Bret Bielema Explains Why Two Illinois Football Players Switched Positions

It has been quite some time since the college football offseason provided much time off. Characterized by roster additions and departures, along with coaching changes, the schedule during spring and summer months may be different than that of in-season – but it's often just as busy.

That has absolutely been the case in Champaign in 2026, which has seen Illinois bring in 56 new players and hire (among other coaches) a new defensive coordinator in former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck.

But the Illini also held on to offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., who has slowly emerged as one of the top – and certainly most creative – offensive minds in the Big Ten.

By the summer, though, all of those moves are cemented. Any other adjustments are internal. Illinois made a few of those, too – in the form of position switches. Kaden Feagin made news months ago when it was announced that he would move from running back to tight end, but he isn't the only Illini being tried out at a new spot. On Monday, Illinois coach Bret Bielema explained the team's recent decisions to move two more players to different positions.

Bret Bielema details position shifts for Jershaun Newton, Will Holmes

“We did move [former quarterback] Jershaun Newton to wide receiver,” Bielema told the assembled media on Monday. “He’s probably been at that position [since] the second week of June. So he’s had the majority of summer to put himself into that position.

“Another guy, Will Holmes, who you saw kind of playing [line]backer during the spring – we moved him to defensive end. [He’ll] kind of be a hybrid guy for us. He’ll live in the D-line room but do a variety of different things for us as it plays out."

Holmes, a former MLB draft pick who never played football until college, was an outside linebacker at Utah State for two seasons, accumulating 51 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and seven quarterback hurries. (The vast majority of that production came last season.)

Hauck’s defensive system functions most effectively with explosive athletes operating outside the offensive tackles – a potentially ideal fit for Holmes. At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, he seems to have the necessary physical traits to give the Illini an upfield push off the edge.

Circling back to Newton: The choice to shift him from quarterback to wide receiver appears to have been based on two things: 1) Bielema seemingly likes what Newton can do as a pass catcher, and 2) the quarterback position is crowded in Champaign – especially after the Illini added local standout Dane Eisenmenger back in June.

“I let every kid come in and tell me where they want to play. He really wanted to try quarterback,” Bielema said of Newton, whose brother Jer’Zhan was the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with the Illini.

“So coming out of spring ball, we had some conversations. I just wanted to tell him I think he can help us win football games, right? And right now in the quarterback room, there’s probably three guys that were ahead of him at that point. That’s what allowed us to go get Dane [Eisenmenger], quite honestly. That’s why I did that. So, super-excited for this opportunity for him. He’s going to be running with the twos here tonight.”

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