Lovie Smith: Illinois will hold spring practice in winter
Icon Sportswire / Getty
After a rough first season at Illinois, head coach Lovie Smith isn't planning to wait for spring to hold spring practice.
At a season-ending news conference Friday, Smith told reporters the Fighting Illini will move the upcoming session all the way up to mid-February, rather than waiting for the actual spring months to roll around.
Lovie Smith announced that spring practices will begin mid-February. Last year's spring practices ran April 1-26 after he was hired March 7.
— Illini Stats & Notes (@IlliniStats) December 9, 2016
Illinois went 3-9 in Smith's inaugural campaign, with the three wins coming against the likes of Murray State, Rutgers, and somewhat more respectable Michigan State.
March 20, 2017 is the first official day of the next spring season, for those keeping score at home.