Bielema already starts on reshaping Illini football

Whether Bret Bielema is successful as the 26th football coach in Illinois history - you have to go back to John Mackovic in 1992 to find one who left Champaign with a winning record - he brings a resume unique to past hires.

Bielema, a three-time Big Ten winner at Wisconsin, was introduced Monday. He and athletic director Josh Whitman met the media and spoke of their vision for the program.

Whitman picked Bielema to replace Lovie Smith over a variety of candidates, some from smaller conferences or up-and-coming coordinators who haven't been in charge of a Power 5 program.

Bielema has twice, first at Wisconsin from 2006-'12 and then Arkansas from 2013-'17, going 97-58. He got choked up during the news conference, speaking of the values he learned from his parents growing up at a farm about eight miles outside Prophetstown near the Quad Cities. And also talking about teaching his daughter the familiar "I-L-L-I-N-I" chant.

"It has really come full circle for me to be born in Silvis, Illinois, at Illini Hospital," Bielema said.

Whitman did not get into specifics of the search nor how many candidates were interviewed. He said he was impressed with Bielema's enthusiasm and specific plans to improve a team that went 2-5 this year and hasn't had a winning season since 2011.

Whitman spoke of a 45-minute conversation with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who Bielema worked for in 2018 and 2019 after getting fired at Arkansas. Belichick spoke highly of coaching with Bielema and also Bielema's former players who Belichick drafted.

"He talked about his strengths at connecting with different groups of players regardless of (a) player's background," Whitman said. " ... Said he has a commitment to self improvement and growth as a coach. Felt like he had a great eye for talent."

Among the key points addressed Monday:

Recruiting: A part of Smith's demise came with his lack of success recruiting.

If Bielema is to succeed, he's got to turn around a trend that has seen in-state recruiting get worse year by year. Just three of the Illini's 2021 14 signees are from the state.

It's no coincidence one of the first calls Bielema made after being hired Saturday and appearing with Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and company on ESPN's College GameDay, was to the president of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.

There's nowhere to go but up. The last five Illini classes, according to 247sports.com, were 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 14th in the Big Ten.

"I talked to the highway department," Bielema joked. "(Recruits) will not be able to leave the state anymore."

Experience: Whitman loves not just Bielema's head coaching experience but the list of Hall of Fame coaches he's played or worked for: Hayden Fry, Bill Snyder, Barry Alvarez and Belichick.

What has Bielema learned since leaving Arkansas? He's leaving options open on offense, but plans to it to be built on the big offensive linemen like he coached at Wisconsin but with schemes that depend on the next coordinator.

Bielema also was asked about his reputation for being arrogant.

"We all grow," Bielema said. "I was 32 years old when I was told I was going to be the head coach at the University of Wisconsin. You go 12-1 first year I thought I was Vince Lombardi. I might have felt my oats at the time. The thing I gained is perspective. I have seen a lot of good examples of how to handle your demeanor and be a lot more even keeled."

Unique times: Because of the pandemic, the NCAA has made a pair of rule changes that can help Bielema turn the roster over quickly.

Players are allowed to transfer this offseason and be immediately eligible instead. Seniors can return for one more season.

Bielema met with his players for the first time Sunday.

"The urgency is now and the roster is going to be evolving. We are going to build this thing to sustain success for a long time. We will build a roster of smart, tough, dependable players that doesn't have anything to do with their 40 time or bench press."

Selecting his staff: The most immediate issue for Bielema is assembling his staff. He worked his way up as a defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Wisconsin and went from a walk-on to a captain as a defensive lineman at Iowa. He hopes to have his staff in place by January.

After five years of stoic Lovie Smith news conferences, Monday was quite a change. Now we'll find out if the on field results do as well.

"I can't wait to walk down the street and see something that represents the University of Illinois and say 'I-L-L' and get an I-N-I back," Bielema said. "My history in the past I am very interactive with the fans and being able to celebrate and embrace everything it's about."