Mike Neu, previously the head coach at Ball State, has been hired by coach Bret Bielema at Illinois to fill the position of senior offensive analyst, the program announced Thursday. The news was initially reported on social media by ESPN's Pete Thamel on Wednesday.

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema threw some shade at former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh in tweets amid a reported effort by UM against the NCAA in its sign-

Illinois coach Bret Bielema is feeling great. The Illini are coming off their first 10-win season since 2001. A junior day over the weekend had more than a dozen of the top local prospects on campus.

Illinois football fans are well aware of coach Bret Bielema's feistiness and competitive nature on the field and in the forums – whether that's defending his club in front of a press conference throng or pushing back on a social-media slight.

“I’ve always liked Bret,” Finebaum said on The Paul Finebaum Show Wednesday. “He was fun when we were together. But he is right. Harbaugh is just a disingenuous fraud about all the things he used to say. He didn’t want to face the music. By the way, Michigan didn’t really want him to stay.”

Illinois' Bret Bielema trasheed Jim Harbaugh over old videos resurfacing, accuses him of running to NFL after sign-stealing scandal.

Bret Bielema was in mid-season form this week when he trolled Jim Harbaugh on social media after it was reported Michigan pushed back against the NCAA in the sign-stealing investigation. The Illinois coach re-posted old videos of the Harbaugh, the former Michigan coach, speaking about truth and integrity.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema, who has been outspoken against Michigan amid its sign-stealing allegations, trolled Jim Harbaugh on the matter Tuesday:

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema knows expectations for his team in 2025 have – relatively speaking – shot right through the roof. It's not often the Illini are ranked in way-too-early lookahead top 25s,

Illinois coach Bret Bielema shared a caveat about his best offensive player from last season, the first from the 2024 roster to declare for this spring's NFL Draft.

Bret Bielema has not been afraid to voice his opinions on social media as of late, and on Tuesday night, Jim Harbaugh was his target. Bieleme quoted a video that was posted of Harbaugh when he was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. In the video, Harbaugh says “If you cheat to win, then you've already lost.”