Beckman adds coaches to Illini staff

CHAMPAIGN – University of Illinois football coach Tim Beckman has added Mike Ward and Alex Golesh to the Fighting Illini football coaching staff as assistant coaches.

Both Ward and Golesh were on Beckman's staff at Toledo. Golesh will serve as the recruiting coordinator, while the position responsibilities for both he and Ward will be announced at a later date.

“Mike and Alex have both been very productive members of my staff at Toledo, and I know they'll be a great addition here,” Beckman said in a statement released Tuesday. “Both men are tireless recruiters and will begin working here immediately.”

Ward spent the last three years as Assistant Head Coach and co-Defensive Coordinator on Beckman's staff at Toledo and was instrumental in the rapid development of the Rockets' defense. Before going to Toledo, Ward spent 17 years as an assistant at Bowling Green.

Golesh was at Toledo for the last three years on Beckman's staff, serving as both the tight ends coach and the recruiting coordinator. Golesh aided the UT program in securing the No. 1 recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference for two-straight years.