Bret Bielema turns Illinois into leading NFL talent producer; earns contract extension
Bret Bielema turns Illinois into leading NFL talent producer; earns contract extension
Bret Bielema has completely turned the Illinois Fighting Illini football program around, and he's been rewarded for his efforts with a new lucrative contract extension. On Tuesday night, the University of Illinois announced a new six-year contract for Bielema, which extends him through the 2030 season.
He will now be paid an annual salary of $7.7 million, plus potential incentive add-ons over the life of his new deal. Bielema led the Illini to just their fifth 10 win season in school history in 2024, which concluded with a Citrus Bowl win over then #14 South Carolina.
Illinois returns 18/22 starters from that team, and thus they now find themselves often in the top 15, sometimes in the top 10 of various publications' "way too early" preseason polls. And the Illini have quietly become a NFL talent factory as well.
According to a press release from the school, "Illinois was one of five schools with three or more players drafted in the first three rounds in both the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts, along with Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Penn State."
That is extremely elite company right there. But the Illinois Sports Information Department included another impressive stat, about the 12 NFL Draft picks that have come out of Illinois since the Prophetstown, Illinois native took the job in 2021.
The release states that "eight have been selected within the top-100 picks, the fourth-highest mark in the Big Ten behind only Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State among teams that have been in the league since 2021."
This factoid is even more impressive, because now you're putting the Illini in the same conversation as the league's traditional triad of power. UM, OSU and PSU, during most of the 2010s and 2020s, have been in a class well above the rest of the conference.
However, of Bielema's many talents, skills and abilities, producing NFL Draft picks is right there at the top of the list. During his three different stops as a college head coach (Wisconsin and Arkansas in addition to Illinois), his programs have produced 56 different draft picks.
The 2023 NFL Draft was especially memorable for Bielema and Illinois. As we spotlighted in our Pat Bryant prospect profile piece, the Illini secondary saw three of their players go in the first three rounds:
"Devon Witherspoon became the first cornerback off the board in the 2023 draft, going fifth overall to the Seattle Seahawks. Jartavius "Quan" Martin, DB went 47th overall to the Washington Commanders in the 2nd round while Sydney Brown, S, went 66th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 3rd."
Illinois is getting a great return on their investment in Bielema, and thus it was time to make him a newly minted man.
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