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Illinois Football: 5 options to replace Ryan Walters as Illini defensive coordinator

By Rees Woodcock

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Bret Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Fighting Illini defeated the Golden Gophers 14-6. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Bret Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Fighting Illini defeated the Golden Gophers 14-6. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – SEPTEMBER 01: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet is seen on the sidelines during the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2. Aaron Henry (My favorite option) – Current Illinois DB Coach

I mentioned the familiarity that Bret Bielema likes with his hires. You could hit a home run with familiarity when it comes to coaching by hiring from within. Aaron Henry is a solid internal hire.

Henry is a young coach who can really put together quite the defensive secondary. He also has strong ties with Bielema throughout his coaching career.

It all started when Henry was a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 2014 and 2015. This position was under Bielema, as he was the head coach of the Razorbacks at the time.

The next stop for Henry was Rutgers. He was the defensive backs coach for the Scarlet Knights in 2016 under Chris Ash. Ash was a defensive coordinator for Bielema at Wisconsin and Arkansas.

Henry would then take off after the 2016 campaign and join the North Carolina State coaching staff. He was the safeties coach in 2017 and the cornerbacks coach in 2018 and 2019. The head coach of the Wolfpack is Dave Doeren, who was a defensive coordinator under Bielema at Wisconsin.

After a quick stop at Vanderbilt as the cornerbacks coach in 2020, Henry was hired as the defensive backs coach for the Illini in 2021.

The incredible development of the Illinois defensive backs since Henry took over is quite impressive. In the year before Henry arrived, the Illini were giving up 237.1 yards per game through the air, which ranked No. 69 in the country. As soon as Henry arrived, Illinois’ defense improved. We gave up 215.2 yards per game through the air in 2021, and that ranked No. 39 in the nation. In 2022, Illinois gave up 176.0 yards per game through the air, and that ranked No. 9 in the country.

Henry also helped develop players like Devon Witherspoon, who currently ranks No. 2 in the nation in defense among cornerbacks with a PFF grade of 91.6.

If I was making decisions, Henry would be the next defensive coordinator of the Illinois football program. He clearly has a ton of talent, and he knows the players on the recruiting trail. This would be a great match.

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