Illinois rewards coaches Bret Bielema and Brad Underwood with 6-year extensions

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 via 2030, whereas Underwood is locked in via the 2030-31 season. The contracts are pending approval by the college’s board of trustees on Might 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 enhance annually. For Underwood, they might start at $1.15 million.

In 4 seasons in Champaign, Bielema has led Illinois to a 28-22 file and an 18-18 mark in Massive Ten play. The Illini matched a faculty file for wins in 2024 once they went 10-3. They beat South Carolina within the Citrus Bowl and have become simply the fifth workforce in this system’s 133 years to succeed in double-digit victories.

“During the last 4 seasons, our program has been constructed on powerful, good, reliable individuals in each aspect: from our gamers, to our coaches and workers, to our administration,” Bielema mentioned in an announcement. “I’m lucky to work day by day with an athletic director that totally believes in our soccer program and a training workers that totally believes in our gamers.”

Underwood praised his program’s “alignment” with athletic director Josh Whitman, the administration and trustees.

“That basis created the setting the place — led by all of the large gamers we’ve had together with a gaggle of gifted assistant coaches and a devoted workers — we now have been capable of obtain success,” he mentioned.

Bielema, who led Wisconsin to a few 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 Massive Ten and his house state.

Illinois had 9 straight shedding seasons earlier than Bielema was employed. The Illini went 5-7 in his first 12 months earlier than profitable eight video games in 2022. They went 5-7 in 2023 earlier than bouncing again final 12 months.

Illinois received 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 instances, ending at No. 16.

Underwood is 165-101 general at Illinois and 92-66 in Massive 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 received 22 video games final season after shedding 5 starters and the highest eight scorers from a workforce that reached the Elite Eight in 2024.

Underwood has a 274-128 file 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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