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By IlliniGuys Staff February 2, 2026 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - […]

For the first time since Dec. 2022, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will need to fill a coordinator spot on coaching staff after losing Aaron Henry to Notre Dame. IlliniGuys.com have broken down a potential list of candidates here. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 2, 2026

NOTE: It should be known this hot board will be updated based on sourced information during the search process as Illinois head coach Bret Bielema attempts to find his third defensive coordinator hire since Bielema’s arrival in Champaign on Dec. 2020. However, as of now (late evening of Feb. 1), this is a list in no particular order fully based on nothing more than speculation and should not be used as anything more than a guideline on potential candidates. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For the third time since accepting to be Illinois’ head coach in Dec. 2020, Bret Bielema will need to hire a defensive play-caller to his coaching staff just a few months before 2026 spring practices are slated to begin on the University of Illinois campus. 

One of the few logical ways IlliniGuys.com felt to best separate potential candidates for this hot board was in two categories. Before the 2021 season, Bielema publicly discussed his desire to hire coordinators who he’d never worked with and had no previous ties with in his coaching career. Despite obviously filling his assistant coach positions with people he’d either coached, worked with in some capacity or interviewed for previous openings he’d had at either Wisconsin or Arkansas, (defensive line coach Terrance Jamsion, offensive line coach Bart Miller, then-defensive backs coach Aaron Henry, linebackers coach Andy Buh, wide receivers coach George McDonald and chief of staff Mark Taurisani), the Illini head coach said he felt it would be a unhealthy start to hire coordinators he’d had a previous relationship with because he wanted those spots to A) represent a new philosophical beginning to Bielema’s restart in the college game and B) be strictly merit-based hires. Enter the hirings of former Appalachian State offensive coordinator Tony Petersen, former Missouri defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and former Air Force special teams coordinator Ben Miller. The results of this philosophy were mixed as by the end of the 2022 regular season, none of these three men were in these jobs as Petersen was fired after just one season, Walters left to become Purdue’s head coach after two seasons at Illinois and Miller was forced to take a medical leave of absence from the position after being diagnosed with colon cancer. In each of the subsequent searches following the departure of Petersen and Walters, Bielema reversed course on his philosophy and elected to go with people who he’d worked with in the past and had a deep connection with professionally and personally. Barry Lunney Jr. reunited with Bielema in 2022 after Lunney spent five years as the tight ends coach at Arkansas under Bielema from 2013-17. To replace Walters after the 2022 season, Bielema elected to quickly with an in-house promotion of Aaron Henry, who was offered the full-time play-caller role before the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa.

Therefore, based on the five-year history of Bielema’s behavior in this decision-making spot, a logical way to categorize this hot board for Bielema’s third defensive coordinator hire should be split between three categories: 1) Those with a previous connection; 2) Those without any previous ties to the Illini head coach; 3) An in-house promotion

Illinois holds Nebraska to just 10 of 24 from two-point field goal range in a 78-69 victory inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 1, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

LINCOLN, Neb. — Unlike its first matchup against Nebraska, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and the rest of his coaching staff elected to approach its defensive plan with an objective to not miss the forest because of the trees.

The individual trees still is Nebraska’s unique ways to fill the scoring column up with all kinds of shooters such as Pryce Sandfort, Sam Hoiberg, Braden Frager, Jamarques Lawrence and even with center Rienk Mast. The forest is Nebraska’s final scoring column because of their ability to incorporate easy layups, free throws and points inside the three-point arc to survive the inevitable shooting lull over a 40-minute game.

Underwood left Pinnacle Bank Arena Sunday evening convinced his No. 9 Illini were up for this challenge in this top ten ranked matchup because his players begged the question of whether No. 5 Nebraska could survive a nightmare day from two-point range. Despite a six-point lead and the momentum of a sold-out crowd and a national television audience, Illinois (19-3, 10-1 in Big Ten Conference) found out the answer was Nebraska could not survive as the Illini took home its sixth straight true road win in 78-69 fashion.

By IlliniGuys Staff February 1, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By IlliniGuys Staff February 1, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

After three years calling the defenses at Illinois, Aaron […]

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

February 1, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Illini flew into Lincoln on Saturday for their biggest game of the season, at least this week. They will take on the surprising Nebraska Cornhuskers who continue to defy expectations. In their first meeting, the Illini lost 83-80 on a last second 3 pointer, but Nebraska controlled the game with their physicality and offensive precision for much of the afternoon before a late Illini surge almost stole the game.

Since that outing, Illinois has been the #1 team in the country, winning 10 in a row, while Nebraska finally lost earlier this week in a heartbreaker at Michigan. This should be a good one. Here’s a look at what to expect.

Setting the Stage
#9 Illinois (18-3, 9-1 B1G) at #5Nebraska (20-1, 9-1 B1G)
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 // 3 p.m. CT // Lincoln, Neb. // Pinnacle Bank Arena
TV: FS1 – Kevin Kugler (Play-by-Play) & Nick Bahe (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Doug Altenberger
National Radio: Westwood One – Nate Gatter (Play-By-Play) & Will Perdue (Analyst)

Notable
*Sunday's game is a White Out and it is the first time the Huskers have hosted a top-10 matchup in Lincoln and just the third top-10 matchup in school history.

*The Illini and Huskers are both 9-1 midway through the Big Ten race, with Sunday's winner moving into a first-place tie with Michigan. Illinois is riding a 10-game win streak, the program's longest since opening the 2012-13 season at 12-0. It is the longest active winning streak in the Big Ten, third among Power Five teams, and seventh nationally. Sunday is a rematch from Dec. 13 in Champaign, when Nebraska won on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, 83-80. That game marks the only loss for the Fighting Illini over the last two months (12-1).

*Illinois heads to Lincoln in search of another top-10 road victory. The Illini have earned six top-10 wins in visiting arenas under Brad Underwood over the last seven seasons, tied with Alabama for most in the nation.

*Following last Saturday's win at No. 4 Purdue, the Fighting Illini enter the matchup at No. 5 Nebraska in search of consecutive road wins against top-5 teams for the first time in school history.

*Illinois is 18-3 overall, owning its best start in 20 years, since opening the 2005-06 season at 20-2.

*The Huskers (20-1, 9-1 B1G) look to bounce back from a 75-72 loss at No. 3 Michigan on Tuesday. Nebraska, which was without two of its top three scorers, led for most of the game and was up 72-69 before the Wolverines closed the game with a 6-0 run to escape with the win. Jamarques Lawrence and Pryce Sandfort led the Huskers with 20 points apiece while Sam Hoiberg added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Nebraska held Michigan to 1.05 points per possession and forced 19 Wolverine turnovers. The loss snapped Nebraska's 24-game win streak dating back to the 2025 College Basketball Crown and ended the longest win streak in college basketball since Gonzaga won 35 straight games spanning the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

By Larry Smith - Co-Host & Executive Producer, IlliniGuys […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 31, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Back in November, Illinois was just the second program to offer St. Laurence linebacker Sean Rice, who, since making the switch to his new position, has seen production – and interest – grow in a big way. He caught up with IlliniGuys writer Zeno Jo during the program’s Junior Day earlier in January to talk about his recruitment process.

Since visiting Illinois in November, Rice’s list of Division I offers has grown from two to 11. He attributes that growth to the switch from defensive line to linebacker, which came, in large part, thanks to his coaches. He calls the decision to switch positions “by far” one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

After three years at Illinois, Robby Discher has elected to leave Bret Bielema’s staff to join Ryan Day’s operation at Ohio State.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

January 31, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When Illinois opens its 2026 Big Ten Conference schedule on Sept. 26 at Ohio State, Robby Discher will be on the sidelines coaching but it will be on the home side.

Discher has agreed to join Ryan Day’s coaching staff to be the Buckeyes special teams coordinator leaving Illini head coach Bret Bielema in need of replacing two position coach spots, one of which is one of his three coordinators who he values on his staff.

Bielema had previously said that he expected all three of the coordinators on his staff to return for the 2026 season but Discher has elected to leave for Ohio State’s operation that is 79-12 overall and 54-5 in the Big Ten in the seven seasons of Day’s leadership. Discher’s hiring in Columbus, Ohio marks the first time Ohio State will have a full-fledged special teams coordinator since it fired Parker Fleming after the 2023 season. Ohio State’s special teams were overseen for the past two seasons by quality control coach Rob Keys and program assistant Gunner Daniel.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 30, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini will start the 2026 season with the same three backs that figured to lead them in the 2025 season: Ca'Lil Valentine, Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery. However, with the recent news that the Illini are experimenting with Feagin as a tight end next year and the addition of two more excellent prospects, I don't expect 2026 to be more of the same for this group. For one thing, Valentine passed Feagin as the primary back as the year went on and he figures to take an even bigger role in 2026. Valentine has added 25 pounds since he arrived in Champaign, and with a little more weight he could be in line for a run to the NFL next season.

Newcomers
Javari Barnett from Tampa Bay Tech flipped back to Illinois from his Alabama commitment on signing day and Nelsyn Wheeler from Omaha Millard South exploded into a high level prospect after transferred to one of the top teams in Nebraska. Barnett was one of my favorite early commitments, so I wasn't surprised when Alabama swooped in and talked him out of his Illini pledge. However, Barnett had an injury plagued senior year in which he didn't really progress as a player, so I also wasn't terribly surprised when he slipped back out of his Illini commitment.

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

January 30, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini won their 10th in a row over a tough Washington team 75-66 at the State Farm Center on Thursday night behind another stellar performance from Keaton Wagler, who posted 22 points 8 assists and 5 rebounds, while also getting 129 from David Mirkovic and 14 from a revitalized Ben Humrichous.

The Illini got off to a slow start offensively and trailed 7-0 early, but once they took an 8-7 lead they never trailed and never saw Washington get closer than 5 in the second half to move to 18-3 and 9-1 in the Big Ten.

Here’s a Rewind.

These 3 Things

Poise and Precision

By IlliniGuys Staff January 29, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

January 29, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Setting the Stage
#9 Illinois (17-3, 8-1 B1G) vs. Washington (11-9, 3-6 B1G)
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: FS1 – Jeff Levering (Play-by-Play) & Steve Smith (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*Winners of nine straight games, No. 9 Illinois is back in action at home on Thursday night vs. Washington. It is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers game at State Farm Center. Illini head coach Brad Underwood will be wearing custom-painted CvC Nike Air Force 1s on the State Farm Center sidelines Thursday night when the Illini take on Washington. The Fighting Illini staff is joining coaches from across the country who are participating in the annual Suits & Sneakers Week.

* Illinois' nine-game win streak is the program's longest since opening the 2012-13 season at 12-0. It is the longest active winning streak in the Big Ten, third among Power Five teams, and seventh nationally. Illinois is 17-3 overall, matching its best start since 2008-09. The Illini enter Thursday in search of the program's best 21-game record since opening the 2005-06 campaign at 19-2.

Illinois head coach Shauna Green has hope her program’s fifth loss of the 2025-26 season to a ranked team will serve as a preparation lesson for an upcoming March game.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 29, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — If Wednesday night served as possible preliminary contest to a future NCAA Tournament matchup for Illinois, the 13-point loss could represent something that might carry Shauna Green’s young team for the final two months.

While NCAA Tournament bracket projections are much more difficult to find in the women’s basketball world, ESPN.com analyst Charlie Creme has had Illinois on the 8-9 seed line for much of the last two months. If Creme’s analysis is to be taken seriously, Illinois (15-6, 5-5 in Big Ten Conference) would see a national championship contender in a second round matchup similarly to how their 2024-25 season ended to top-seed Texas in the Moody Center in Austin, Texas to a Longhorns team that eventually advanced to the Final Four.