As the activity in the college football offseason has died down, Bret Bielema and Illinois likely thought that they had their coaching staff and roster set in place. The issue that most college programs are experiencing right now is that while the college coaching carousel has slowed down, the NFL hiring cycle has just begun.
Notre Dame has felt the impact of these hires, with Al Washington taking the Miami Dolphins job and Mike Mickens heading to the Baltimore Ravens. Marcus Freeman and Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash have had to replace the entire defensive staff in one offseason.
Notre Dame poaches Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry
On Sunday Morning, Marcus Freeman and his staff made their next hire, landing Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.
Notre Dame is expected to hire Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry as a co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 1, 2026
Has been a key figure in Illinois posting 19 wins the last two seasons, the winningest two-year run in school history. pic.twitter.com/r7J1W0c3A8
Aaron Henry has been on the Illinois staff since 2021, starting as the team's defensive backs coach. In 2023, Aaron Henry received a promotion, becoming the team's defensive coordinator for the Fighting Illini over the last two seasons.
This season, Illinois ranked 57th in the Country in points allowed per game on defense with just 23.6. The 2025 season was a slight step back from what we saw last season in 2024 when Illinois allowed just 21.7 points per game.
Given that Notre Dame already has a defensive coordinator in Chris Ash, Aaron Henry won't be asked to call the defense. Henry will serve a key role on the staff, and he'll likely become a great insurance policy in case Chris Ash ends up taking a job somewhere else next offseason.
Where Aaron Henry will serve his biggest role will be working with the defensive backs, which is where he played at Wisconsin. Henry has worked with great defensive backs in Devon Witherspoon, Quan Martin, and Sydney Brown, developing the trio into early picks in the NFL Draft.