Bielema interviewing for Buffs’ coaching position, reports say
As the CU Buffs football coaching search hit its sixth day Monday, the theme was loud and clear: The Big Ten giveth … and the Big Ten taketh away.
Former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema will interview for the Buffs coaching job vacated last week by Mel Tucker, according to multiple reports.
Tucker stunned CU fans late last Tuesday night by accepting the head football coaching position at Michigan State University.
A source confirmed Bielema’s interest to The Post late Monday morning.
Bielema, 50, has a 97-58 career record as a college head coach with the Badgers and at Arkansas. The former defensive lineman at Iowa led Wisconsin to three consecutive Big Ten titles (2010-12) and was voted the league’s coach of the year in 2006.
After posting a 68-24 record over seven seasons in Madison, the Illinois native found tougher sledding in the SEC West. Bielema was 29-34 over five seasons with the Razorbacks, taking the Hogs to three bowl games from 2014-16 but never finishing above third in the division.
Bielema made $4.2 million in 2017, his final season with Arkansas.
He spent the fall of 2018 as a consultant with the New England Patriots, for whom he worked as defensive line coach last fall. He joined the New York Giants last month to serve as outside linebackers coach and senior assistant coach.
Bielema’s agent, Neil Cornrich, also represents Tucker, who left CU after 14 months and a solitary 5-7 season for a six-year contract with the Spartans worth at least $5.5 million annually.
Tucker was scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.675 million with the Buffs this year.
Bielema was reportedly a candidate for the Spartans job that eventually got snapped up by the former CU coach.
While rumors circulate about where CU athletic director Rick George turns next, the Buffs just lost their second and third assistant coaches in less than 10 days.
Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, who joined Tucker in Boulder last winter, will reunite with the former CU coach at Michigan State. Former Buffs defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh left for the same position at Tennessee last week.