Illinois Wrestling Coach Mike Poeta Receives Contract Extension

Poeta, who helped produce a national champion and guide the Illini to a top-10 finish last season, received a contract extension Thursday

Mar 22, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Lucas Byrd of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates win against Drake Ayala of the Iowa Hawkeyes (not pictured) during the Division I Men's Wrestling Championship held at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Illinois athletics has seemingly been on a mission of late to lock up its most successful program leaders, and on Thursday it was Mike Poeta's turn, with the Illini athletic director Josh Whitman announcing a new four-year contract that will keep Poeta in Champaign through 2029.

Staying in Champaign!@illinicoachMP has agreed to a four-year contract extension to keep him with Illinois Wrestling through the end of the 2028-29 season.

Release: https://t.co/kfUe5fZVXX pic.twitter.com/vC8q6R3ayy

— Illinois Wrestling (@IlliniWrestling) July 17, 2025

"We are pleased to continue Mike's longstanding relationship with the University of Illinois and Fighting Illini Wrestling by extending his contract for the next four years," Whitman said. "As a former Illini All-American and proud U of I graduate who later served as an assistant coach before taking the reins four years ago as head coach, Mike has a special appreciation for this place and this program, and he wears his loyalty and dedication on his sleeve. Mike's passion on the mat is self-evident. Last year's individual and team accomplishments represented a meaningful step forward for the program, and we look forward to an even brighter future under his continued leadership."

Poeta has been the head wrestling coach at Illinois for the past four years, and last season helped guide Lucas Byrd to a national championship at 133 pounds. As a team last season, the Illini finished 10th at the NCAA Championships (eight of Poeta's wrestlers qualified), marking the program's highest finish in nine years.

Poeta was an assistant at Illinois for five seasons before being named head coach, and has been involved with the program since his days competing on the mat in the early 2000s. Following recent extensions for football coach Bret Bielema, men's basketball coach Brad Underwood and women's basketball coach Shauna Green, Poeta was next in line to be rewarded for his efforts while also ensuring another level of stability for Illinois athletics in the near future.

"I am beyond excited and grateful to have a long-term coaching commitment with the University of Illinois," Poeta said. "I want to thank Josh Whitman for having the trust in me to lead this program. I have the greatest assistant coaches and support staff in the country and am thrilled to keep it going with them.

"This is only the beginning, though. There's a lot of work left to be done to get us where we want to be as a program. I cannot wait to continue pushing Illinois wrestling to places it hasn't been at in a long time and to a level it has never been before."

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