the juiceman cometh said:
What's also interesting is that if Bieleman, Freeman, and Leipold were the main contenders, JW did a great job of identifying candidates in the earlier stages of the search too. All of them have done well. While Leipold's W/L total is not as outwardly impressive, Kansas was a tough assignment and he's made them bowl eligible in 2/4 of his seasons, and nearly did it last season by winning some big games against tough opponents, even after an awful start.
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Leipold's key will be next year. Like Illinois they lost a major coordinator after a successful year and regressed a bit. If Kansas can get to a 7-9 win season next year that seems set up Kansas for sustained success.
 
#173      
illini0440
mhuml32 said:
I was advocating for Leipold because he had won at unconventional places that had lacked historical success, something that crossed over with Illinois' past 30 years. I thought Bielema was antithetical to that need - he won at a place that had been set up for success for him (Wisconsin) and lost at a place that has similar disadvantages as Illinois (Arkansas). I still like my thought process, and Leipold has been a great hire for Kansas, but the fit between Bielema and Illinois has been incredible.
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The one thing that got me excited about Bret more than Lance from the get go was that Bret was already familiar with recruiting to a school with tougher academics(Wisky). Lance had never had to deal with admissions at his previous stops.
 
#174      
ChiefGritty
mhuml32 said:
I was advocating for Leipold because he had won at unconventional places that had lacked historical success, something that crossed over with Illinois' past 30 years. I thought Bielema was antithetical to that need - he won at a place that had been set up for success for him (Wisconsin) and lost at a place that has similar disadvantages as Illinois (Arkansas). I still like my thought process, and Leipold has been a great hire for Kansas, but the fit between Bielema and Illinois has been incredible.
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It's of course possible that Leipold would have looked at the Illinois job differently (as Bielema might have at Kansas), but the two approached their new roles radically differently.

Leipold flushed his inherited roster as fast as he could and brought in a raft of guys from Buffalo, along with others from far and wide. That proved wise over time, but he still went 2-10 in year 1.

At Illinois that means Devon Witherspoon and Johnny Newton and Quan Martin and the Brown twins etc etc walking out the door to make way for a MAC coaching staff and a bunch of MAC players dropping into "long form rebuild"-mode uncompetitiveness.

That wasn't the right direction at that moment, and honestly during that search I remember myself and a lot of others increasingly feeling that despite great respect for what Leipold had accomplished.

the juiceman cometh said:
What's also interesting is that if Bieleman, Freeman, and Leipold were the main contenders, JW did a great job of identifying candidates in the earlier stages of the search too. All of them have done well. While Leipold's W/L total is not as outwardly impressive, Kansas was a tough assignment and he's made them bowl eligible in 2/4 of his seasons, and nearly did it last season by winning some big games against tough opponents, even after an awful start.
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The other two widely reported candidates were Jeff Monken at Army and Dave Clawson at Wake Forest.

A really, really strong list made up of credible coaches who fit the bill for the job. It was a really good process.
 
#175      
mhuml32
illini0440 said:
The one thing that got me excited about Bret more than Lance from the get go was that Bret was already familiar with recruiting to a school with tougher academics(Wisky). Lance had never had to deal with admissions at his previous stops.
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Fair point. My biggest concern with Leipold was his recruiting ceiling was/is lower. You are locking in a pure development approach, though he's very good at it. Bret's reputation at Wisconsin as all development has been overblown. He recruited better than people realize.
 
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