Dre Brown returning to Illinois
Apr. 18—CHAMPAIGN — Former Illinois running back Dre Brown made a name for himself on the college football recruiting scene during his time on staff at Tennessee and Notre Dame. Now the DeKalb native is returning "home" to be the Illini's director of player personnel.
"I have been impressed with Dre's career since beginning to follow him when I first arrived at Illinois," Illinois coach Bret Bielema said in an official release. "His experiences in recruiting at Notre Dame and Tennessee, as well as his background as a player here at Illinois, will be a great asset to our program."
Brown started his post-playing career at Tennessee as a football recruiting coordinator for the Vols. He moved on to Notre Dame where he was an offensive recruiting coordinator in 2021, a defensive analyst in 23022 and a recruiting analyst focused on high school relations in 2023. Brown was promoted to director of recruiting for the Fighting Irish in March before opting to return to Illinois.
"As a proud alumni, the University of Illinois is a special place and has provided me with more opportunities than I could have ever imagined," Brown said. "I can't wait to work with Coach Bielema and Pat Embleton to bring top-tier talent to this program."
Brown rushed for 902 yards and seven touchdowns during his Illinois career that ran from 2015-19. That included a 584-yard season with five touchdowns in 2019. He also ranked 21st nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in kick return average in 2019, as he led the Illini in all-purpose yards that season with 1,299.
