There had been reports floating around of New York Giants assistant coach Bret Bielema interviewing for college coaching jobs and now he’s found his next gig.
The University of Illinois announced on Saturday morning that they’ve hired Bielema as their next head coach after the school moved on from former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith. He got a six-year deal worth $4.2 million per year. Not bad at all.
Bielema had success in the Big Ten when he was the head coach of the University of Wisconsin, but ended up leaving to coach at the University of Arkansas where things didn’t go as well, which led to his departure and arrival to the NFL with the New England Patriots prior to coaching with the Giants this season.