Illinois State Hires Bob Dunn as Quarterbacks Coach, Completing 2026 Staff

Brock Spack closed out his 2026 coaching staff on March 11 by naming Bob Dunn the Illinois State quarterbacks coach, filling a vacancy left by Tony Petersen and bringing a Wisconsin-trained signal-caller developer to Normal.

The hire carries a strong endorsement chain. Spack cited former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst and two assistants who worked alongside Dunn on the Badgers' offensive staff, Mickey Turner and C.J. Irvin, as the voices behind the recommendation. "He's worked for several years now mentoring quarterbacks at various levels of college football," Spack said in a press release. "He came highly recommended from Coach Chryst and by Mickey (Turner) and CJ (Irvin), who both worked on the offensive staff with him at Wisconsin. We think he will be a great resource for our quarterbacks, and we look forward to getting working very soon."

Dunn's Wisconsin ties run deeper than a single staff connection. A Madison native, he played quarterback at Edgewood High School, where he won the Ray W. Huegel Memorial Award as the city's top offensive player in his senior year. He returned to Madison in 2018 as a graduate assistant with the football program while pursuing a degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, working primarily with the Badger quarterbacks. In 2021 he was promoted to quality control assistant and continued coaching the position group.

The quarterbacks room Dunn inherits at Illinois State includes Beckham Pellant, Cooper Kmet, Chase Kwiatkowski, and USC transfer Gage Roy. Andrew Knight II, out of Sterling Heights, Michigan, is expected to join the group in the fall.

Dunn welcomed the assignment with straightforward enthusiasm. "I want to thank coach Spack and the rest of the offensive staff for the opportunity," he said in a release. "I can't wait to get started working with our quarterbacks."

With Dunn's addition, Spack has formally completed the staff he will bring into the 2026 season, capping an offseason of coaching adjustments that also included movement at other positions across the roster.