Bret Bielema is returning to college football as one of the most talked-about coaches in CFB. After a run to the playoffs last season and finishing with a commendable 10-3 record, Coach B is continuing with the same momentum this year, too. In an interview with Big Ten Football‘s Rick Pizzo, Bielema spoke about the state of Illini football and his outlook on the evolving landscape of college football.
Bielema on managing the new players coming in to form his 2025 team
Roster turnover has become a constant in modern college football, and Bielema is navigating it head-on.
Bielema: “I’ve always told our guys, ‘There’s no tackle turnover or touchdown from last year that carries forward to this year. We have to go out and earn every one of them all over again. And I really like their approach and their demeanor. And the second thing is probably just the world we’re in in college football now. You know, we had 12 new freshmen come in January, 12 new transfers, probably going to have 9 high school kids, and about 5 to 10 new portal guys come in in June. So to acclimate those guys into what we do is probably the biggest goal.”
Bielema on starting afresh in the Illini camp after the season and merging it with off time ahead of the next season
Despite the high of last season, Bielema described how the team celebrated the past while quickly shifting focus.
Bielema: “Yeah, coaches for sure. I remember we flew back [on] New Year’s Day, right? And that was the beginning of live recruiting for the portal. So as coaches, we didn’t have much of a chance, but I did. You know, [on] our first day back on campus, we always start classes the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Day. And we showed a video of the game and a recap. And we had a victory dinner, which we always do after all season long. When we’d have a win, we’d have a victory dinner on Sunday. So we had that little moment, and I basically said, ‘Hey, turn the page.’”
“I will say this, though, Rick, too, like one of the parts that I’ve really learned in this profession is you have to, you know, be a part of what your history is. And I wanted them guys to know what they did and what they created, because that’s a part of their time here at Illinois that they can never take away from. Crazy as this world is now, that’s something that should never be taken away from.”
Bret Bielema on Luke Altmyer’s return, and potential poaching attempts
Bielema: “He’s very intentional about what he does. Luke is, he’s not a guy that’s just going to come in and, you know, take over a room. He’s a very intentional guy, very deliberate in his actions, has done a really good job of building relationships with some of the new guys in the building, but also building on the ones that are there. But I thought last year he made improvements in his, you know, his early down decisions, his third down efficiency. But at the end of half and end of the game, his situation in football was at a high, high level. And I think that’s something that was very internally driven from him. As coaches, we definitely provided it, but he’s been a huge factor.”,
We knew he was good. But the problem was, a lot of other people knew he was good as well. So we had to fend off some new guys in the market. But when he first talked to me about coming back this year, his first two questions [were] about ‘Who was coaching me,’ and ‘Who am I around,’ right? It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about all of that other stuff. He wanted to know what was going to be around him to make him successful. And I think that’s a great indicator of a great quarterback.”
Coach B on retaining his notable players
With the transfer portal enabling constant movement, retaining homegrown stars is crucial. Bret Bielema has proactively worked to keep key players in Champaign.
Bielema: “It’s a great point. And I’d say, Rick, [Rick Pizzo], I give a lot of credit to our administration. Even going into last year, we had two bye weeks. Bye week one and bye week two. Bye week one was about conversations with my administration to prepare for bye week two, because during that second bye week, we started conversations. Gabe Jacas, Xavier Scott, and several guys on offense. We targeted about eight guys that we knew if we could get these eight guys to come back, either through NFL opportunities or, I mean, not being oblivious to the world, that other teams were going to come after them. So to get those guys back and then we built around that, was a really, really big part.”
Bielema on building a brand at Illinois
Bielema: “You know, I used to rely on my marketing degree from Iowa, but I started off as an accounting major, which I quickly got out of. So I let other people do that part, but relationships are everything.
“And in our building, I think the number one reason that we kept people is because the relationships we built were very intentional in what we do, and I think also the product coming on the backside of it, guys like Johnny Newton, Devon Witherspoon, Quan Martin, all those guys that have gone on to the NFL. And I think they’re the ones that come back and tell our guys, ‘Listen, you’re just better prepared than the other people we’ve come into NFL camps with because of what Coach B and his staff does, and I think that’s part of what we really try to pride ourselves on, and it’s been very beneficial.”
Coach B on his assistant coaches and their careers
Bielema: “Well, again, I give credit to Josh Whitman, our AD, allowed me the resources to do it. But on the flip side of it, I’ve been very blessed. I think I’ve had eight guys become head coaches now, and I think Aaron [Henry] and Barry [LunneyJr.] both will be head coaches, just hopefully not in our league. But those guys have done a really good job of building their value. One of the things that I learned from my mentor, Barry Alvarez, is coaches are only going to be effective if you tell them what you want, but you’ve got to let them do their job.So one of our main things coming into the building every day, there’s a big sign that says, ‘Do your job.’ And for my job as a head coach, it becomes much easier when those guys are doing as well as they are. And it’s a really fun environment to be a part of.”
Bret Bielema on Josh Whitman
“You know, Rick, Josh is an A-plus human being. He’s a great AD. To walk that walk with him every day for a guy that literally sat in our chairs as a student athlete, played in the NFL, but now he’s literally one of the most powerful ADs in all of college football. And to have this journey with him has been absolutely awesome. He understands it, he gets it. He’s one of the few ADs out there right now. Our basketball program under Brad Underwood, Shauna Green, our women’s basketball [head coach], hired all three of us. And I think the lifeline to all three kind of provide one another, we’re all really close. And I think we have one common goal is to make Illinois great, and that’s what’s a lot of fun.”
Bret Bielema on the playoff bracket extension
“I think it’s great for two reasons. First, the more teams that are involved keep more fan bases engaged. And what I’ve seen and kind of what I’ve seen projected out there allows a fanbase, maybe that’s had not only one loss, maybe two losses, maybe even at times a three-loss team, a chance to get into the college football playoffs, which is absolutely outstanding.
“We’re in a world right now, and you live it every day, Rick, like college football is at a premium, that is just unprecedented. Obviously, players are getting paid. Everybody wants to talk about the portal world. But they’re probably just getting what they should have been getting for a long time. I think the more we can, I hope it goes to 16, I really do. You know, I saw a format last year in our league, we could have a scenario that we would have [might have even] playing maybe been playing against Ohio State to play into a playoff spot. And I think that at the end of the year is really what it’s all about.”
The post Everything Bret Bielema Said In Recent Big Ten Interview appeared first on EssentiallySports.
