Illinois safety Matthew Bailey never had been to a Major League Baseball game before Tuesday night.
The senior from Moline, Ill., had quite the first experience.
Bailey and coach Bret Bielema led Wrigley Field in singing during the seventh-inning stretch as part of Illini Night at the Cubs-Athletics game. Defensive lineman Joe Barna, who went to Wheaton North and grew up a Cubs fan, brought his brother on the field with him as he threw out the first pitch.
Bailey had been to Wrigley in 2024 when Illinois played Northwestern in football there. He said getting to experience his first MLB game while representing the Illini was “sweet.”
Bielema is getting to be a veteran at singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” the last several years; he also did a duet with former quarterback Luke Altmyer last season. So Bailey asked for tips ahead of their moment.
“Matt Bailey goes, ‘Hey, how low are you going to sing?’” Bielema said. “I said, ‘Matt, it’s just a song. Don’t overthink it.’”
Bielema has spoken often about continuing to build his program from within the state. Bailey and Barna are examples of that — two players expected to make an impact in a reconstructed Illini defense in 2026. Defensive lineman Pat Farrell, who is from Oak Lawn and went to St. Rita, threw out the first pitch at a White Sox game last week.
“There’s a million different reasons why we’ve had success, but our Illinois players, both in the Chicagoland area and downstate, have been a huge part of that success,” Bielema said. “And I’m glad it has continued to go that way.”
Bielema, Bailey and Barna spoke with reporters at an Illini pregame party at Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern adjacent to Wrigley. Here are four things we learned.
1. It will take a new-look group to continue the recent success.
Bielema was in the Chicago area a couple of times in recent weeks and said he could feel the growth in exposure for his program in the reactions he received at his hotel and on the street.
The Illini won a program-record 19 games over the last two seasons, including back-to-back bowl wins against South Carolina and Tennessee. Bailey said that success has raised the standard within the program.
“Winning creates an expectation,” he said. “When you win once, you expect to win again, so that’s what it has done. Having a 10-win season and a nine-win season, we all expect success this year, and therefore we need to prepare to be successful. If we don’t do that, we can’t expect success.
“Having those years behind us, it allows us to see what we’re able to do when we prepare the right way, but also it pushes us to go further.”
To continue that success, the Illini will have to come together after many changes, including the installation of new defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck’s scheme during spring practice. Bielema has said 48% of the roster will be new this season, including quarterback Katin Houser, a transfer from East Carolina who will replace Altmyer.
Barna expects the group to continue to build chemistry ahead of training camp in August.
“That’s what summers are for,” he said. “That’s when you grow close with these guys, when you’re with them and with them only. Champaign is pretty lonely in the summer, so even outside football, hanging out with these guys, getting to know all these new guys, we’re going to form a strong team here.”
2. Bobby Hauck has placed an emphasis on effort.
Both Bailey and Barna were limited during spring practice after shoulder surgeries, but they gained an understanding of how Hauck expects his players to operate.
The former Montana and UNLV head coach joined the Illini in February to replace Aaron Henry, now the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Hauck brought with him his aggressive 3-3-5 defense and spent the spring introducing it at Illinois.
“His emphasis has been super heavy on effort,” Bailey said. “Changing your mind into a way of going about life with a sense of urgency, it can definitely change the way you move for sure. The different opportunities you have when you have a sense of urgency and you have the extra effort and extra grit.”
Barna said it was “so hard” to sit out practices, but he tried to act as a coach for younger players, staying longer with them to help and making sure he knew the playbook as well as anyone. He was impressed by what he saw.
“This is going to be a hard-nosed, blue-collar type of team, and I really like that,” Barna said. “From what I saw, even coaching these guys up, all these new guys, this defense goes fast and it’s really aggressive, and I really like that.”
3. Bret Bielema is in favor of a 24-team College Football Playoff.
Talk among various conference leaders and coaches has ramped up this offseason about the possibility of the CFP expanding from its current 12-team format to 16 or 24 teams for the 2027 season.
Bielema is in favor of 24 and believes it would enhance the regular season, noting how games such as the annual season-ending meeting with Northwestern potentially could have more meaning.
The Illini never have made the CFP, which expanded from four to 12 teams in 2024.
“If we go to 24, probably the two first games (of the playoffs) will be home games,” he said. “To have a home game in Champaign-Urbana in the middle of December would be pretty awesome. So I think a 24-team playoff format would actually increase the value of the regular season, not decrease it.
“There would be more of an emphasis with teams that are in that nine, 10, 11 wins, that every win you hold on to is a chance to push you higher, whether it be a bye or a home game or seeding.”
4. Bielema recently stopped at Halas Hall for Bears OTAs.
Bielema and former Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham developed a relationship over the years because they have the same agency, and Cunningham hooked up Bielema with Bears coach Ben Johnson.
Bielema thought about going to Bears OTAs last year but didn’t make it. This year he was considering going to Bears, Bills or Seahawks practices when the schedule lined up with the Bears.
He was able to bring a small group of coaches, including offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and passing game coordinator Mike Neu. He said Lunney studied up on what Johnson does with the Bears before their trip.
Bielema said he was struck by the facilities at Halas Hall and by the way Johnson operates.
“The organization of Ben and what he does on the field is pretty impressive,” he said.
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