Ad Disclosure
Bret Bielema reportedly a candidate to be defensive coordinator on new NFL coach’s staff
By Keith Farner
Published:
Former Arkansas and Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema may be on the move to join a former colleague on his new staff.
Jordan Raanan, a New York Giants reporter for ESPN, reported this possibility: “Joe Judge’s staff with the Giants remains somewhat of a mystery while he finalizes his deal, which should happen soon. But expect Patriots D-line coach Bret Bielema to be in the mix for defensive coordinator.”
Judge and Bielema have worked together in recent years with the New England Patriots. Bielema has served as the defensive line coach for the Patriots in each of the last two seasons.
He joined the Badgers after he spent the 2002-03 seasons at Kansas State as a co-defensive coordinator. Bielema got his start in coaching at his alma mater Iowa, first as a graduate assistant from 1994-95 before being promoted to linebackers coach for the 1996-2001 seasons.
Overall as a college head coach, Bielema has a 97-58 overall coaching record and has won three Big Ten championships. He is 4-5 in bowl games in his head coaching career. In 2010, he was also named a finalist for the Bear Bryant Award, given to the best coach in college football.
Bielema was 29-34 in five seasons at Arkansas. His best season with the Razorbacks may have been an 8-5 campaign in 2015 when they won the Liberty Bowl.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
