Illinois head coach Bret Bielema losing East Carolina transfer center Avery Jones to Auburn football resulted in a tweet that brought out the claws from Tiger fans who couldn’t believe he’d say such a thing.
First, Bielema quote-tweeted Jones’ own tweet announcing his Plains commitment and said vaguely: “college football is changing every day,” with the hashtag #NIL.
College football is changing everyday #NIL https://t.co/R2ZT4op4T0
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) January 10, 2023
A minute later, he followed it up with another quote-tweet, this time questioning why 247Sports Illinois reporter Jeremy Werner referred to Jones flipping his commitment as a ‘loss’ for the Fighting Illini.
Loss???? #ILL https://t.co/sBJ8YIey1x
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) January 10, 2023
Tweet through it, Bret.
Well, the Auburn football fanbase wasn’t going to let this one slide — quite the opposite actually, as they went for Bielema’s throat in a way that suggested that perhaps the Illinois head coach doesn’t see that NIL perhaps isn’t too different from other circumstances in life:
Irony: this man complaining about winning someone’s affections with money. https://t.co/0LArVnHEQG pic.twitter.com/7nGJwEF7Vp
— Jimmy’s Reign (@AU_Godfather) January 11, 2023
Yea clearly his charisma won her heart
— 乇卂Ꮆㄥ乇 ㄖ千 山卂尺🥶❄️👈🏼 (@Tommy12005164) January 11, 2023
Hey! @BretBielema was lucky enough to find a wife that appreciates being sweated on by a guy who smells like lunch meat and stale beer! Insinuating that money has anything to do with it is scandalous!
— Carl von Drunker (@WDE_wAUrrior) January 11, 2023
if you’re broke just say that
— Scott Lowery (@ScottLowery94) January 10, 2023
Imagine being a grown collegiate coach and whining on Twitter
— Summers (@m_summers_81) January 10, 2023
Have you tried crying about it?
— Not So Famblee (@NotSoFamblee_AU) January 10, 2023
How many must learn the hard way what Auburn Twitter is capable of?
Auburn football now in top 3 of transfer portal recruiting rankings
Hugh Freeze has done a fabulous job of flipping high school recruits, feasting on his first Early National Signing Day back in December — even with only a few weeks to work with after his late-November hiring.
To be competitive immediately, however, Freeze needed to make serious noise in the transfer portal. With the addition of Jones, USF RB Brian Battie, and Cincinnati receiver Nick Mardner, the Tigers are now No. 3 in the 2023 transfer portal rankings.
Mission accomplished.