Bret Bielema Appears To Accuse Georgia Football Of Tampering
Bret Bielema seemed to call out Georgia again for potential tampering.
After the 2026 NFL Draft, Jeremiyah Love's father claimed the running back turned down lucrative NIL offers to play for Notre Dame. He never named Georgia, but a social media user shared the video originally posted by Arizona Cardinals Bo Brack, baselessly claiming the Bulldogs tampered and made Love an offer to transfer.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema delivered a pointed reply to the misleading tweet.
"Wish they had succeeded," Bielema wrote. "Because they came and got ours."
Bielema still upset over 2025 transfer
Love's father appeared to indicate that those seven-figure NIL offers came before the star running back joined the Fighting Irish in 2023. He finished third in the 2025 Heisman voting with 1,652 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns before the Cardinals made him the No. 3 pick on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Georgia found a prominent runner elsewhere. Josh McCray transferred from Illinois to Georgia after spending four seasons with Bielema.
McCray scored 11 touchdowns for the Fighting Illini before defecting to Kirby Smart's SEC juggernaut. Bielema not-so subtly accused Georgia of tampering during an appearance on The Triple Option podcast last June.
"We did lose a guy to Georgia," Bielema said. "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."
McCray played a significantly reduced role at Georgia, turning 56 touches into 140 yards and three touchdowns. A returning Nate Frazier instead led the Bulldogs' backfield with 1,063 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore season.
A backfield committee of Ca'Lil Valentine, Kaden Feagin, and Aidan Laughery combined to register 1,503 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns for a nine-win Illinois squad in 2025.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 10:49 AM.