Illinois names Lovie Smith head coach
The Lovie Smith era has officially begun in Champaign as Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman introduced his new ball coach Monday.
#WEWILLWIN pic.twitter.com/eIC379IiyD
— Josh Whitman (@IlliniAD) March 7, 2016
Smith replaces Bill Cubit, who was fired on March 5 following one season as interim head coach. In that span, he led the Fighting Illini to a 5-7 record.
After spending time in various college coaching positions from 1983-1995, Smith got his first NFL job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After moving up the ranks, he was eventually named the Chicago Bears head coach from 2004-2012, and the Buccaneers boss from 2014-15.
"I am extremely excited to be named head coach of the Fighting Illini," Smith said in a statement. "Josh approached me about this possibility, and I immediately seized on the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the young men who are part of the program today and in the future.
"I take this responsibility very seriously and can't wait to get a staff in place to start our move to make Illinois a contender for Big Ten titles."
Smith becomes the 25th head football coach at Illinois, and the second coach to move directly from NFL head coach to Illini head coach.
The two sides agreed on a six-year deal worth $2 million annually for 2016 and 2017, $3 million for 2018, $4 million for 2019, and $5 million annually for both 2020 and 2021.
Pending approval from the Illinois Board of Trustees, Smith is expected to be appointed on March 16.