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Bret Bielema gets first glimpse of Illinois’ campus, facilities

Spenser Davis

By Spenser Davis

Published:

New Illinois coach Bret Bielema isn’t wasting any time before getting started.

He was named Illinois’ next head coach on Saturday morning, attended the Illini’s game vs. Penn State on Saturday night and then got his first look at his facilities on Sunday.

Here’s a video of Bielema and his family getting a tour of the brand new Smith Football Center:

“It’s been a whirlwind since [being hired], but I couldn’t be more excited to get here today and get started,” Bielema said.

The Smith Football Center opened in August of 2019, so Bielema shouldn’t have any issues with recruits thinking the facilities are outdated.

Speaking of recruiting, Bielema has already out-lined some of his strategies for adding talent. He’s already committed to all 10 of his assistant coaches recruiting Illinois, making in-state talent a priority.

Currently, Illinois’ 2021 recruiting class is falling behind. The Illini rank last in the Big Ten, according 247Sports Composite rankings after the Early Signing Period.

National Signing Day is on Feb. 3, 2021.

Spenser Davis

Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.