Bob Asmussen | Future coaches? The guess is that Henry, Lunney will get the chance

June 19 – URBANA – Some college football programs – good and bad – keep their assistant coaches away from the media.

With few exceptions. It’s all that “one voice” jargon that doesn’t make sense. And it limits exposure to the outside world for many very intelligent people.

Give credit to Illinois coach Bret Bielema. He allows his coaches to speak to the media.

Like Monday at the Illini Quarterback Club outing. After Bielema spoke for an informative 15 minutes, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and defensive coordinator Aaron Henry took turns at Atkins Golf Club.

Both are comfortable with the media and, most importantly, quotable. Although they have different styles, they help reporters tell their stories. That’s always a good thing.

The time they spend with the media will serve them well. I believe Henry and Lunney will be college head coaches sooner or later.

Bielema already has one of his former Illinois assistants using the big whistle. Two years into Illinois, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters took over at Purdue. In a perfect world for Bielema, Walters’ first major role would have been outside the Big Ten, but he had to leave when the offer came.

Purdue and Illinois are rivals, meaning they will play each season unless the Big Ten adds more schools.

Walters got his chance sooner than many expected and definitely at a desirable level. The Big Ten is typically not where a guy gets his first head coaching job. However, it’s important to note, Bielema’s first time coaching was at Wisconsin… with one of the best programs in the league.

Who is next? Lunney enters his third year as Illinois’ offensive coordinator. The former high school offensive coordinator turns 50 on September 11th.

He has never been a permanent head coach at any level, although he served as interim head coach after Chad Morris was fired from Arkansas in 2019. Lunney is building his resume in that regard. Having Bielema’s support will be an advantage.

Lunney is already qualified to run an FBS program. Two years so far, running a Big Ten offense puts him on the map. The next item is finding a fit at another school.

Rebuilding programs seem to lean more toward offensive coordinators when hiring head coaches. Not always, but often.

Luke Altmyer, Kaden Feagin, Pat Bryant and friends can help Lunney climb faster with a steady performance in 2024. Lunney’s first team had the advantage of a future NFL quarterback (Tommy DeVito) and a future NFL tailback (Chase Brown). The second season was less consistent.

Lunney likes Altymer’s progress in his second season as the Illini’s starting quarterback.

“He’s more comfortable in every aspect,” Lunney said. “He feels more comfortable in the off-season. He talks to his team more. He knows me better. All of those things just contribute to his improvement.”

Just beginning

Henry joined Bielema’s starting lineup in 2021, playing in the secondary. When Walters moved to West Lafayette, Henry was promoted to coordinator, his first time in the role. The former Wisconsin defensive back quickly rose through the coaching ranks. He went from graduate assistant at Arkansas in 2014-15 to full-time assistant at Rutgers the following year. It then stops at North Carolina and Vanderbilt before landing in Illinois.

Father of twin daughters, Henry is just 35 years old. If he gets the head coaching job in the next few years – my prediction is yes – Henry will be ranked among the youngest in the FBS. In the 2024 season, only three coaches will be younger than him.

Henry’s first year as Illinois’ defensive coordinator included some difficult moments. Remember, he lost three players in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. It’s hard to replace Devon Witherspoon, Quan Martin and Sydney Brown. Defensive numbers dropped without the stars.

Like Altmyer on offense, Henry now has a year under his belt.

“About a week ago we were watching Eastern Illinois, Kansas, Central Michigan (movie). I thought ‘Man, I didn’t know anything,’” Henry said. “I’m seeing things from a completely different perspective now. When Coach (Bielema) became head coach, there was some on-the-job training. that you think you know, but you don’t really know them until you get into them.

Looking back, historically — OK, in the 35 years I’ve been covering Illinois — football teams have included many speakers, including Henry and Lunney.

If I started listing all the coaches that have been great to work with over the years, that would fill a huge portion of this column.

I’ll highlight a few from the past: Mike Bellamy, Chris Cosh, Bill Cubit, Tim Kish, Mike Locksley, Greg McMahon, Tom Sims and Rod Smith. Maybe it was a bad idea because there are dozens of others worth mentioning.

Thanks to Bielema’s willingness to share his people, more people will constantly be added. During the season, all assistant coaches are available to the media. All we have to do is ask. The 10 current employees, including Lunney and Henry, have a lot to say. They stay and talk while there are doubts.

Honestly, this is one of the best ways for reporters to gather information about the team. I’ll save my complaints about the lack of open practices for another time, but the coaches are the access point. They are the eyes and ears of the media.

Readers need to understand the potential failure of this system. Coaches are unlikely to mention a player who had a rough day. There’s not much value to the team if everyone knows that Player A is struggling. Of course, if I could see. I would know what to ask.