Big Ten Football Coach Rankings
The Illinois football coaching situation has been one of the biggest soap operas in the nation. They went from being completely mediocre with no lust to having an NFL coach.
Illinois hired head coach Lovie Smith back in March of 2016. He was a great hire by new athletic director Josh Whitman.
The Illinois coaching staff was a mess before Lovie took over. They had two head coaches in the span of six months and fired them both.
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Things are turning around for the Illini, though. Lovie comes in with a veteran team and the hopes of having one of the best records in a long time.
Previous new coaches on this list are down further because they have zero head coaching experience. The reason Lovie is higher is because he was an NFL head coach who knows how to get to the next level.
Lovie has some work to do. The team he inherited is coming off a 5-7 season last year and they lost their best wide receiver once again to injury. But, there is a lot of hope with Lovie.
The Illini are returning their starting quarterback and their leading rusher from the year before. Their wide receiving core is missing a key member but still has a ton of experience from last season.
Lovie is also starting to rack up a solid recruiting class for 2017, despite starting behind all the other coaches. He is gaining momentum on the recruiting front and it should pay dividends down the road.
This was a great hire by the Illini and with Lovie’s coaching experience and recruiting ability so far, I think he is slotted nicely in the No. 7 spot.
Next: No. 6