Peter Weiden is in his fourth year on the Fighting Illini's staff in 2026. He was promoted to Assistant AD, Football Operations in 2025, following two seasons as Director of Football Operations from 2023-24.

Weiden's experience includes 13 bowl games, four trips to the Rose Bowl, and three Big Ten championships.

During his first three seasons Champaign, Weiden has helped the Illini to 24 victories, 14 Big Ten wins, two bowl victories, and back-to-back seasons with 9+ wins for the first time in program history. Over the last two seasons, Illinois has won 19 games, the program's most ever in a two-year span, including 15 Power-4 wins (the fourth-most in the Big Ten) and six ranked wins. Weiden has coordinated two bowl trips while at Illinois, victories over SEC opponents in the 2024 Citrus Bowl vs. #14 South Carolina and 2025 Music City Bowl vs. #23 Tennessee. 

Weiden joined the Illini with more than a dozen years of FBS operations experience, including spending the 2022 season as the Chief of Staff at Wisconsin. He reunited with head coach Bret Bielema after spending seven years together at Wisconsin (2010-12) and Arkansas (2013-16).

Weiden spent four seasons at Wisconsin (2019-22), first as Director of Operations for three years, then as the Chief of Staff in 2022. Weiden oversaw the day-to-day operations of the football program, as well as coordinating alumni programs and engagement and development efforts for current student-athletes.

Weiden returned to Wisconsin after spending the 2018 season as assistant director of football operations at Mississippi State. He served as director of football operations at Minnesota in 2017.

From 2013-17, Weiden spent four seasons as assistant director of football operations at Arkansas, where he also served as director of the Razorbacks' summer football camps.

Weiden originally was part of the Badgers' staff from 2010-12, including two seasons as Wisconsin's assistant director of football operations. His responsibilities included advance team travel, coordinating community service opportunities, and running summer football.

Prior to his first stint at Wisconsin, Weiden was a graduate assistant football coach at Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2009. That followed a year as an assistant football and basketball coach at Madison West High School, which he had attended while growing up in Madison.

Weiden spent the 2007 season with the Baltimore Ravens, working internships in scouting, the ticket office, and operations. He also worked as an intern in compliance, academics, and marketing at Georgia Tech.

Weiden graduated from St. Cloud State in 2007 with a degree in sports management and earned his master's degree in sports administration from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2010.

Career

Operational Achievements

2010 Big Ten Football Champion – Wisconsin
2011 Rose Bowl Game – Wisconsin
2011 Big Ten Football Champion – Wisconsin
2012 Rose Bowl Game – Wisconsin
2012 Big Ten Football Champion – Wisconsin
2013 Rose Bowl Game – Wisconsin
2014 Texas Bowl – Arkansas
2015 Liberty Bowl – Arkansas
2016 Belk Bowl – Arkansas
2019 Outback Bowl – Mississippi State
2019 Big Ten Championship Game – Wisconsin
2020 Rose Bowl Game – Wisconsin
2020 Duke's Bowl – Wisconsin
2021 Las Vegas Bowl – Wisconsin
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl – Wisconsin
2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl – Illinois
2025 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl – Illinois