Last year, Bret Bielema led the Illinois Fighting Illini to a 5-7 record, notching a pair of wins against ranked teams Penn State and Minnesota, though narrowly missing out on a bowl game. Heading into the offseason, the Illini lost key personnel and needed to fill holes in the coaching staff. Many Illinois fans were unsure about Bielema’s ability both as a recruiter and as a coach, but as the offseason concludes, it appears that Bielema is off to a good start.
Bielema wasted little time making changes to his coaching staff when he fired offensive coordinator Tony Petersen in January.