Illinois head coach Bret Bielema Big Ten media days press conference

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The first day of Big Ten football media days 2026 took place on Tuesday in Chicago, and with it, we heard from about one-third of the coaches and teams in the league. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day won't have his time at the podium until Wednesday, but we did hear from Bret Bielema (Illinois), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Matt Campbell (Penn State), Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Lincoln Riley (USC), and Luke Fickell (Wisconsin).

If you are like us, we are interested in what all the head coaches in the conference have to say, and if so, then we have all of the press conferences from each head coach on Tuesday for you. In this case, we've got Illinois head coach Bret Bielema and what he had to say about where the Illini program is and where he is working to make it go.

Have a listen. Many Ohio State fans aren't big fans of Bielema, but there's no denying how much more competitive he's made Illinois in a short amount of time.

We'll continue to bring you sound bites, news, and commentary from the next couple of days that take place at Big Ten media days, so be sure to check back.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Illinois head coach Bret Bielema Big Ten media days press conference

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