‘An unprecedented world’: Bielema on navigating transfer portal

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It is an unprecedented time in college football. The college football transfer portal opens up Jan. 2, meaning coaches have to prepare for their biggest games of the season, work on keeping their current players in their building and all while looking at new players to bring onto campus.

For Illinois head coach Bret Bielema’s team, they are working double duty. While preparing for the Music City Bowl against Tennessee, Bielema also has his assistant coaches working on looking at new players the Illini want to bring onto their 2026 squad.

“Every position we plan on taking someone through the portal, those coaches are meeting, ranking and prioritizing players that we feel are going to be available,” Bielema said. “It is really an unprecedented world.”

The Illini’s head coach also prides himself on his ability to retain talent in his program. That was on display last offseason, where the Illini held on to corner Xavier Scott, edge Gabe Jacas, offensive lineman J.C. Davis and quarterback Luke Altmyer, with Altmyer even allegedly receiving interest from a familar SEC school.

And while he had success in 2025’s offseason, that is no guarantee it will be the same this year. Bielema is losing those players all to the NFL Draft, and could potentially losing starting safety Matt Bailey too, if he chooses to forgo his senior season and enter his name into the draft.

But the man leading the Illini has a plan, and it started early last week meeting with his team.

“There is so many venues now and ways that we are notified that a player may be interested. Our roster is comprised of three key components: retention, removal and aquistion,” Bielema said. “Retention is what I am going through right now, I think I met with 68 of our players. I got about another 30 left that I will get with next week. That is obviously a big part of retention.”

Bielema noted earlier this season he would like his depth to be better at a few positions, which could mean a few players on the current team might not be with the Illini in 2026. Several of those players have already let Bielema know they will not be back.

“Obviously you guys have seen, some of the guys — even though the portal doesn’t open until January 2nd — there’s a couple guys that have removed themselves already and won’t be with us,” Bielema said. “I probably have another six to 10 guys that have expressed to me that they will probably be in the portal after the bowl game.”

Some coaches would not even consider letting players on their team that are planning to leave play in a bowl game, but Bielema sees it differently.

“I wanted them to play and they are going to play. If you started this season and you want to play, that is obviously a decision you can make,” Bielema said. “As long as we mutually agree to it, that [option] will be there.”

Bielema will play his cards close to his chest, careful to not give any other teams or coaches an upper hand, so those players will remain unnamed. And for the most part, the players that have let their head coach know they are planning on moving on, are not in the starting lineup. All but one are backups, and that one, well just see what Bielema said himself.

“I do know that for most part all of the guys that are moving on from us none of them are a starter— we have one guy that is a starter,” Bielema said. “That is kind of an unusual situation but that is a decision he makes and what he wants to do.”

None of this is normal for these coaches, and adjusting to the wild west of college football can be tough, and sets up situations where coaches know a player wants to go, and they player won’t say anything.

That is the part that is really difficult right now, is kids want to get in, they can’t get in, you know they are going in, and they can’t say it,“ Bielema said.

There is one thing that Bielema is confident about however. Through all the hoops he has to jump through to put a roster on the field, the Illini’s head coach knows how important the bowl game is to not just the fanbase but to his team.

“The opportunity to get better in this postseason play is really huge.” Bielema said.

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