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

Bret Bielema Illinois record by season since 2021
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.

Bret 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 the Illinois program, the Big 12 teams and the live conference standings. Follow the race for the Big 12 Championship Game on the Big 12 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.