CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Illinois Football Head Coach Bret Bielema has been named to the Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced Monday. The list features 26 of the top coaches in college football, including five from the Big Ten Conference.
Bielema earns the honor following a historic 2024 campaign, during which he led the Fighting Illini to a program-record-tying 10 wins, including a dramatic 21–17 victory over #14 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Illinois finished the season ranked #16 in the AP Top 25, their highest postseason finish in over a decade.
“Coach Bielema has elevated Illinois Football to a national level,” said a team spokesperson. “This recognition is a reflection of the program’s continued rise under his leadership.”
The 2025 Illini return 18 starters from last year’s bowl-winning team — the most returning starters of any bowl team in the nation — and expectations are high heading into the new season.
Bielema, who signed a six-year extension in 2025 keeping him in Champaign through 2030, has compiled 28 overall wins and 18 Big Ten victories during his four-year tenure. Since his arrival in 2021, the Illini have made two New Year’s Bowl appearances, produced 11 All-Americans, and sent 12 players to the NFL Draft.
The Fighting Illini will kick off the 2025 season on Friday, August 29, hosting Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on Peacock.