Bret Bielema credits relationships in Illini roster retention

Bret Bielema has helped salvage the Illini football program in just a number of years. Winning games is the most obvious metric, however, since Bielema arrived in Champaign, he brought immediate credibility, organization and overall college football moxie. Bielema understands what it takes to succeed in college football, but he also understands what kind of program Illinois football is and what type of leadership it needs.

Despite not having the massive pocketbooks and recruiting allure that most Big Ten programs have, Bret Bielema has done a fabulous job of keeping Illinois afloat and on the uptrend. A large factor in this has been his ability to retain talented players on this roster.

Beating the NIL era

In both basketball and football, players transfer for more opportunities or a larger paycheck. Players at smaller networks typically perform well in one season and use that as leverage to jump to a high-major program in the SEC or Big Ten. Another reason to transfer is a paycheck, much like how former Illini basketball star, Coleman Hawkins did. However, Bret Bielema has used his strong relationships and willingness to take care of all of his players in any way possible as a tool to retain his best.

During last offseason, star defensive lineman, Gabe Jacas was approached by multiple SEC programs offering large amounts of NIL money. However, Jacas stayed put, had a great junior season, and is now on NFL draft boards. Players like Jer’Zhan Newton, Julian Pearl, and Luke Altmyer have had similar situations. The relationship with Bret Bielema and the coaches in the building has helped the Illini stay level during a difficult time in College football—all thanks to their prudent head coach, Bret Bielema.

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