Illinois has announce the hire of Tony Petersen as their offensive coordinator.
Petersen will also work with the Illini quarterbacks.
In the school's release on the hire, Bielema shared:
“After competing against Tony and his offensive style and game plan I have had tremendous respect for him as a coach,” Bielema said. “Throughout his career he has blended the roster and skill sets of the players to maximize the results. Here at Illinois, we will build an offensive identity that will provide balance, use tempo, and play with a physicality that will make Illini Nation smile. No matter from playing on the road in a hostile environment or here at Memorial Stadium, we will execute and maximize our players’ talents to build a sustained winning culture.”
Petersen joins Bielema's staff after spending the 2020 season as offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach at Appalachian State. He spent the 2019 season at Missouri as an offensive analyst after a few seasons as the offensive coordinator at Marshall, Louisiana Tech, and East Carolina.
The job with the Illini is a return to the Big Ten for Petersen, who spent 1999-2006 as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Minnesota.
The hire marks Bielema's first official addition to the staff.
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