Illinois hands Bielema, Underwood 6-year deals

Illinois has locked in its football and men’s basketball coaches for the long term, agreeing to six-year contracts with Bret Bielema and Brad Underwood.

Illinois rewarded Bielema for turning around its struggling football program, and Underwood for an eight-year run that includes five NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Elite Eight. Both deals were announced Tuesday.

Bielema’s deal runs through 2030, while Underwood is locked in through the 2030-31 season. The contracts are pending approval by the university’s board of trustees on May 22.

Bielema’s annual salary would begin at $7.7 million, while Underwood’s would start at $4.4 million. Both coaches would be eligible for four one-year extensions if performance benchmarks are met, as well as annual retention incentives starting next July 1.

For Bielema, the retention incentives would start at $700,000 and increase each year. For Underwood, they would begin at $1.15 million.

In four seasons in Champaign, Bielema has led Illinois to a 28-22 record and an 18-18 mark in Big Ten play. The Illini matched a school record for wins in 2024 when they went 10-3. They beat South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl and became just the fifth team in the program’s 133 years to reach double-digit victories.

“Over the last four seasons, our program has been built on tough, smart, dependable people in every facet: from our players, to our coaches and staff, to our administration,” Bielema said in a statement. “I am fortunate to work every day with an athletic director that fully believes in our football program and a coaching staff that fully believes in our players.”

Underwood praised his program’s “alignment” with athletic director Josh Whitman, the administration and trustees.

“That foundation created the environment where — led by all the tremendous players we’ve had along with a group of talented assistant coaches and a dedicated staff — we have been able to achieve success,” he said.

Bielema, who led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowls before a disappointing run at Arkansas, replaced the fired Lovie Smith after the 2020 season. He got a six-year contract at the time with a salary starting at $4.2 million to return to the Big Ten and his home state.

Illinois had nine straight losing seasons before Bielema was hired. The Illini went 5-7 in his first year before winning eight games in 2022. They went 5-7 in 2023 before bouncing back last year.

Illinois won 10 games for the first time since 2001 and were ranked by the College Football Playoff selection committee a program-record four straight weeks, while appearing in the AP poll 11 times, finishing at No. 16.

Underwood is 165-101 overall at Illinois and 92-66 in Big Ten play, with three league championships. He and Lou Henson are the only Illini coaches with at least five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Illinois was also on track to make the 2020 tournament that was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Illini won 22 games last season after losing five starters and the top eight scorers from a team that reached the Elite Eight in 2024.

Underwood has a 274-128 record in 12 seasons as a head coach, including three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Oklahoma State.