It has been a wild ride for the past half-decade or so, as the Illinois football team has tried to navigate the transfer portal.
Adjusting on the fly is something not many coaches, or people for that matter, can do. I couldn’t imagine having Lovie Smith coaching the Illini in today’s game. He is a good guy and recruited some talent into the program, but he would get left behind so quickly in the transfer portal market.
Look at some of the great coaches who have tapped out of the transfer portal idea in both football and basketball. It isn’t an easy landscape to navigate, but Josh Whitman hired the right person at the right time.
Bret Bielema has not only been able to adjust his recruiting style to fit with the transfer portal, but his mentality when it comes to incoming and outgoing players is exactly what it should be as a head coach.
Local sports anchor Carson Gourdie recorded Bielema elaborating on his thoughts about where Illinois currently stands with the transfer portal.
In the video, Bielema talks about how he is, essentially, being open-minded on the situation. When a player enters the transfer portal, it isn’t a permanent get-out-of-the-program moment. Bielema doesn’t close the door on that relationship, and that is so important to have that type of mentality.
I also love the communication with the players. Even when a player is departing the program, Bielema tries to help the player out. He isn’t just shutting off the player, and this is great from a development standpoint, and at the end of the day, a recruiting standpoint. That type of understanding of the transfer portal is so invaluable.
#illini Bret Bielema on players who enter portal
— Carson Gourdie (@GourdieReport) April 16, 2025
“If somebody doesn’t want to be here, I don’t need them here.”
“There’s some I encourage or discourage.”
“We may offer the chance for players to see what’s out there and bring you back, but most importantly we don’t find… pic.twitter.com/fZJGhKPJej
Bret Bielema does say there are nearly a half-dozen Illinois football players about to enter the transfer portal
In the video, Bielema mentions that there are nearly a half-dozen Illinois players who are going to enter the transfer portal this spring. The players weren't named, but he goes on to say that he had a conversation with three or four players already about the transfer portal.
As I mentioned earlier, Bielema doesn’t close the door on these recruits, though. He talks about the transfer portal like a business. He talks to the players who are going to enter the transfer portal and lets them know that they can go see what is out there, and Illinois will bring them back. But he also lets them know that Illinois will be looking for players in the transfer portal as well. So, if they do enter, they could get replaced.
Bielema’s outlook on the transfer portal is so refreshing. He should honestly teach a transfer portal 101 class. I am so glad we have him as the head coach of the Illinois football program.