CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois native Harper Cole has been named the Illinois football program's offensive skill and special teams assistant, head coach Bret Bielema announced. Cole comes to Champaign from TCU, where he spent the 2024 season as an assistant running backs coach.
"We are excited to bring Harper onto our staff," said Bielema. "Harper is an Illinois native who also has strong ties to our staff with Coach Lunney and Coach Stepp. With his experiences in college football at TCU and Arkansas, he will be a valuable asset for our offensive skill players and special teams units."
"I couldn't be more excited to join Coach Bielema and the unbelievable staff here at Illinois," said Cole. "Being originally from the state of Illinois, it means a lot to me to be back home and have a chance to represent the Illini football program. There is a talented group of student-athletes on our roster that has helped this program win a lot of games. Coach Bielema has done an unbelievable job building the program, and I'm very excited to be a part of what the future holds in Champaign."
A native of Aurora, Illinois, Cole was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Waubonsie Valley High School for head coach Paul Murphy. As a senior in 2018, he helped Waubonsie Valley to a 7-4 record and a second-round berth in the IHSA state playoffs.
Cole went on to play college football at Arkansas, where he was a walk-on wide receiver from 2020-22. He helped the Razorbacks to a 3 OT win over Kansas in the 2022 Liberty Bowl, including his first-career reception on a 10-yard gain and a fumble recovery on a kickoff.
Cole started in coaching as a student assistant at his alma mater, Arkansas, before moving to TCU in 2023 as an offensive assistant. He was promoted to TCU's assistant running backs coach in 2024, helping the Horned Frogs to a 9-4 record and a win over Louisiana in the 2024 New Mexico Bowl. TCU rushed for 1,481 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season, including six rushing touchdowns over Arizona as part of a season-ending four-game winning streak.
Cole graduated from Arkansas in 2023 with a degree in business management.
"We are excited to bring Harper onto our staff," said Bielema. "Harper is an Illinois native who also has strong ties to our staff with Coach Lunney and Coach Stepp. With his experiences in college football at TCU and Arkansas, he will be a valuable asset for our offensive skill players and special teams units."
"I couldn't be more excited to join Coach Bielema and the unbelievable staff here at Illinois," said Cole. "Being originally from the state of Illinois, it means a lot to me to be back home and have a chance to represent the Illini football program. There is a talented group of student-athletes on our roster that has helped this program win a lot of games. Coach Bielema has done an unbelievable job building the program, and I'm very excited to be a part of what the future holds in Champaign."
A native of Aurora, Illinois, Cole was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Waubonsie Valley High School for head coach Paul Murphy. As a senior in 2018, he helped Waubonsie Valley to a 7-4 record and a second-round berth in the IHSA state playoffs.
Cole went on to play college football at Arkansas, where he was a walk-on wide receiver from 2020-22. He helped the Razorbacks to a 3 OT win over Kansas in the 2022 Liberty Bowl, including his first-career reception on a 10-yard gain and a fumble recovery on a kickoff.
Cole started in coaching as a student assistant at his alma mater, Arkansas, before moving to TCU in 2023 as an offensive assistant. He was promoted to TCU's assistant running backs coach in 2024, helping the Horned Frogs to a 9-4 record and a win over Louisiana in the 2024 New Mexico Bowl. TCU rushed for 1,481 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season, including six rushing touchdowns over Arizona as part of a season-ending four-game winning streak.
Cole graduated from Arkansas in 2023 with a degree in business management.
