Illinois rewards Bielema with new contract through 2028
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema calls his team during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Nam Y. Huh]
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has signed coach Bret Bielema to a new six-year contract through 2028. He’s transformed a struggling program into a winner in two seasons, going 13-11. He gets a bump in salary from $4.2 million to $6 million. The deal is pending approval by the school’s board of trustees in January. It includes various bonuses, like a $500,000 annual retention incentive. The Illini are wrapping up their best season since the 2007 Rose Bowl team won nine games. They’re set to face Mississippi State on Jan. 2 in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
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FILE - Illinois head coach Bret Bielema watches against Michigan in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Illinois signed coach Bret Bielema to a new six-year contract through 2028 on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, a big reward for transforming a struggling program into a winner in his second season. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Paul Sancya