Illinois Football: Buckle up national media, Lovie Smith is here to stay
The big story floating around the Illinois football fan base was that of the “Hot Seat Rankings.”
Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports released his rankings of which coaches are going to be on the hot seat this upcoming season. His rating went from zero through five with five being “Win or be fired” and zero being “Untouchable.”
There was only one coach on the list that has to win or be fired, according to Dodd. This coach is Kansas’ David Beaty. But, the following coach happens to be Lovie Smith. He is listed as a four on this ranking which means he needs to “Start improving now”.
This didn’t make the Illini fan base happy and rightfully so. As many fans have stated, Lovie is in zero danger of losing his job baring some Tim Beckman-esque stupidity. Dodd does a little write-up about why Lovie needs to improve now. He is two years into his six-year contract. He is way behind the coach from up north as well.
But, I believe the point Dodd is missing in this write-up is the fact Lovie started in March 2016 with a team that didn’t resemble anything close to a Big Ten caliber squad. Lovie is also just getting his second recruiting class in that will be unleashed this fall.
Just looking at the numbers that I pulled from Rivals.com, Lovie inherited a team that consisted of 18 walk-on or zero star players, 36 two-star players, 38 three-star players and 3 four-star players. This is what Lovie came into in regards to talent on the field. In addition to that, the class of 2016 which signed about a month before Lovie was hired, was in shambles because of the Beckman idiocy the fall before that resulted in a coaching change. This made the class plummet all the way to No. 67 in the nation.
Let’s also not forget about the injuries Lovie had to deal with year one as well. Mike Dudek went down again. Wes Lunt, one of the four-star recruits Lovie inherited, was injured for half the season. So, things weren’t exactly going Lovie’s way in year one.
I am not one to let Lovie get away with zero blame for things, though. There are some issues that I have had with him. I am not sure what exactly happened with Ke’Shawn Vaughn, but I believe he will be a star at Vanderbilt. There was an arrest that happened under Lovie’s watch that had three players kicked off the team. Lovie has also changed offensive coordinators already as well. This makes me nervous, especially with a young program.
But, those are things that coaches go through with a program. Lovie is finally getting his second recruiting class into Champaign. There are quarterback options coming in this class as well. The current roster has a total of six four-star recruits entering the 2018 season. That is double what Lovie inherited. He is increasing the talent level. He has people talking about Littyville and the potential for great things ahead.
If you don’t know what is happening with the Illinois football program or how big of a mess everything was when Lovie entered the building, of course you would say he is on the hot seat. But, if you peel back the layers and see what is really going on, Lovie easily has more time regardless of record this season.
Let’s also not forget about the class of 2019 that is poised to be one of the best in program history as well. As of right now, Illinois has eight players signed up, two of which are four-star recruits who are both ranked in the top 100 in the nation. There are also four three-star recruits and two two-star recruits in this bunch as well.
So, when 2019 rolls around, Lovie with then have eight four-star players suiting up for the Orange and Blue. He will have a sure-fire starting quarterback in Isaiah Williams taking snaps. The wide receiver core will be one of the best I have seen in decades. And the overall talent level on the team will be higher than it has been in a long time. This will all result in more wins on the board.
Next: Projected floor and ceiling for the Illini recruits in year one
You can have your opinions and that is fine. But, when you have your opinions, please back them up with some more facts other than he has five wins in two seasons. Peel back the layers and see what is going on with this program. The Illini are on the rise and Lovie is here to stay.