Illinois is coming into 2025 with quite a season from 2024. Bret Bielama’s 4th stint with the Fighting Illini saw the team finishing 10-3, a sharp uptick from the 5-7 records that came twice in his career. That same zeal is going into his 5th year. However, Bielema has stirred up some chatter in college football, in light of his spat with Jim Harbaugh. The feud has been simmering for some months now, and his latest update is proof that the two coaches are still at odds with each other. A player from the program is now trying to clear things up after his coach’s admission.
Jim Harbaugh is a scorned name in college football now, only because of the sign-stealing scandal. He might be in the NFL, and has already produced some great work. But this one controversy looms over his entire career. In January, a video of him from his stint in San Francisco started doing the rounds. “If you cheat to win, then you’ve already lost,” Harbaugh said, along with a few more words on cheating and winning. Soon after the NCAA first rapped Michigan in 2024, the former coach made his way to Seattle.
Bret Bielema, clearly disgruntled at how the scandal played out, left a few choice words for Harbaugh. “Really…. Why did you leave? Was looking forward to playing but understand why you ran to the #NFL See you in the future and can’t wait,” he wrote on X, resharing the video. Since then, the Illinois Coach has been on thin ice with Harbaugh. That eventually saw Bielema crushing Michigan in 2024, winning 21-7. He said at a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, “I have not talked to Jim. I never really had a problem with him, but it was just that moment, that scenario. Actually, his strength coach, Ben Herbert…When I got let go to Arkansas, Jim hired four of my strength coaches to Michigan, and that’s kind of when they made their turn.”
To prevent Bielema’s bad blood with Harbaugh, making the most of his image as Illinois’ HC, players are taking the stand. They know their coach, who’s been with the program for 4 years now. OL Josh Kreutz talked about it on FOX 32 Chicago on June 19, “I think he’s just proud of his team. He wants us to accomplish more, and I think he rides for us and that’s why we ride for him...” Gabe Jacas also noted that aspect of Bielema’s personality. “Everyone loves Coach B. [He’s] just a very passionate guy, as you can tell on social media. Like he cares about his players.”
Bielema is a constant presence on Illinois’ social media, having all the good words for targets visiting or committing to Illinois. The sign-stealing scandal left the whole of college football miffed, especially after Michigan went ahead and won the title after the controversy broke. Bielama might be vocal about his thoughts on Jim Harbaugh, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s a coach focused on producing what is expected of him.
Bret Bielema may turn heads with his comments, but his players respect him anyway
“This guy is loud. He’s energetic But players love playing for him. Why?” host Lou Cannellis asked the boys. Bielema is a boisterous man and doesn’t hold back on speaking his mind about things that need attention. When a journalist shared the SEC’s regular-season gauntlet, he taunted the conference by calling it an “EXTREMELY talented working group of individuals.” “One thing I learned earlier in life: If you don’t stand up for yourself, no one else will. Sometimes I stand up for our players, sometimes for our program, sometimes I stand up for college football,” he also said earlier.
And that seems to be a thought that resonates loud and clear within the team. “I like playing for him because of the type of man that he is… He’d preach about being tough, smart, dependable. That was his DNA, and that’s what he’s gonna live and die by. And, that’s kind of what I live and die by. And, that’s the work ethic,” Illinois OL Josh Gesky said. Kreutz also shared those feelings. “He’s giving us his all and we just know he’s gonna put us in the best position possible to win.”
And win he might, after he came close to making the playoffs last year. Bret Bielema is just leaving his mark as a college football coach who is brutally blunt about everything that concerns the program. Like Jacas said, these are the signs of a passionate leader who wants the best for his team. His beef with Jim Harbaugh and everything else aside, Bielema is a coach who knows his team inside out and fights for what is best for them.
The post Illinois OL Issues Damage Control for Bret Bielema After Jim Harbaugh Beef Turned Heads appeared first on EssentiallySports.