Less than a week ago, Tyrone Wheatley ended his tenure as the head coach at Wayne State (D-II - MI) following a three season run.
In three seasons leading the Detroit-based program, Wheatley went 3-8, then 2-9, and this past fall finished 0-11.
The winless season sparked a complete staff overhaul at Wayne State from top to bottom as soon as their season concluded, as they hoped to rebound from a 5-28 mark under the former NFL assistant who gained Division I head coaching experience at Morgan State for two seasons, but as the calendar turned to mid-February Wheatley decided it was time for a change and stepped down.
Now we know where the coaching veteran will be for the 2026 season, and it turns out it will be a return to the midwest for the former 3-time All-Big Ten selection.
Illinois and Bret Bielema announced Wheatley as their new running backs coach today.
"Coach Wheatley is an accomplished coach with proven success in both the NFL and college football," Bielema shared via the school's release. "Our program will benefit immediately from his experience as a running backs coach and head coach. He has been an outstanding player and coach in the Big Ten and has developed some of the top running backs in football. We are excited to welcome Coach Wheatley to Champaign."
In addition to his head coaching stops at Wayne State and Morgan State, as well as stops in the NFL coaching with the Bills, Broncos and Jaguars, the former standout Michigan running back also coached the running backs at Eastern Michigan, Syracuse, and at his alma mater in Ann Arbor as well.
His resume working with the running backs include players like Leonard Fournette, Melvin Gordon, CJ Spiller, and Fred Jackson, among a host of others.
During his time in the NFL he's worked with the top rushing team in the NFL with the Jaguars in 2017 with Fournette toting the rock, and also the #2 rushing team in the league with the Bills in 2013 with Spiller and Jackson leading the charge.
At the two college head coaching stops, Wheatley put together a 10-46 record. He also spent one season leading the football program at his alma mater, where he is considered as perhaps the most decorated high school athlete in the state of Michigan while a multi-sport star at Robichaud HS (Dearborn Heights, MI), where they finished 9-2 back in 2007 before he began his college coaching journey.
At Illinois, he replaces Thad Ward, who was announced in early January as the new associate head coach / receivers coach at Kansas State.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.