Illinois hires Lovie Smith to coach football team

That didn’t take long. Just two days after new Athletic Director Josh Whitman fired interim head coach Bill Cupit, he hired Lovie Smith to replace him.

Whitman announced the move himself by way of two Twitter messages:

Shortly afterwards, major media outlets reported the hire, with the Chicago Sun-Times noting the contract is a six-year deal worth $21 million.

“I am extremely excited to be named head coach of the Fighting Illini,” Smith said in a statement, via the Sun-Times. “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. We will play an exciting brand of football that will make our fans, alumni, student body and members of the University community extremely proud.”

It is a huge move by Whitman to shore up its football program just months after abusive practices by former head coach Tim Beckman came to light.

Smith has ties to the state of Illinois from his time spent as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.

While it has been some two decades since he left the college ranks to coach in the NFL, he did spend more than a decade as an assistant at various schools around the nation and isn’t completely unfamiliar with how recruiting works.

More than anything, though, what Smith provides Illinois is stability and leadership in a time where both attributes are desperately needed.