CHAMPAIGN – Bret Bielema had known Derek Leonard since he was a young assistant coach recruiting Sacred Heart-Griffin High School near Springfield (Ill.), where Derek's father, Ken Leonard, was putting together a Hall of Fame coaching career. Bielema would see Derek, a little kid then, running around his dad's office and practices.
So when Bielema was hired at Illinois, he figured his long relationship with Derek, himself a nine-time state championship head coach at Rochester (Ill.) High School, may pay off. Bielema just didn't think it'd be immediate.
When Bielema was hired in December 2020, Leonard just happened to have one of the best athletes to come through his program, who was an engine of his high-octane spread offenses that had proven nearly unstoppable in IHSA Class 4A and 5A. As a sophomore in 2019, Hank Beatty had an astounding 99 receptions for 1,949 yards and 25 touchdowns to help lead Rochester to its eighth state title in 10 years. Beatty then moved to quarterback for his final two years at Rochester and became the 2021-22 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year after passing for 1,899 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushing for 1,371 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Yet, Beatty didn't have a bunch of Power Four schools flooding his phone with texts and calls. When Bielema first talked with Leonard about Beatty, the Rochester star's lone Power Four offer was from Iowa State, though lower-level programs (local FCS, Division-II and Division-III schools) were pushing the hardest.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bielema hadn't even been able to see Beatty in person. But he liked what he saw on film. Though originally, he thought Beatty would more likely be a defensive back than a wide receiver. But Bielema's conversation with Leonard sold him.
"Just was super excited with the way Derek talked about him," Bielema told Illini Inquirer.
Leonard made his pitch to Bielema – who was trying to repair in-state ties that had frayed for the Illini under Lovie Smith, Bielema's predecessor – but Leonard's pitch was genuine. He understood that Beatty was a bit undersized, but he thought the kid had everything else that made a special football player.