Chambana Sun

Former Illinois running back Dre Brown is set to return to the University of Illinois as Director of Player Personnel, according to an announcement by head coach Bret Bielema. Brown, who played for the Illini from 2015 to 2019, joins his alma mater after serving as director of recruiting at Notre Dame.

"I have been impressed with Dre's career since beginning to follow him when I first arrived at Illinois," said Bielema. "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. It is exciting to bring a person of his caliber back to the Illini famILLy."

Brown expressed enthusiasm about his new role, stating: "My wife Lindsay and I are beyond excited to join the FamILLy and return home. As a proud alum, the University of Illinois is a special place and has provided me with more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. I can't wait to work with Coach Bielema and Pat Embleton to bring top-tier talent to this program. Let's get to work. I-L-L!"

After completing his playing career at Illinois, Brown pursued graduate studies at the Gies College of Business before starting his career in college football recruitment. He began as a football recruiting coordinator at Tennessee and later joined Notre Dame in 2021 as an offensive recruiting coordinator. In subsequent years, he served as a defensive analyst and then focused on high school relations before being promoted in March 2024.

During Brown's tenure, Notre Dame achieved notable success in recruitment, landing top-12 classes over three consecutive seasons. Last year, they secured the No. 9 class nationally according to 247Sports and Rivals rankings.

As an athlete at Illinois, Brown amassed 902 rushing yards and seven touchdowns over his collegiate career. His senior year was particularly notable with 584 rushing yards and five touchdowns in addition to ranking prominently in kickoff return averages nationally.

Brown holds both a bachelor's degree in recreation, sport and tourism from the University of Illinois (2018) and a master's degree from the Gies College of Business (2021).