When two of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks take the field against each other, it’s natural to make it the dominant storyline of the game.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Illinois’ Luke Altmyer understandably are a big topic of discussion ahead of Saturday’s top 25 showdown between the No. 9 Fighting Illini and No. 19 Hoosiers. One (Altmyer) turned down major SEC money to stay at Illinois while the other (Mendoza) turned down major SEC money to come to Bloomington.
The two men tasked with slowing down Mendoza and Altmyer aren’t as well known but could be soon. They come from different backgrounds but have significant similarities, especially turning down bigger opportunities elsewhere out of loyalty to long-standing relationships with their head coaches. And if things keep going the way they are, Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry and Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines could both be head coaches themselves sooner than later.
Interestingly, the two fast-rising defensive coordinators find themselves right next to each other currently in the scoring defense category. Henry’s Illinois defense ranks No. 5 nationally while Haines’ Hoosiers are one spot behind at No. 6. Indiana ranks top 10 nationally in pass and total defense, too. Illinois is top 15 in pass defense.
Fernando Mendoza laments leaving Cal, but development at Indiana could rocket QB to top of NFL Draft boards
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Those kinds of national statistics were things Haines thought about when he was one of the hottest assistant coaching names in the country this offseason. With major programs like Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State all needing new defensive coordinators at the same time, Indiana had to fight hard to keep the poachers away from the 39-year old Broyles Award finalist. He became one of the rare coaches to get his contract reworked twice in one offseason, ultimately becoming one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the country at a reported $2 million annually.
The money, of course, made a big impact in the equation but wasn’t the primary factor when he weighed his opportunities.
“I want to be a head coach one day, but right now I want to be the best coordinator in the country,” Haines told CBS Sports. “When you think of Brent Venables and what he did at Clemson, I want my name to be there, humbly. How do you do that? Do you do that staying here at Indiana or can you go to a place that gets the best of the best and you have a little more arsenal and weaponry in your hand. It was less about the money, it was if I was going to take something, my defense would be No. 1 in every category.”
Haines has been with Indiana coach Curt Cignetti for more than a decade, dating back to when Cignetti hired him as a part-time defensive line coach at the confusingly named Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (It’s located in the state of Pennsylvania, if you’re wondering.) Outside of a lone season stint at UC Davis, Haines has been with Cignetti ever since as the pair worked their way up the college football ranks. From Elon to James Madison to now Indiana, Cignetti has brought Haines and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan with him. The two assistants have been on similar tracks, too, as both were position coaches at Elon and got coordinator duties at James Madison.
That Haines turned down bluebloods to stay at Indiana said a lot about his trust in Cignetti and what he is building in Bloomington. And for the Indiana coach, it gave him that needed continuity to try to get the Hoosiers to take that next step after a first-round playoff exit to Notre Dame a year ago. The long-time coach has been around some of the best defensive minds in college football, from Nick Saban to Kirby Smart among others, and said it was “really crucial” to keep his young DC this offseason. He praised how quickly his mind works.
“He’s really sharp schematically and a great teacher,” Cignetti told CBS Sports. “He does a nice job on game day. He’s a football guy through and through.”
The bond between Henry and Illinois coach Bret Bielema in Champaign is similarly strong. Henry played for Bielema at Wisconsin, got his first graduate assistant position with him at Arkansas and quickly joined forces at Illinois when his former coach returned to college football. He adores Bielema and what he’s meant for his life, recruiting him out of Immokalee, Florida and turning him into an all-Big Ten player.
Bielema was at Henry’s wedding to his wife, Camille, and was there when he had his twins. All of those shared life experiences meant something to Henry when other opportunities came his way. Like Haines, the charismatic 36-year old Henry wants to be a head coach one day. But until then, he trusts that he’s in the right place for him to grow as a leader under Bielema. The Illinois coach has already been preparing him for when that moment comes, asking him in different situations what he would do if he were the head coach.
And when a head coaching opportunity popped up last offseason, Bielema went through all the pros and cons of the job with Henry.
“I couldn’t be in a better place,” Henry told CBS Sports. “I’m around somebody that I know in a pinch the dude’s gonna protect me. We all have tough conversations and we may agree or disagree on some things but ultimately there’s a line of respect and in today’s day and age where people are firing coaches left and right for not producing…my first year being DC we went 5-7 and (Bielema) easily could have pulled the trigger. He had been watching me for 15 years as a person, as a player so he knew what was going to come.
“He said before he hired me that my job is to protect you when the things around you don’t go well. To have things not go well and have him protect me, you can’t put a dollar amount on that.”
Henry went through growing pains that first year as a defensive coordinator. Trying to replace Ryan Walters, who left to become Purdue’s head coach, wasn’t easy for the first-time DC. Illinois dropped from the No. 1 scoring defense under Walters to No. 96 in that first year.
The disappointing season prompted Henry to make a number of adjustments, from how he delegated responsibilities to even how he called things on game days to better take advantage of the resources he had. It paid off in a much-improved 2024 season that helped Illinois finish with 10 wins and earned Henry a new three-year contract a year after some fans wanted him gone.
Henry and Haines easily could be elsewhere in different colored polos if they wanted but they’ll be inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday for what could be the best game of the weekend. They’ll each be challenged in trying to stop a talented opposing quarterback in a season where the expectations are high and the margin for error is razor-thin.
Enjoy the Mendoza vs. Altmyer battle. Enjoy two of the most outspoken coaches in college football in Cignetti and Bielema going at it. But don’t forget about the defensive coordinators who could soon be leading your favorite football program if they stay on this current trajectory.
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