Illinois Football News: Former Illini Terry Hawthorne rejoins Bret Bielema’s staff

News: Illinois Football has added another valuable piece to the program, bringing in someone with both strong ties to the Metro East and the Fighting Illini.

Head coach Bret Bielema announced Thursday morning (4/17) that he is re-hiring former Illini cornerback and team MVP Terry Hawthorne as the team’s Director of Defensive Player Personnel.

This will be the East St. Louis natives’ second stint coaching at his Alma Mater for Bielema, after serving one season as the Director of High School Personnel and Illini Relations in 2022.

Words can’t describe how jacked we are to have @TerryHawthorne1 back with the #famILLy

Best is yet to come #ILL https://t.co/jJHhDTdxzP

— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) April 17, 2025

Metro East Connections to Illinois football

Since Cory Patterson’s departure in 2022, the Illini have not had a staff member with the kind of deep St. Louis and Metro East ties that Terry Hawthorne now brings back to the program. Of course, it is a border territory that has become a hotbed for Division 1 prospects.

In addition to being an East St. Louis Native himself, where he took home an IHSA State Title as a player in high school, Hawthorne served under coach Darren Sunkett at East St. Louis from 2014-2020, where he assisted the Flyers to two additional state championships as a cornerbacks and wide receivers coach. Certainly, with such deep rooted connections to a Illinois/National high school powerhouse, Terry became a valuable asset to any recruiting staff looking to target the greater St. Louis region.

So, after six seasons coaching at the high school level, Hawthorne was hired away for a couple of short stints at the D1 level—first at Illinois in 2021, then in the SEC at Arkansas in 2022 as a personnel staffer—before joining Southern Illinois as a defensive backs coach. Between his time at East St. Louis and in Carbondale at SIU, Terry has undoubtedly built strong connections to the Metro East and Southern Illinois, which could be key on the recruiting trail for Illinois Football.

Thoughts

I like this hire a lot for Bielema. As a former Illini with NFL experience, he is a living testament to what’s possible for players at Illinois, which certainly is a strong selling point. I am interested to see how much more involved they become in the Metro East again, moving forward with Terry on board.

Can Hawthorne begin an East St. Louis to Illinois pipeline? If so, this hire could bring a massive return on investment.

Coaching/Personnel History

Illinois (2025): Director of Defensive Player Personnel.

Southern Illinois University (2022–24): Cornerbacks Coach.

Arkansas (2022): Defensive Analyst.

Illinois ( 2021 – stint #1): Director of High School Personnel and Illini Relations.

East St. Louis High School (2014–20): Wide Receivers and Defensive Backs Coach.

Bielema on Hawthorne’s Hiring: “I am excited to bring back Terry, a former Illinois player who knows the Illini ‘famILLy’ well and embraces everything we believe in,” said Bielema. “His past experiences, both here at Illinois and around college football, will be a great asset and resource for our current and future players.”

Hawthorne on the Opportunity to re-join the Illini staff: “I’m incredibly grateful to Coach Bielema and Patrick Embleton for the opportunity to return to my alma mater,” said Hawthorne. “Illinois is more than just a school, it’s home away from home for me. I’m excited to be back with the “famILLy” and continue to help build something special.”

From 2009-12 under coach Ron Zook, Hawthorne totaled 163 tackles (12.5 TFL), 1 sack, 6 interceptions (two pick-sixes), and 28 pass breakups over the course of his career in Champaign. Terry helped lead the Illini to consecutive bowl victories in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he was named Defensive MVP of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Nov 2, 2024. Champaign, Illinois. USA. Illinois Fighting Illini. head coach Bret Bielema. VS Minnesota Golden Gophers. Memorial Stadium. Credit: Ron Johnson. Imagn Images.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We at Armchair Illini are proudly sponsored by Hamilton Walker’s Steak, Seafood, and Spirits. Located in the heart of downtown Champaign, there is certainly no better restaurant for Illini fans to visit. Order online here or call (217) 350-0363 to make a reservation.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! Furthermore, subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.