Bret Bielema adds another former Wisconsin player to its coaching staff. The Illini has officially announced Antoine Fenelus Will be Illinois’ new defensive backs coach.A former All-Big Ten first-team selection at Wisconsin, Fenelus has spent the past two seasons as a defensive analyst at LSU.
Fenelus, a native of Boca Raton (Florida), is the third former Badgers player to have played under Bielema in this current defensive team, joining the defensive coordinator Aaron Henry and defensive line coach Terrance Jamison.
Fenelus is the first of three hires Bielema has to make this offseason after losing three assistants to Purdue this month.
“I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to hire Antonio here in Illinois since I arrived here,” Bielema said in a statement. “He brings a coaching resume in several different systems and also experience coordinating the defensive staff room. I’ve known Antonio since he was recruited from Boca Raton to bring him full circle to our coaching staff. He and his family will be a great addition … to our campus and our community.
Fenelus said in a statement: “I’m so excited to have my family and I join the #family in Champaign. I look forward to doing everything I can to help our players and the program continue to reach new heights. Coach B brought together amazing staff and I’m so grateful that he and coach Henry have trusted me to lead an exceptional group of young men and I can’t wait to start racing.
Fenelus will reunite with Bielema, his college head coach and defensive coordinator Aaron Henry, his college teammates. A four-year winner at Wisconsin, Fenelus helped Wisconsin win the Big Ten titles in 2010 and 2011, including a victory in the first Big Ten football championship game in 2011. He was twice selected to the first team All-Big Ten, earning the honor after 56 tackles, four interceptions and seven breakups as a junior, then again as a senior when he had 51 tackles, 3.0 TFL, four interceptions and nine breakups of passes.
During his career, Fenelus recorded 155 tackles, 22 passes defended, nine interceptions and three forced fumbles in 52 games (32 starts). As a senior, he won the UW’s Jimmy Demetral Team MVP award for defense.
Following his college career, Fenelus signed as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts before stints with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. .
Fenelus’ coaching career began in Wisconsin where he was a graduate assistant working with the Badgers defensive backs from 2015 to 2017 under the defensive backs coach. Jim Leonard. He then served as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at East Central University (Division II) from 2018-2020, before moving to LSU for the past two seasons, where he worked directly with defensive backs.
A native of Boca Raton, Florida, Fenelus is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten winner and earned a bachelor’s degree in community and nonprofit leadership from Wisconsin in 2013 and earned a master’s degree in educational leadership policy analysis. in 2018.
Quick reaction: Fenelus gives Bielema and Henry plenty of familiarity from their days in Wisconsin. It also gives Illinois an instant scout in Florida, where Henry has been a dynamic presence for Illinois. But with Henry taking over as coordinator, he’s expected to take a step back on the recruiting trail. Fenelus is a young, first-time power-five assistant coach, so it would make sense for Bielema to go for a more experienced option for the outside linebacker job. Bielema said he is reviewing the NFL’s options for the job and said Thursday he has five to six options for the job, with a focus on improving pass rush.
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