Coach Bret Bielema's Illinois Fighting Illini are preparing for one of the season's toughest games this coming Saturday at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. against the 4-2 Oregon Ducks, with the game scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

Bielema's team is coming off of a bye week that gave the Illini coach a chance to visit with family members of some of his players including guard Brandon Henderson's family.

Henderson started 12 of 13 games at right guard last season and has played in three games with Illinois this season after dealing with a knee injury earlier this season. 

He has been feeling the family vibes with Bielema's program lately, just part of the reason why he sounds keen on returning to Illinois next season. 

Henderson extolled the family-first approach of Bielema as he revealed the Illini coach visited with his family during the bye week. 

"I mean, it just shows how much you care, like, my mom told me, she kinda spilled the beans, like yeah, 'Coach B said he's comin' to see me, are you comin' home this week?' I'm like, nah, I don't know nuthin' about that," Henderson said to Tristan Thomas of WCIA-3 Champaign.  

The Fighting Illini's "family" focus has been drilled home by Bielema on social media often this season, a boast that Illinois' head coach backed up with his actions recently. 

Illinois will go to battle against the Ducks this weekend in what some are calling a must-win game as the Fighting Illini seek to remain above .500 on the season.

Henderson added that he is "just staying in the moment" and added that he doesn't plan on going anywhere in the future. He is in his fourth season in Champaign, but may have a chance to return as a graduate student in 2027. 

"I have no reason to go, I have no reason to leave," Henderson said. "I've been here since my freshman year, I've seen what Coach B can do," he added about the Illini's future possibilities. 

Henderson is currently working on "getting back into a groove" following his return from injury, he said during a press conference on Tuesday according to Illinois Inquirer, and is excited to be healthy again leading up to one of his team's biggest games of the Big Ten season. 

Henderson knows staying with Illinois could give him a strong chance to fulfill his potential at the NFL level, based on recent program results. 

"I've seen the guys that come and go, the majority, a lot are in the league (NFL) right now, so I mean, we (are) doing something right."