From childhood stories, Chili’s triple dipper orders, to the crazy world of college football, Bret Bielema truly covered it all during his interview on the Pardon My Take podcast.
Illinois’ head coach joined the Barstool podcast for the fourth time earlier this month. Although some of the interview may have been on the fun side, Bielema gave major insights into the 2026 season.
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Defensive changes
Arguably the biggest change in the off-season for the orange and blue was the departure of Defensive Coordinator Aaron Henry.
Henry, who had been with the program since 2021, took the co-defensive coordinator role in South Bend.
“Notre Dame came in and grabbed my [Aaron Henry] defensive coordinator,” Bielema said.
With Henry’s exit, a brand-new era of football begins in Champaign under Bobby Hauck, who previously served as head coach at Montana for 14 years.
The new coach will usher in a new defensive system as well, with the Illini defense running a brand-new, unique look.
“We brought in the 3-3-5, and we’re the only team in our league running it—really one of the few in college football,” Bielema said.
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In years past, the Illini have run a system that featured four defensive linemen. The system worked particularly well when you had the likes of Johnny Newton, Keith Randolph and Gabe Jacas rushing the quarterback.
Now, the Illini will be depending on some veteran linebackers and defensive backs to lead their defense.
Matthew Bailey and Xavier Scott, both senior defensive backs, will face lofty expectations as they lead the 3-3-5 system. Joe Barna, who will lead the linebacker core, will also be important.
The veteran players will be leaned on more this year than almost any other year during the Bielema era. Roster turnover due to eligibility expiration and the portal has fundamentally changed the roster for the 2026 season.
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“I have 110 players; 48% of my roster is new this year,” Bielema said.
The Scoreboard
After Larry Gies made his major donation to rename Memorial Stadium, the biggest question was where the money would go. Well, it didn’t take long to figure out what the first thing his nine-figure check would be going towards.
The over 17,000 square feet scoreboard in the South endzone of Gies Memorial Stadium is nearing its completion. The scoreboard is historic in many ways, and Big Cat and PFT Commenter were VERY interested in it during the interview.
“We are putting in the largest video board in all of the world, not just the United States,” Bielema said.
I’m still not sure if I’m completely prepared to see just how big this scoreboard is going to be. The university conveniently started scaling up construction just after finals ended on campus, so I haven’t gotten to see the scale of it with my own eyes quite yet.
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Given that this will be essentially the biggest TV in the history of the world, it’s not just going to take some getting used to for me, but also for the competitors who will have it in front of them.
“They recommended we have several practices where the Jumbotron is playing,” Bielema said.
After all of this talk about the Jumbotron, I think seeing it with my own eyes might be the thing I’m most excited to get back to campus for.
A Changing Landscape
Coach Bielema has been very active on X during his tenure at Illinois, and with that comes some strong opinions on the CFP, NIL and transfer portal changes that could be implemented very soon.
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“It’s [college football] at an unprecedented high,” Bielema said. “They all wanna live in 2010, it’s 2026 for a reason.”
With multiple bills going through Congress on NIL and talk of CFP expansion, it feels good to have a coach who actually wants to get the best possible outcome for this team.
Bielema also gave his preferred number for the CFP: “I think 24”.
Especially for the Illini, who have finished in the top 25 in back-to-back years, the expansion could make a lot of sense and makes end-of-the-year games that much more important.
“That Illinois, Wisconsin game in week 10, when we’re both at eight wins, that game is now more important than ever before,” Bielema said.
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I think it makes complete sense for Bielema to argue for more expansion. The Miami Hurricanes proved last year, as the last team selected for the field, that lower-seeded teams could make it all the way to the National Championship.
With the expansion of the CFP will come tough competition, however, it doesn’t seem to worry Bielema.
“You give me two weeks to prepare, I’ll beat anybody,” Bielema said.
That type of confidence is exactly what Illinois football needs, and Bielema will have the chance to display that in just a few short months.
