Bret Bielema long has been a fan of teams in orange.

Bielema, 56, grew up in Prophetstown, Illinois, following the orange-clad University of Illinois Fighting Illini. He also began to cheer for the Denver Broncos.

“When probably in junior high school, I started watching the Broncos quite a bit,’’ Bielema told The Denver Gazette. “So I’ve always been a huge fan. I love the orange, obviously.”

Bielema has been head coach at Illinois since 2021, and a pipeline is developing between the Illini and the Broncos. It started in 2023, when offensive lineman Alex Palczewski came to Denver as an undrafted free agent. Earlier this year, the top reserve signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract extension, taking him through 2028.

In 2025, the Broncos selected Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant in the third round of the draft, and he had 31 catches for 378 yards as a rookie. And last month, Denver took safety Miles Scott in the seventh round, giving them a third player from Illinois.

“We have a big phrase (at Illinois) called ‘TSD,’ which is ‘tough, smart and dependable,’ and those three represent that in the finest way every day,’’ Bielema said.

Bielema last year visited Broncos Park during organized team activities, bringing along several of his coaches. He was there to see Palczewski and Bryant as well as linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who played for Bielema from 2015-17 when he was head coach at Arkansas, and assistant coach Jim Leonhard, who played for Bielema when he was Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator in 2004 and was an Illinois senior football analyst in 2023.

Greenlaw was signed by Denver as a free agent in March 2025 after six years with San Francisco before he was waived after one season and re-signed with the 49ers. Leonhard spent two seasons with the Broncos before leaving earlier this year to become Buffalo’s defensive coordinator.

“It was a good visit overall,’’ Bielema said. “It was absolutely awesome last year. Obviously, the facilities and the people. That’s such a unique place and such an awesome environment. I love the city of Denver.”

Greenlaw and Leonhard are gone, but Bielema now will closely follow Palczewski, Bryant and Scott on the Broncos.

“When your guys get drafted, you hopefully have them prepared for a moment when you’re no longer around them that they can continue to have success and you just hope they go to an environment where there are the things you believe,’’ Bielema said.

Bielema sees similarities between the Illini and the Broncos and has incorporated a 2024 quote from Denver coach Sean Payton into his meetings. Payton talked to the media about Palczewski making his first NFL start when he replaced an injured Mike McGlinchey at right tackle in Week 3 at Tampa Bay.

“There’s a slide I show,’’ Bielema said. “Actually, Coach Payton was talking about (Palczewski’s) first start in a press conference and he said he’s a really tough, smart player. And every meeting I start in my building, I begin with a slide that says, ‘tough, smart, dependable — TSD.’ And it’s good to see the things you believe in are things that other people believe in.”

Bielema inherited Palczewski when he took over the Illini in 2021. He coached him for two seasons, which included Bielema working to get him a sixth year of eligibility in 2022.

“I (recently) got a text from ‘Palcho,’’’ Bielema said of the former star at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois. “He heard that we might be recruiting a kid from his high school, so he’s reaching out on behalf of a kid that’s still in high school. That’s ‘Palcho.’ He’s super prideful.”

Bielema admires the way Palczewski has worked his way up from being undrafted to becoming a versatile NFL lineman, having started three games at right tackle in 2024 and 10 at left guard in 2025 due to injuries. He also expects Bryant to continue to ascend with Denver.

Bryant committed to Illinois two days before Bielema took the job in 2021, leading the coach to say that “he believed in Illinois before I was here.” After a modest start with the Illini, Bryant developed into a star by his senior season, having 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024.

“I think if he had another year of college football, he might have been a first-round pick,’’ Bielema said. “I do think his best football is in front of him.”

Bielema also expects Scott to continue to improve. He was a walk-on receiver in 2021 and 2022 under Bielema before being put on scholarship in 2023 and being moved to safety.

“Miles, we recruited him as a preferred walk-on, so no one thought he could do it,’’ Bielema said. “And look where he’s at now. So it’s kind of fun to watch.”

With both arriving at Illinois in 2021 as receivers, Scott and Bryant have been very close since then. Bryant was thrilled to have Scott become the latest player in the Illini to Broncos orange pipeline.

“In my eyes, anybody who comes from a program like Illinois is (a good fit),’’ Bryant said.

Stay tuned to see if more players from Illinois will be heading to Denver.

Onyedim’s big jump

Defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim was a third-round pick by the Broncos last month after playing his final season at Texas A&M. It’s uncertain what might have transpired had he not left Iowa State after spending his first four seasons there.

“He’s a great example of a kid betting on himself a little bit,’’ said Jay Bateman, who was the defensive coordinator last season at Texas A&M before moving on to a similar role at Kentucky.

With the Cyclones in 2024, Onyedim had 2.5 tackles for loss with no sacks. But with the Aggies last season, he had 9.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks. He was put in a better position to rush the passer.

“I think he blossomed and he became a disrupter,’’ Bateman said. “I think in the NFL, he’ll really be good at rushing the quarterback. … I think he’ll be a problem in the run game, too.”

Payton has called Onyedim a candidate as a rookie to replace John Franklin-Myers as a starting interior defensive lineman. Franklin-Myers, who signed as a free agent with Tennessee, had 7.5 sacks in 2025, so the Broncos will look to make up for that lost production.

What I’m thinking

— Who would have thought earlier this year the injured AFC West quarterback on the field at the start of organized team activities would be Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and not Denver’s Bo Nix? Mahomes, who suffered a torn left ACL Dec. 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers and had surgery the next day, took part in the Chiefs’ first OTA workout last Tuesday. The Broncos start OTAs Tuesday, but Nix, who suffered a broken right ankle in a Jan. 17 playoff game against Buffalo and had surgery Jan. 20 and a clean-up procedure in late April, is not expected to be a regular participant then. However, Payton said May 9 that Nix “probably” will take part in a June 16-18 mandatory minicamp and will be at “full speed” to start training camp in late July.

— Here’s wishing the best for former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, who suffered a big recent setback with his restaurant business. Marshall had to shut down his Mama B’s Smokehouse in Las Vegas after a fire started in the restaurant’s ceiling April 30 and created significant damage. But he vows the restaurant will reopen. “Being a business owner is full of ups and downs, as well as unexpected shortcomings,” Marshall, who played for Denver from 2013-18, wrote on social media. “But I’ll always remain optimistic, and I understand perseverance is everything. We will overcome.” The Denver Gazette last December profiled Marshall’s restaurant, then known as Hattie Marie’s.

What I’m seeing

— There’s plenty of Colorado flavor on the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Their roster includes longtime fullback Albert Awachie, who grew up in Fort Collins and played at Rocky Mountain High School; Juwann Winfree, a wide receiver who played at Colorado and with the Broncos in 2019; and Seyi Oladipo, a safety who is a Centennial native and played at Eaglecrest High School. Their defensive coordinator is Joshua Bell, a Broncos cornerback in 2008. “I spoke to (Awachie) about (being from Colorado),’’ Winfree said of when he first met him. “That was dope.” The Roughriders had former Colorado linebacker Demouy Kennedy in training camp before he was recently released. Last year, they had former Broncos edge rusher Shane Ray, who registered five sacks.

— For the second straight year, Broncos receiver Marvin Mims Jr. will hold a pair of youth camps in Colorado. They are scheduled for June 20 at Pueblo South High School and June 21 at Ray Patterson Field in Loveland. Last year, Mims had camps in Loveland and Colorado Springs. “It’s going to be a good time,’’ Mims said. “Last year, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of different kids. … It’s cool to be able to get out (in Colorado and have kids) experience being around a Broncos player.”