Bret Bielema implies Georgia, Kirby Smart tampered with Illinois transfer RB Josh McCray

Tampering accusations in the transfer portal era are nothing new. Add Brett Bielema to the list of coaches bemoaning how quickly you can lose a player these days.

Illinois lost one of its best players when lead running back Josh McCray entered the portal and headed to Georgia. He had run for a team-best 609 yards and 10 touchdowns on 117 carries last year.

“We did lose a guy to Georgia,” Bielema said on The Triple Option podcast, in the middle of discussing his current running back room. “Somehow, he found his way to the portal and 12 hours after being in the portal, he was on a flight to Georgia. I don’t know how that happened, but it’s crazy.

“Wish Josh all the best. He took advantage of that opportunity.”

It’s understandable that Bielema was upset; his system relies on strong running backs to power a hard-to-stop ground game. Georgia just took his best back on the roster, making that a little more difficult.

But it’s far from the only near accusation of tampering. Some coaches have been far more explicit about it than Bret Bielema.

Former Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter claimed that Oregon had tampered with one of the team’s key defensive starters, even providing a price he heard on the purported deal. And East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin also recently claimed to have proof of power conference programs texting his players before they were in the transfer portal.

In any case, Bielema’s claim was certainly not the first of its kind. But the Big Ten head coach didn’t seem overly concerned, either. His discussion of the running back room included plenty of positives.

Bret Bielema talks up running back room

The conversation that led Bielema to casually suggest potential tampering started with a question about his running back room being a potential strength this year. And Bielema’s response should have Fighting Illini fans absolutely itching to see what’s coming.

He compared this year’s unit to one of the all-time greats at Wisconsin, where he once coached. He explained.

“I’m very excited. We had three guys last year that are coming back to us that are very special,” Bret Bielema said. “And it’s kind of like what I had when I was at Wisco. I had a roster one year John Clay was a fifth-rounder to Pittsburgh, big 260-pound bruiser, just a workout (warrior). Behind him was a guy by the name Montee Ball, ended up being a second-round pick to the Denver Broncos. Then behind him was this young guy named James White, who was the Freshman Big Ten Player of the Year. Then there was this other guy, Melvin Gordon, who became a first-rounder.

“Those four guys were on one roster. All four of them were just a little bit different, and that’s kind of what I’ve got going now.”

As if to illustrate that point, Bielema went in depth on the current trio he’s counting on and the players that will round out the depth chart. And he discussed exactly why he’s so excited.

“Kaden Feagin, big bruiser, really, really talented. Unfortunately lost him about middle of the season last year, but he’s back healthy, 100%,” Bret Bielema said. “Aidan Laughery was the final game of the year for us in the Big Ten, he was the Big Ten Player of the Week. Very small and not small, small, but he’s a little bit smaller, very powerful, very athletic. He can turn 10 into 100 in a hurry. One of our fastest players. Then, Ca’Lil Valentine was a true freshman a year ago, weighing 180. He’s now at 205, got all the bumps in the right places. Really, really excited about him. Got two freshmen coming in.

“We’ve been able to build a running back room in a really good way, and excited about these guys coming back. But we have all five of our offensive linemen coming back. … Super excited to see how this thing plays out.”