Bret Bielema receives much-deserved contract extension from Illinois

Bret Bielema may never get back to the coaching heights he achieved while at the University of Wisconsin from 2006-2012, but he's sure going to try at Illinois.

The good news for Bielema, and fans of the Illini and the program that he's building, is that the school clearly feels he has things going in the right direction.

Coming off the heels of an 8-4 season and a berth in the ReliaQuest Bowl to take on No. 22 Mississippi State, Illinois has given Bielema a contract extension.

This is according to the school, which published a press release stating that Bielema will be extended through the end of the 2028 season.

"In his first two years as head coach of the Fighting Illini, Bret Bielema has led a resurgence of Illinois Football that had our team competing for a place in the Big Ten Championship Game and playing in a New Year's Day bowl game," Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman wrote. "He has assembled an exceptional staff, developed the existing players on our roster, and recruited talented student-athletes to join our program. He has worked tirelessly, with an eye for detail and tremendous competitive urgency, to set a new standard of excellence for Fighting Illini Football. Perhaps most importantly, he has brought an immediate identity to our football program and represented the University of Illinois with class, humility, and confidence."

Bielema has gone 13-11 in two seasons at Illinois and most importantly, he went 5-4 against Big Ten schools this season with wins over Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern.  His 13-11 record is the best for an Illinois head coach since John Mackovic accomplished the same way back in the 1988 and 1989 college football seasons, so it has been a long time coming for the Illini.

Bielema was 68-24 with two trips to the Rose Bowl at his first head coaching stop, Wisconsin. That's the type of coach Bielema has the potential to be and that's the type of turnaround the Illini are undoubtedly hoping he'll be able to accomplish by the time 2028 rolls around.