Bret Bielema can make Littyville a reality

In 2018, a modicum of optimism surrounded Illinois football’s unknown future. The success under Lovie Smith had yet to materialize, but there was a movement. There was a feeling that something was brewing.

Many of us remember where we were when we discovered that Isaiah Williams and Marquez Beason committed. Those were the program changers. Those would be the young men who picked Illinois over the best programs in the country and subsequently ushered in a renaissance of blue-chip talent.

There was a movement. A youthful exuberance was pervasive in the program’s culture.

Cory Patterson was wearing gear that said HuSTLe to represent his hometown. Illinois was building its next revolution largely with Patterson’s Trinity “kids” and other young men he mentored and coached in St. Louis.

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But it was Thad Ward…