Illinois has locked in its soccer and males’s basketball coaches for the long run, agreeing to six-year contracts with Bret Bielema and Brad Underwood.
Illinois rewarded Bielema for turning round its struggling soccer program, and Underwood for an eight-year run that features 5 NCAA Event appearances and a visit to the Elite Eight. Each offers have been introduced Tuesday.
Bielema’s deal runs by way of 2030, whereas Underwood is locked in by way of the 2030-31 season. The contracts are pending approval by the college’s board of trustees on Could 22.
Bielema’s annual wage would start at $7.7 million, whereas Underwood’s would begin at $4.4 million. Each coaches could be eligible for 4 one-year extensions if efficiency benchmarks are met, in addition to annual retention incentives beginning subsequent July 1.
For Bielema, the retention incentives would begin at $700,000 and improve every year. For Underwood, they’d start at $1.15 million.
In 4 seasons in Champaign, Bielema has led Illinois to a 28-22 document and an 18-18 mark in Huge Ten play. The Illini matched a college document for wins in 2024 once they went 10-3. They beat South Carolina within the Citrus Bowl and have become simply the fifth group in this system’s 133 years to achieve double-digit victories.
“Over the past 4 seasons, our program has been constructed on robust, sensible, reliable individuals in each side: from our gamers, to our coaches and workers, to our administration,” Bielema stated in an announcement. “I’m lucky to work day by day with an athletic director that absolutely believes in our soccer program and a training workers that absolutely believes in our gamers.”
Underwood praised his program’s “alignment” with athletic director Josh Whitman, the administration and trustees.
“That basis created the atmosphere the place — led by all of the great gamers we’ve had together with a gaggle of proficient assistant coaches and a devoted workers — now we have been in a position to obtain success,” he stated.
Bielema, who led Wisconsin to 3 Rose Bowls earlier than a disappointing run at Arkansas, changed the fired Lovie Smith after the 2020 season. He obtained a six-year contract on the time with a wage beginning at $4.2 million to return to the Huge Ten and his dwelling state.
Illinois had 9 straight shedding seasons earlier than Bielema was employed. The Illini went 5-7 in his first yr earlier than profitable eight video games in 2022. They went 5-7 in 2023 earlier than bouncing again final yr.
Illinois gained 10 video games for the primary time since 2001. The Illini have been ranked by the Faculty Soccer Playoff choice committee a program-record 4 straight weeks and appeared within the AP ballot 11 occasions, ending at No. 16.
Underwood is 165-101 general at Illinois and 92-66 in Huge Ten play, with three league championships. He and Lou Henson are the one Illini coaches with at the very least 5 consecutive NCAA Event appearances. Illinois was additionally on monitor to make the 2020 event that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Illini gained 22 video games final season after shedding 5 starters and the highest eight scorers from a group that reached the Elite Eight in 2024.
Underwood has a 274-128 document in 12 seasons as a head coach, together with three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Oklahoma State.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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