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Illinois Football: 4 reasons Tony Petersen is a home run hire for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 24, 2018; Evanston, IL, USA; A detailed view of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2018; Evanston, IL, USA; A detailed view of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; General view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second quarter against California Golden Bears at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema announced a new member of his coaching staff on Monday night.

The offensive coordinator position has now been filled by Tony Petersen. Coming from Appalachian State, where the offense averaged 32.2 points per game, Petersen brings a ton of experience to the table. This hire should help the Illinois offense get off the ground.

Here are four reasons why Tony Petersen is a home run hire for the Illini.

1. Development at quarterback

I believe it is pretty evident that Isaiah Williams is the future at the quarterback position for the Illini. The kid showed he had what it takes to be a Big Ten leader this past season.

While I think Williams showed people his passing game is better than most thought, there is still room for improvement through the air. That is one area where Tony Petersen can be a great help to the program.

During his coaching career, Petersen has helped develop some great quarterback talent. As a quarterbacks coach of Marshall in 1997 and then the offensive coordinator in 1998, he had the opportunity to help develop future NFL starting quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich.

Petersen’s next coaching stint was with Minnesota as the co-offensive coordinator. During his six seasons with the Gophers, their starting quarterbacks had a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. From 2010-12, he went back to Marshall as the offensive coordinator, and their quarterback room had a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

After his stop at Marshall, Petersen was with Louisiana Tech as the offensive coordinator for three seasons. During his final two years, Petersen’s starting quarterbacks had a 2.7:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. One of the players he coached was Jeff Driskel, who is currently in the NFL.

Petersen took the same position with East Carolina from 2016-18, and despite the struggles with the Pirates, he was still able to develop the quarterback room. East Carolina’s quarterbacks had about a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio during Petersen’s time with the program, and he was a part of Gardner Minshew’s development, as the current NFL quarterback spent two seasons under the new Illini offensive coordinator’s tutelage.

Now I am hoping that Petersen can bring a little bit of that magic with him to Champaign. He has a quarterback in Williams who already has the running ability, but he needs more development in his arm. If we can get Williams’ legs still going strong while he has at least a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, then I believe we can start competing for a Big Ten West crown.

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