Illinois football is getting ready for Year 3 of Bret Bielema’s tenure leading the program. After an 8-win campaign and momentum for the future, fans have responded to the results with a surge of ticket sales for the 2023 season.

According to a Wednesday announcement, Illinois has sold over 6,000 new season tickets coming out of 2022. That is an increase of 300% in terms of new season tickets for the program.

The surge in ticket sales comes after the program announced a “FamILLy First” initiative during the winter. That initiative dropped season ticket prices by an average of 17% across Memorial Stadium with Bielema and the administration hoping to turn Champaign into a tough place to play for the opposition.