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By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

February 13, 2026

Illinois enjoyed a real luxury last year by returning 5 starters on the line. Of course, the nature of college sports is that you can't keep the group together for long. So, this year Illinois is looking at one returning starter in Brandon Henderson, and because our backups barely played last year, we don't even know who among the reserves is ready to go. However, the way things have worked out, we're actually in pretty good shape. See below:

Newcomers
The staff made transfer center Jake Renfro a priority and I loved that move. When you're looking at a whole new group that has little to no Big Ten experience, it makes the most sense to spend your money on an experienced center. And the Mokena, Illinois-bred Renfro isn't just some guy either. He's started 36 games in college, including 6 as a true freshman at Cincinnati and earning all-conference honors as a redshirt freshman on the Cincinnati team that made the CFP. However, that's where the trouble started. Renfro missed all of the 2022 and 2023 years except for the 2023 Reliaquest Bowl for Wisconsin. Renfro started the 2024 season and played well, earning himself a spot on the Rimington watch list prior to the 2025 season. However, last year injuries hindered Renfro again and he started only 4 games. So, if Renfro can stay on the field and fight off his recurring ankle and knee injuries, he's not only an experienced leader for the unit, he's an upgrade to Josh Kreutz on the field. If not, well, TJ McMillen has been patiently waiting his turn. As a player, Renfro didn't move especially well even before his injuries, but we can also say goodbye to the days that Illinois had to assign a guard to anyone lined up on the nose because Josh Kreutz couldn't handle a defender by himself. Basically, if he can stay on the field, Illinois upgraded at the center position.

In describing the philosophical changes of Bobby Hauck’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme, Illini head coach Bret Bielema said he envisioned positional changes involving typically undersized players.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 13, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bret Bielema might actually be the first one to admit publicly that he’s still in the process of fully learning the new defensive scheme coming to the Illinois football program.

The Illini’s head coach, who just finished his fifth season in charge of the Champaign-Urbana operation, has said multiple times, including on Thursday in an introductory media conference of his new defensive coordinator hire, that it’s a scheme he doesn’t have full expertise in but has been intrigued with for several years.

After hearing new Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck’s 15-minute media conference inside the Smith Center, Bielema said his primary vision for the most substantial change to the Illini’s defensive philosophy for the 2026 season could come in the form of how players are listed on the roster. Bielema hinted Thursday that Illinois, coming off 19 wins in the past two seasons, could substitute strength and power in its defensive line and linebackers with more speed and athleticism near the line-of-scrimmage.

“I think you’ll have some defensive ends that become [nose tackles], some outside backers become d-ends, some safeties become outside linebackers,” Bielema said on Thursday once Hauck’s news conference had concluded.

The first key to what Bielema said there is those three philosophical positional changes are about taking players and inserting them into a position not normally considered ideal height, weight and strength at this level of football.

Illinois will be moving Jordan Anderson, who started at […]

Without Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic physically able to perform, No. 8 Illinois drops its second straight overtime game.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 12, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Before the opening tip of what would turn out to be the program’s first back-to-back losses of the season, Brad Underwood knew his rotation was nothing more than six players.

Following the 92-90 overtime loss to Wisconsin Tuesday night, Underwood remained steadfast that his team was one or two possessions, one or two more made free throws or one or two less turnovers away from pulling off a Big Ten Conference with just one reserve player worth turning to on his bench.

We’re the only team in the country that has played 11 games in 33 days … in the power four (conferences),” Underwood said. “Coming off Michigan State, this sounds like an excuse – maybe it is – but we’re logging a lot of minutes. We had one ball-handler tonight. Coming off a very physical Michigan State game – an emotional game … I’m really proud of our guys. I don’t have one complaint. We just need health.”

Roger Cooper, a four-year assistant coach to new Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck, is being considered as an option Bret Bielema’s coaching staff.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 11, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Montana Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The pipeline of former Montana State assistant coaches interested in following Bobby Hauck to Illinois is fully active.

Multiple sources have confirmed to IlliniGuys.com that Roger Cooper, a four-year assistant coach to new Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck, is being considered to join Bret Bielema’s coaching staff in Champaign-Urbana.

Skyline Sports in Montana was the first to report Cooper was interviewing with Hauck and Bielema for an open staff position on Wednesday morning.

Cooper, 44, just finished his fourth season working for Hauck’s staff at Montana, most recently serving as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the past two years. Prior to serving as co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach, Cooper worked exclusively with Montana’s linebackers in 2023, and safeties in 2022.

Cooper has been a significant part of Hauck’s transformation of Montana’s defense and helped produce some of the best Football Championship Subdivision defenses while also being responsible for mentoring some of the program’s all-time great defenders.

A career-high scoring night from Aailyah Guyton and a […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 11, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As announced midway through Sunday’s game, Illinois women’s basketball achieved its third sellout game in program history against USC. The crowd, while falling short of the capacity of 15,544 at State Farm Center, was a loud one, as the Illini picked up steam late to narrow a 19-point deficit to just six in the closing moments.

The achievement is one that head coach Shauna Green, now in her fourth season at Illinois, has been hard at work to achieve.

“We were determined to make this sell-out happen, and we did it, and what an unbelievable atmosphere in there,” Green said after Sunday’s game.

Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb was also quick to show her appreciation for those who worked to pull the crowd together, praising Green, her staff, and the Illinois fans.

“Just an unbelievable atmosphere. It felt like a March game in February, just two really good teams going at it,” she said. “They’re an excellent team, they’ve proven that.”

By Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 10, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With March approaching and postseason implications looming, Illinois basketball finds itself in a familiar but increasingly complicated position: competing in the present while keeping one eye firmly on the future.

It has been a strong season on the hardwood for Illinois head coaches Brad Underwood and Shauna Green. After the Wisconsin game, Underwood’s men will have six regular-season contests remaining, while Green’s women will have four games left following Wednesday’s matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Both teams appear to be firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture, especially the men, who are vying for a No. 2 to No. 4 seed. The women are trending in the right direction, but still have work to do, according to Green.

Days after announcing Bobby Hauck as Illini’s new defensive coordinator, IlliniGuys.com has learned Bret Bielema is expected to hire one of Hauck’s former assistant coaches at Montana to the Illini’s staff.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 10, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy James Dobson/MTN Sports)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bobby Hauck is bringing a familiar face from his University of Montana staff with him to Illinois.

Multiple sources have confirmed to IlliniGuys.com that Ronnie Bradford has agreed to become the first assistant coach hire to Bret Bielema’s coaching staff since Hauck was named the Illini’s defensive coordinator earlier this week.

Bradford, 55, has 22 years of experience as an assistant coach at the collegiate and National Football League level and is expected to join his former boss, Hauck, after serving in several assistant coach roles at Montana including assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, cornerbacks coach and safeties coach from 2021-23.

By IlliniGuys Staff February 10, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

February 10, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Recruiting can move fast, but even by today’s standards, few stories illustrate that better than Mount Zion wide receiver Jacob Harvey’s recent run of decisions. Last Monday, Harvey committed to Illinois State. By Tuesday, he had received an offer from Illinois and quickly pledged to the Illini.

At IlliniGuys, recruiting coverage means digging deeper into the moments that shape decisions. Harvey sat down one-on-one to explain how everything unfolded in less than 24 hours.

Kedric: Jacob, congratulations on your commitment to Illinois. You recently committed to Illinois State. How did this transpire?

Jacob: I have been in contact with Illinois since

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

February 10, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini saw their 12-game winning streak snapped on Saturday at Michigan State, but still sit just 1 game behind Michigan atop the Big Ten standings. In order to keep pace, they will need to take care of the pesky Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday, the only team to beat the Wolverines this season. This is a tough matchup for Illinois, as the Wisconsin Guards can really get it going and the Illini will be without Senior Guard Kylan Boswell once again. But coming off of a loss, this should be a motivated Illinois team.

Setting the Stage
#7 Illinois (20-4, 11-2) v Wisconsin (16-7, 8-4)
TUESDAY, FEB. 10 | 7 P.M. CT | CHAMPAIGN, ILL. | STATE FARM CENTER |
TV: PEACOCK (John Fanta & Robbie Hummel)
Radio: Illini Sports Network

Notable

No. 8 Illinois concludes a stretch of five games in 13 days on Tuesday, hosting Wisconsin at State Farm Center.
Illinois is coming off an overtime loss at No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday night that snapped its 12-game winning streak, the Illini's longest win streak in the last 13 seasons.
Prior to Saturday's loss at No. 10 Michigan State, Illinois had won 10 consecutive Big Ten games. That equaled its longest B1G streak of the Brad Underwood era, first set from Feb. 25, 2021 through Jan. 14, 2022.
Illinois ranks fourth in the latest NET rankings and leads the nation with five Quad 1A wins.
Illinois is 20-4 overall, the program's best start since opening 22-4 in 2005-06.
Illinois' 11-2 Big Ten mark is its best record in conference play since the 2004-05 team won its first 15 league games. The famed 2005 Illini squad swept Big Ten regular season and Tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four, finishing as the NCAA runner-up at 37-2.
Illinois has secured its seventh straight 20-win regular season under Brad Underwood. Illinois, Houston, and Gonzaga are the only three programs to win at least 20 regular season games every year since 2019-20.
Illinois has also clinched a winning Big Ten record for the seventh straight season. Illinois is the only team to finish above .500 in Big Ten play every year since 2019-20.
Illinois has won six straight home games and is 12-1 at State Farm Center this season, the program's best start since also opening 12-1 at home in 2019-20. The Illini are averaging 88.6 points per game at home, with an average scoring margin of +24.2 ppg.
Illinois has won 20 consecutive games against unranked teams, and 15 straight at home over unranked foes.
Illinois is ranked No. 4 in kenpom, matching the highest rating of the Underwood era. The Illini also finished the 2020-21 season at No. 4.
Illinois is No. 8 in the latest AP poll and seventh in the coaches top 25, sitting inside the top 10 for the third consecutive week and the fourth week overall this season. Illinois has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons.
Illinois has six Quad 1 wins, tied for fifth in the NCAA (through games played Feb. 8) behind Duke (10), Arizona (8), Michigan (8), and Houston (7). Five of Illinois' six wins in this category are Quad 1A, most in the nation.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 10, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Sunday’s bout against USC was one of the largest non-Field Trip Day crowds for Illinois women’s basketball in recent history. The announced sellout played host to over 10,000, but the volume in the arena didn’t hit high levels until late in the fourth quarter of the 70-62 loss.

That can be attributed to yet another slow start for the Illini out of the gates. In its last five games, Illinois has averaged 70.4 points, but has only managed 27.6 points in the first half, and has also gone 1-4 in that stretch. What does that mean? It means the Illini are struggling to get the ball in the basket early. It’s an issue that head coach Shauna Green and her staff have identified, and will need to fix if they wish to avoid playing on Wednesday of the Big Ten Tournament next month.

“We gotta quit starting and getting ourselves into a hole,” Green said to open her post-game press conference. “We’ve gotta figure this out, and we’ve gotta be better and more disciplined and play with more urgency on the defensive end and (have) more of an aggressive mindset and attack mode on the offensive end so we don’t get down. You can’t get down to these teams in this league because it’s hard to climb out.”

Bobby Hauck, Montana’s 14-year head coach, has agreed to become the new defensive coordinator at Illinois.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 9, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Skyline Sports)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bobby Hauck and his 3-3-5 defensive scheme is coming to Illinois as the 61-year-old longtime head coach has agreed to be the Illini’s new defensive coordinator.

Hauck, who has spent the last eight years in his second stint as the Montana head coach leading one of the powerhouse programs in the Football Championship Subdivision, was announced as Bret Bielema’s choice to replace Aaron Henry as Illinois’ new play-caller for the upcoming 2026 season.

Hauck is expected to bring with him a 3-3-5 defensive scheme that was mentored to him by former San Diego State head coach Rocky Long when Hauck was on Long’s staff as a special teams coach from 2015-17.

Montana finished in the top 20 among FCS programs in scoring defense on three occasions over the last five seasons using this scheme and have ranked in the top five of the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense, total defense, and sacks every season. His defenses have ranked in the top 10 among FCS programs in turnovers forced three times in the last five years, including finishing third nationally last season (27) and second nationally in 2021 (30).

“Since meeting Coach Hauck early on in my head coaching career, I have had tremendous respect for who he is, what he stands for, and the program he has built,” Bielema said via a university release. “He is a family man with incredible attention to detail and a great ability to teach the game to both his staffs and players. Coach Hauck's aggressive defensive scheme, which he learned at San Diego State and developed at Montana, will be an exciting new style that has never been seen here at Illinois.”

By IlliniGuys Staff February 9, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]