Lovie Smith out as Illinois' head football coach
In March 2016, shortly after he became athletic director at Illinois, Josh Whitman hired Lovie Smith to coach the Illini's struggling football program.
The hire was hailed as a home run at the time, the school's first minority head coach in football or men's basketball, one who had led the Bears to the Super Bowl. In his second game, Illinois hosted a North Carolina team quarterbacked by Mitch Trubisky for a night game at a sold-out, electric Memorial Stadium.
But for a variety of reasons, from recruiting that never took off to a defense that struggled year after year, that excitement wore off, crowds dwindled, and Smith's five years at Illinois didn't go as hoped. On Sunday, Whitman announced Smith has been let go and will not coach the Illini during its final game.
The Illini are 2-5 with one Big Ten crossover game remaining Saturday at Penn State. Offensive coordinator Rod Smith will conclude the season as the acting head coach.
"It's a hard day," Whitman said in a Sunday afternoon news conference. "It's a day that none of us associated with the football program at the University of Illinois had hoped would come. But I do believe it's necessary if we are to realize what I believe the full championship potential of the football program here.
"Did we win enough games? Absolutely not. Certainly Lovie would be the first to admit that. But I do feel strongly we are much better positioned today to go out and attract the next football coach than we were five years ago."
Whitman said he made the decision during the past week after a Dec. 5 loss to Iowa. He informed Smith early Sunday and then met with the team. Smith's son, linebackers coach Miles Smith, also will not coach against Penn State, but the rest of the staff will. Defensive ends coach Jimmy Lindsey will take Lovie Smith's role as defensive coordinator.
Whitman said the pandemic made the decision more difficult. Illinois lost to Purdue after finding out 24 hours before the game it would be without 12 players, many starters. The following week the Illini lost to Minnesota playing their fourth-string QB.
But Smith's contract was structured to make the fifth year a key one, a fork in the road as Whitman put it. And he decided paying Smith the $2.3 million buyout was better financially than extending the staff.
"Especially in this pandemic year it was never about the number of wins and losses, it was about looking to what's happening with the program and whether if it was giving me optimism and hope for the future or ultimately if we felt a change was needed," Whitman said.
Smith's last game turned out to be a 28-10 loss at Northwestern on Saturday. That left him 0-5 against the Wildcats, the same as he finished against Iowa, and dropped Illinois to 1-15 under Smith against ranked opponents.
Smith went 17-39 overall and 10-33 in the Big Ten at Illinois.
Whitman said his search for the next coach will be quick and a search firm will not be used. Improving instate recruiting and relationships with high school coaches will be important considerations, neither of which went well under Smith. Potential candidates include Buffalo's Lance Leipold, Army's Jeff Monken, Kent State's Sean Lewis, former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, Nevada's Jay Norvell, Toledo's Jason Candle, Tulane's Willie Fritz and several coordinators.
Smith took Illinois to the Redbox Bowl in 2019, the Illini's first bowl in five years, clinching a berth with a 37-34 victory at Michigan State. Illinois trailed the Spartans by 25 points before completing the greatest comeback in school history. Three weeks earlier Illinois defeated sixth-ranked Wisconsin after entering the game as a 30-point underdog, Smith's only win over a ranked team in 16 tries. The Illini's 6-7 record in 2019 was their best in Smith's five years.
But the Illini were unable to build off their 2019 success. Despite finally having a roster filled with his own recruits, 2020 did not go well, and Whitman is moving on.
"I want to win," Whitman said. "I want someone to come in here, win a lot of football games, do it with integrity and do it for a long time."
Smith came to Illinois in 2016 after 11 seasons as head coach in the NFL, including nine seasons with the Bears and his final two years with the Buccaneers. He compiled an overall record of 89-87, highlighted by reaching the 2006 Super Bowl.