University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Football

Three-Time Big Ten Champion Head Coach (2010, 2011, 2012)  2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year  40 All-Americans as a

Alex Panos, Illinois' assistant defensive line coach, is in his fifth season on the Fighting Illini staff in 2026. He previously served as Illinois' co-outside linebackers

Archie McDaniel is in his third season on staff at Illinois and his first as outside linebackers coach in 2026. He previously served as linebackers coach from 2024-25. Since

Artur Sitkowski is in his fourth season on the Fighting Illini staff and first as quarterbacks coach in 2026. He previously served as the team's co-quarterbacks

Barry Lunney Jr. is in his fifth season as Illinois' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2026. Lunney has led one of the Big Ten's best offenses through

Bart Miller is in his sixth season as offensive line coach at Illinois in 2026. Miller has helped change the brand of Illinois football with tough, physical offensive

Blake Smithback is in his second season as the Illinois football program's offensive front assistant in 2026. Smithback joined the Illini in 2025 from Wisconsin-Whitewater,

Bobby Hauck, one of the winningest head coaches in college football, is in his first season as Illinois' defensive coordinator in 2026. Hauck's fast and physical

NFL veteran Byron Bell is in his third season as the assistant offensive line coach in 2026. Bell joined the Fighting Illini in 2024 from New Mexico, where he served

Chris Hurd is in his fourth season at Illinois in 2026 and first as special teams coordinator in 2026.  Hurd served as a special teams analyst in 2023 before

Danny Cameron is in his fifth season on the Fighting Illini staff and first season as senior offensive analyst/assistant running backs coach in 2026. He previously

Illinois native Harper Cole is in his second season on the Fighting Illini staff and first season as assistant wide receivers coach in 2026. Cole spent his first

Jared Elliott is in his first season as Illinois' tight ends coach in 2026.  Elliott joined the Fighting Illini with 18 years of collegiate coaching experience,

Jordan Thomas is in his first season as Illinois' defensive line coach/run game coordinator in 2026. Thomas joined the Illini with 10 years of coaching experience

Justin Stepp is in his third season as Illinois’ wide receivers coach in 2026. Over the past eight seasons coaching in Power-4 at Illinois, South Carolina, and Arkansas,

Matt Ellerbrock is in his second season as the Illinois football program's assistant linebackers coach in 2026. Ellerbrock joined the Fighting Illini in 2025 with

Mike Linehan is in his first season as Illinois' defensive ends coach in 2026. Linehan joined the Illini after three seasons as the defensive line coach at Montana.

Myers Hendrickson is in his third season as a senior defensive analyst for the Illinois football program in 2026. During his first two seasons in Champaign, Hendrickson has

Robby Hauck is in his first season as Illinois’ assistant defensive backs coach in 2026. Hauck is one of the all-time leading tacklers in FCS history and most recently

Roger Cooper is in his first season as Illinois’ inside linebackers coach in 2026. Cooper, a former All-America linebacker who played three seasons in the NFL, joins

Ronnie Bradford, a former 10-year NFL defensive back with 20 years of coaching experience, is in his first season as Illinois’ secondary coach in 2026. Bradford

Ryan Simerson is in his sixth season on the University of Illinois staff and his third as an assistant secondary coach in 2026. He started with the Fighting Illini

Steven Koch is in his first season as Illinois' assistant special teams coach in 2026. Koch joined the Illini from New Mexico, where he was a special teams analyst