Illinois coach Bret Bielema is already drawing national attention before the 2026 season even gets rolling.
Bielema was named to the Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, putting him in a small group of head coaches being considered for one of college football’s most respected awards. The Dodd Trophy goes to the coach who combines on-field success with scholarship, leadership, and integrity, and only 20 head coaches made the preseason list, with first-year head coaches excluded.
That puts Bielema in notable company. Seven of the 20 coaches on the list come from the Big Ten, including Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, and USC’s Lincoln Riley.
For Illinois, the recognition fits the recent results under Bielema. The Illini went 10-3 in 2024 and beat South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, then followed that with a 9-4 mark in 2025 and a Music City Bowl win over Tennessee. Now entering his sixth season, Bielema is being viewed as one of the top coaches to watch heading into 2026.
The preseason watch list is only the first step. A mid-season list will come later and trim the field down further, so Bielema’s presence there would be another sign that Illinois is trending in the right direction.
Illinois also has some major turnover to manage this season, most notably at quarterback. Katin Houser, the ECU transfer, is set to take over for Luke Altmeyer, who played a central role in the program’s success over the last two seasons.
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Johnsons outing also reopened an old conversation about what might have been for the Illini, especially after he shared the floor in a high-profile matchup with former Michigan teammate Yaxel Lendeborg. The immediate takeaway is simple enough: Johnson looks ready to compete, and his early pro success only adds another layer to the debate over a player whose stop at Illinois was brief, but still left enough of a mark to linger. [Read more 🡒]