Lovie Smith to become Illinois head coach

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

Whoa. Well that was quick.

Bruce Feldman

 

Lovie Smith is expected to become the new #Illinois HC, source told FOX Sports. 1st reported by CBS/Chicago: https://t.co/bsTXfTNJqM

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 5, 2016
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bacon1431

March 5th, 2016 at 6:39 PM ^

Well shit. I retract my negative comments from the previous thread.

Good on Illinois and I think if he gets a good staff to help him adjust back to college, Illini will make waves in theWest. 

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stephenrjking

March 5th, 2016 at 6:42 PM ^

The record of NFL coaches moving to college is very mixed. For every Harbaugh, there's a Weis and a Callahan. Even if the depth of knowledge is superior there is no guarantee that it can translate into player development or recruiting. I would call Lovie a 50/50 shot to pan out well. That said, I torched B1G teams like Illinois for being gutless in their coaching hires a couple of months ago, and this isn't gutless. I don't exactly like the way it went down, but there is a far better chance that Lovie makes Illinois seriously relevant than Bill Cubit. So overall I really like this move. Helps that, after the previous regime, Smith is thought of as a good guy.

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Richard75

March 5th, 2016 at 6:52 PM ^

It would be interesting to look at not just how former NFL guys have done in college, but specifically former NFL head coaches. Weis and Callahan had never been in charge before, which adds to the risk and makes them quite different than Harbaugh.

But then, there probably aren't too many examples. Bobby Ross and Bill Walsh both did it but were in their dotage by then.



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Perkis-Size Me

March 5th, 2016 at 6:46 PM ^

Could be a really good hire for them. If nothing else their defenses should be pretty good, but Lovie has been out of the college game for years. I wonder how well he's able to recruit.

He's also never been known as a guy who could field a decent offense, so I'd be concerned for them that they'd be held back by a vanilla, predictable offense.



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BuckNekked

March 5th, 2016 at 6:54 PM ^

Ill be watching to see who he names as his coordinators but I think this is a great hire for Illinois.

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PopeLando

March 5th, 2016 at 6:56 PM ^

Definitely had this lined up before firing Cubit. Good move for Illinois. Smith wasn't a great pro coach, but he was decent and that's all it takes sometimes. College is a whole different ballgame with a bit of a different skill package required. Will be interesting to watch this develop.

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umchicago

March 5th, 2016 at 6:58 PM ^

at all of the dumb comments railing on the firing of cubit in the earlier thread.  lovie is a good coach, on defense.  if he hires a modern competent offensive coordinator, he should be fine Xs and Os-wise.  we will have to see how his recruiting goes.

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McSomething

March 5th, 2016 at 6:59 PM ^

Will Smith make them a consistent contender for even the B1G? Maybe, maybe not. But he should at least be able to make them a consistent bowl team, while building a solid foundation for the next guy.

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Yooper

March 5th, 2016 at 7:17 PM ^

Kudos to the AD for being aggressive in dumping Cubic and getting someone with NFL credentials at this point of the year. We'll see how it works out but it looks like a major upgrade to me.

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Blue Durham

March 5th, 2016 at 7:25 PM ^

and had Smith secured before he fired Cubit. Obviously, he felt Smith was an upgrade over Cubit. Maybe he is, I don't know. But it is rare that head coaches are successful in both the college ranks as well as the NFL. Harbaugh and Carroll are the exceptions (and Carroll failed in his first NFL HC position). It'll be interesting how it goes for Smith; Illinois isn't the easiest gig out there.

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lilpenny1316

March 5th, 2016 at 7:41 PM ^

Lovie should still be a familiar name to kids in Chicago.  Considering there was seller's remorse after the Trestman hire, his name is easier to sell to H.S. parents.  This should make them competitive in the ultra awful B1G West within a year or two.

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bacon

March 5th, 2016 at 7:46 PM ^

Lovie Smith is a good hire for Illinois. He'll recruit well and I'll bet he turns that program around. He coached in a Super Bowl and was good in Chicago for a while. Certainly an upgrade over Bill Cubit.

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Avant's Hands

March 5th, 2016 at 8:12 PM ^

Whoa, seriously? I definitely thought this was some kind of joke when I clicked on the thread. Great hire for them. Considering their division I don't see any reason they can't compete in it with a solid defense.

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rock7413

March 5th, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^

Don't understand why people are downing this move. This is a great hire for Illinois and great name reconition for the B1G

Lovie Smith vs Bill Cubit or Tim Beckman ...

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jackrobert

March 5th, 2016 at 9:29 PM ^

especially considering all the crap that has happened over the last 9 months. I have a personal investment in this hire working out. I went to Illinois for law school and know the new AD. Josh Whitman is one of the smartest, most impressive people I've ever met. He's everything I'd want a Michigan Man to be, except he's a proud Illinois Man. I've been telling friends for a couple years that Josh would be a big time college AD by age 45. Josh got there 8 years early, admittedly in part because Illinois devolved into a total tire fire. But I am confident Josh will prove the doubters wrong. Hiring Lovie Smith is the first big step. I'm a Michigan grad and fan first and foremost, but Josh has me rooting for Illinois like I've never before.

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