CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Come Fall of 2026, the playcalling inside Gies Memorial Stadium will look very different than a year ago for the Illinois football team.

The program is seeing major shifts in personnel on the offensive side of the ball, along with schematic changes on the defense with the hire of new coordinator Bobby Hauck.

As a result, the roughly 2 weeks of spring practices for the Illini played a critical role in the adjustments necessary to succeed in a new season.

"The offense versus defense was almost every day of practice," Bret Bielema says. "Probably more than we've ever done. And just the things we've thought offensively, we needed to get a lot better after last year."

Entering his 6th season as head coach, Bielema emphasized the importance of movement along the offensive line. Illinois will enter a new season with a new set of 5 players on the line of scrimmage. With the design of creative blocking schemes, the Illini hope to give their unit an edge in both pass protection and opening holes for the run game.

On the flip side, the 3-3-5 defense Hauck brings to the Illinois defense showcases even more movement. Head-to-head drills, thus, mean both sides of the ball face split second changes in decisions and responsibilities.

"I thought that was really food both ways," Bielema adds. "I think Bobby would tell you that he probably got the most of our early down defense in and most of it installed."

With a focused effort on improvement for the new campaign, Illinois has positioned themselves to make even greater strides when the team reports for Fall camp. Throughout April, Bielema noticed daily change which gives him confidence in the group before their next session begins.

"From week to week, there's always growth. But the way we were practicing - Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you would see guys take a step on Monday, a step on Wedensday, and a step on Friday, and that was really exciting."

The Illini and all FBS football teams can begin their preseason practices 31 days before their first scheduled game of the 2026 season.

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