UCLA is just two days away from joining the Big Ten. After 96 years and 123 national championships in the Pac-12, the Bruins are at the forefront of the Big Ten’s West Coast expansion. Prior to UCLA’s official move, Daily Bruin Sports will preview the football, men’s basketball and other top programs of each school.

Football
2023 record: 5-7, 3-6 Big Ten
Coach: Bret Bielema

It seems no one knew the Big Ten like Bret Bielema.

The Illinois football head coach, set to enter his fourth year at the helm, was a defensive lineman for Iowa from 1989 to 1992 before serving as a coach for the Hawkeyes for eight seasons.

After two brief years playing professional football, Bielema joined Wisconsin as a defensive coordinator in 2004 before taking the head coaching post in 2006 and remaining there till 2012. And after eight years coaching away from the Big Ten, the Prophetstown, Illinois, local rejoined the conference with Illinois in 2020.

But the Big Ten is changing, and a Bielema-led program hasn’t faced any of the conference’s four new teams since his Wisconsin team lost to Oregon in the 2012 Rose Bowl Game.

The dissolution of the East and West divisions – which led to a schedule that pits Illinois against Oregon, Michigan and Penn State – means that the Fighting Illini has its work cut out for it.

After an 8-5 season – and a ReliaQuest Bowl appearance – in 2022, the Illini took a step back in 2023, finishing at 5-7. Then, Illinois lost wide receivers Casey Washington and Isaiah Williams and tight end Tip Reiman to the NFL, while wide receivers Eian Pugh, Shawn Miller and running back Reggie Love III left Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, through the transfer portal.

In place of departures, Illinois will pair Ole Miss transfer wide receiver Zakhari Franklin – the NCAA’s active receiving yards leader – with returning receiver Pat Bryant while adding Cole Rusk, an FCS All-American Third Team honoree, to the tight end room.

Luke Altmyer is the first returning first-string quarterback of the Bielema era. In his first year as a full-time starter last season, Altmyer finished 77th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten with a 56.3 total quarterback rating, passing for 13 touchdowns but 10 interceptions.

But with returning offensive lineman Josh Kreutz and the addition of offensive lineman J.C. Davis – PFF’s highest-ranked returning tackle – Altmyer may benefit from increased protection under center.

On the other side of the ball, Bielema’s defense is coming off a 2023 campaign ranked 61st nationwide and 11th in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game.

With the departure of defensive linemen Jer’Zhan Newton – reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year – and Keith Randolph Jr. to the NFL, the Illini will likely slip even further down the rankings.

It is worth noting though, the Illini feature a talented cornerback room comprising All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Xavier Scott, Tyler Strain and Texas transfer Terrance Brooks – the No. 2 rated corner in the spring transfer portal according to 247Sports.

Illinois lost its only 2024 four-star recruit when Andrew Dennis transferred to Michigan State, causing a recruiting class already ranked 14th in the conference to sink even lower.

Expectations aren’t high for Illinois following a finish toward the bottom of the Big Ten East in 2023.

Given their immense loss and marginal influx of talent – that amounts to at best a net zero – plus a 2024 schedule that’s arguably increasingly competitive, the Illini may be looking toward 2025 sooner than they’d like to.

Men’s Basketball
2023-2024 record: 29-9, 14-6 Big Ten, Big Ten tournament title, Elite Eight appearance
Coach: Brad Underwood

The Illini are coming off their best season since 2005.

After last reaching the Big Dance in 2013, Brad Underwood took Illinois men’s basketball to the NCAA Tournament in his fourth season as head coach – a feat he replicated the following three years.

The Illini won the Big Ten tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2024 before being defeated by the eventual national champions in Connecticut.

However, the 2024-2025 season will mark a transition in Urbana-Champaign.

Leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. departed for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. And No. 2 scorer Marcus Domask signed with the Chicago Bulls while No. 3 scorer Coleman Hawkins transferred to Kansas State.

In fact, the Illini will only have four returners from last season: guard/forward Ty Rodgers, who averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists per game last season; guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who didn’t start a single game for the Illini; guard AJ Redd, who’s played a combined 22 minutes the past two seasons and guard Keaton Kutcher, who redshirted this past year.

Illinois refueled through the transfer portal, however, securing five players, most notably guard Kylan Boswell, forward Ben Humrichous and guard Tre White.

Boswell, a Champaign, Illinois, local, averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 assists per game for Arizona last season. Humrichous tallied 14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a game in the Missouri Valley conference. And White put up 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds through the season for Louisville.

Given the vacancies present in Urbana-Champaign, the trio is poised to make immediate impacts this coming season.

The Illini’s fourth-best recruiting class in the Big Ten is headlined by two four-star recruits in forwards Will Riley and Morez Johnson.

Riley, an Ontario, Canada, local, averaged 26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season as the No. 1 Canadian prospect. Johnson was the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year after notching 20 points, 15 rebounds and four assists through his senior campaign and helped the capture the 2024 U-18 FIBA AmeriCup crown.

The transfer portal and ability of student-athletes to enter the NBA after a single collegiate season has accelerated the turnover seen within college basketball.

Underwood has shown the ability to find success at Illinois, but he’ll have to find a way to do it again with a brand-new team.