Bret Bielema is 43-29 at Illinois since 2021 and 140-87 in his career.
Updated Nov 9, 2026Sources: school staff directories, TransferPortl coaching tenures, CFBD
2026 season6-3Conf 4-2
At Illinois43-29Conf 27-24 · since 2021
Last 3 seasons25-10Conf 15-9
Career140-87Conf 82-73 · 18 seasons
Source: ESPN standings; Hot seat tracker through 2025, ESPN standings for 2026; Hot seat tracker
Illinois won 50.1% of its games before he arrived (44.7% in conference). His career win rate is +11.6 pts against that (+8.2 pts in conference).
Bio
- Hired
- Dec 19, 2020
- Alma mater
- Iowa
- Background
- Defense
- First-time head coach
- No
- Agent
- Neil Cornrich
- Agency
- NC Sports
Head Coaching Seasons
17 seasons| Year | School | W-L | Conf | SRS | SP+ | SP+ Off | SP+ Def | AP Final | Titles and Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |  Illinois | 9-4 | Big Ten | 12.3 | 12.9 | 33.3 | 21.7 | - | W 30-28 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl vs Tennessee |
| 2024 | Illinois | 10-3 | Big Ten | 8.8 | 9.6 | 29.0 | 20.9 | 16 | W 21-17 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl vs South Carolina |
| 2023 | Illinois | 5-7 | Big Ten | -2.3 | -2.5 | 21.6 | 24.1 | - | - |
| 2022 | Illinois | 8-5 | Big Ten | 11.7 | 15.9 | 20.6 | 5.5 | - | L 10-19 ReliaQuest Bowl vs Mississippi State |
| 2021 | Illinois | 5-7 | Big Ten | -0.9 | 4.3 | 23.2 | 21.8 | - | - |
| 2017 |  Arkansas | 4-8 | SEC | -4.7 | 2.1 | 34.1 | 31.8 | - | - |
| 2016 | Arkansas | 7-6 | SEC | 4.2 | 7.9 | 36.2 | 28.9 | - | L 24-35 bowl vs Virginia Tech |
| 2015 | Arkansas | 8-5 | SEC | 15.1 | 19.2 | 46.6 | 28.0 | - | W 45-23 AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL vs Kansas State |
| 2014 | Arkansas | 7-6 | SEC | 20.4 | 12.2 | 32.4 | 19.4 | - | W 31-7 ADVOCARE V100 TEXAS BOWL vs Texas |
| 2013 | Arkansas | 3-9 | SEC | -1.8 | 1.5 | 30.0 | 30.6 | - | - |
| 2012 |  Wisconsin | 8-5 | Big Ten | 12.1 | 14.5 | 31.5 | 15.9 | - | L 14-20 ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO vs Stanford |
| 2011 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | Big Ten | 23.1 | 26.1 | 45.9 | 21.2 | 10 | Conference co-champion; L 38-45 ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO vs Oregon |
| 2010 | Wisconsin | 11-2 | Big Ten | 15.5 | 23.1 | 42.1 | 20.7 | 7 | L 19-21 ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO vs TCU |
| 2009 | Wisconsin | 10-3 | Big Ten | 8.4 | 16.9 | 35.5 | 19.4 | 16 | W 20-14 bowl vs Miami |
| 2008 | Wisconsin | 7-6 | Big Ten | 4.1 | 10.5 | 31.3 | 22.0 | - | L 13-42 bowl vs Florida State |
| 2007 | Wisconsin | 9-4 | Big Ten | 7.7 | 10.4 | 35.9 | 26.1 | 24 | L 17-21 bowl vs Tennessee |
| 2006 | Wisconsin | 12-1 | Big Ten | 14.3 | 19.1 | 28.9 | 11.2 | 7 | W 17-14 CAPITAL ONE BOWL AT ORLANDO FL vs Arkansas |
Illinois Staff, 2026
24- Bret BielemaDouglas C. and Linda M. Mills Endowed Head Football Coach
- Barry Lunney Jr.Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
- Bobby HauckDefensive Coordinator
- Chris HurdSpecial Teams Coordinator
- Robby HauckAssistant Defensive Backs Coach
- Alex PanosAssistant Defensive Line Coach
- Matt EllerbrockAssistant Linebackers Coach
- Byron BellAssistant Offensive Line Coach
- Ryan SimersonAssistant Secondary Coach
- Steven KochAssistant Special Teams Coach
- Harper ColeAssistant Wide Receivers Coach
- Corey ParkerDefensive Backs Coach
- Mike LinehanDefensive Ends Coach
- Jordan ThomasDefensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator
- Roger CooperInside Linebackers Coach
- Bart MillerOffensive Line Coach
- Archie McDanielOutside Linebackers Coach
- Artur SitkowskiQuarterbacks Coach
- Tyrone WheatleyRunning Backs Coach
- Ronnie BradfordSecondary Coach
- Danny CameronSenior Offensive Analyst/Assistant Running Backs Coach
- Jared ElliottTight Ends Coach
- Justin SteppWide Receivers Coach
- Tank WrightAssociate Head Coach/Director of Football Strength and Conditioning
Transfer Portal at Illinois
Roster average Transfer Vulnerability Score (TVS): 17
| Cycle | In | Out | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 31 | -11 |
| 2025 | 16 | 27 | -11 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | -5 |
| 2023 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
Staff History by Season
1 stint- 2021-2026IllinoisDouglas C. and Linda M. Mills Endowed Head Football Coach
