Illinois Football news: DC Aaron Henry headed to Notre Dame as co-defensive coordinator

Illinois football news: CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz has reported that Notre Dame is expected to hire Illini defensive coordinator Aaron Henry as co-defensive coordinator and Defensive backs coach. Henry has been the defensive coordinator at Illinois since the Reliaquest Bowl in 2022, when previous coordinator Ryan Walters accepted the Purdue job. At that time, Henry was next in line due to his pedigree of helping develop talents like Devon Witherspoon, Quan Martin, and Sydney Brown.

Henry took over a defense that was number one in scoring defense; however, under Henry’s reign, the defense did start to struggle. In 2023, that scoring defense rating went from number one to number 93.

In 2024, Henry’s defense did take steps forward as they allowed 21.7 points per game. Despite positive steps, Henry’s defense did struggle throughout 2025 and cost Illinois some key games.

What’s next?

Illinois football has three coordinators to replace: Henry, Running backs coach Thad Ward, and special teams/tight ends coach Robby Discher. Per our sources, there are no known candidates for the running backs coach position. Aaron Henry brought some positives to the Illini in many different ways. However, it seemed that a new voice would be beneficial to help spark a fire amongst the Illini defense. This next hire for Bret Bielema will prove pivotal

He has retained offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr, and is coming off 19 wins in the past two seasons. If he can find someone to elevate this defense, Illinois will certainly be in line for sustained success. Despite two great seasons the past two years, Bielema needs to push this program even further and needs to make the right hire.

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $50 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here.

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.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois football news! Go Illini!