Illinois Fighting IlliniHead coach Bret Bielema
78 Overall rating steady
Bret Bielema has led Illinois since 2021, going 39-29 across 6 seasons with 3 bowl trips.
- Record since 2021
- 39-29
- Seasons
- 6
- Bowl trips
- 3
Coaching profile Updated weekly
Strategy & scheme
Offensive scheme11
Defensive scheme11
Game planning12
Situational management18
Leadership & results
Comeback factor14
Underdog edge8
Recent form10
Win rate15
Grades on a 0-20 scale, recalculated each week from Bret Bielema's most recent 26 games. Offensive and defensive scheme track scoring for and against, game planning the average margin, situational management the one-score record, comeback factor the bounce-back after a loss, underdog edge the road record. The arrows are the week-over-week move. Frost is 17 or higher, violet 14 or higher.
Illinois record by season
| Season | Record | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2-3 | In progress |
| 2025 | 9-4 | Won Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl |
| 2024 | 10-3 | Won Cheez-It Citrus Bowl |
| 2023 | 5-7 | No bowl |
| 2022 | 8-5 | Lost ReliaQuest Bowl |
| 2021 | 5-7 | No bowl |
Records with Illinois since 2021, bowl and playoff games included, from the CollegeFootballData game log.
24
10
31
23
28
13
6
13
32
0
3
17
16
25
7
9
17
0Bret Bielema: Illinois head coach profile
Bret Bielema is the Illinois head coach. This profile covers Bret Bielema's record and season-by-season results with Illinois, and connects to Illinois team hub, the ACC teams and the live conference standings. Follow the race for the ACC Championship Game on the ACC title race page.
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the Illinois head coach?
Bret Bielema is the Illinois head coach, in the job since 2021.