CHAMPAIGN, IL – Illinois head football coach Bill Cubit announced today he has completed his full-time coaching staff with two coaches he has worked with previously.

New defensive backs coach Paul Williams just finished his fifth season at Miami and coached safeties at Western Michigan under Cubit from 2005-06. Tim McGarigle joins the Illini staff as linebackers coach after spending the last four seasons at Western Michigan.

"Paul and Tim add two high quality coaches and two more outstanding recruiters to our staff at Illinois," Cubit said. "Paul is an outstanding communicator and teacher of the game. He'll bring a lot of energy to the program and has established some great recruiting contacts in Florida. Tim was a terrific player at Northwestern and is one of the bright young coaches in the nation. He's a native of Chicago, played in the Big Ten and the NFL, and is someone I consider a rising star in the profession."

Williams will be entering his 20th season of collegiate coaching in 2016. A native of Newark, Delaware, Williams had stops at Lafayette College, Penn, Delaware and Western Michigan before joining Al Golden's staff at Temple in 2007 and followed Golden to Miami in 2011. During his six seasons at his alma mater, the University of Delaware, he coached the secondary, wide receivers and special teams while helping the Blue Hens to a 15-1 record and the NCAA Division I-AA national championship in 2003.

Williams earned a bachelor's degree in physical education studies from Delaware in 1996, lettering four years and playing on two Yankee Conference championship teams. Williams recorded 189 tackles, 27 pass breakups and 10 interceptions for the Blue Hens. He set an NCAA I-AA playoff record with a 100-yard interception return against Hofstra in 1995. A multi-sport athlete, he set the school record in the indoor 200 meters and won the 200 meters at the 1993 American East Outdoor Championships. He is married to the former Nicole Heileman. The couple has a son, Austin, and twins Jaxon and Leah.

McGarigle became linebackers coach under Cubit at WMU prior to the 2012 season and added the title of run game coordinator in the spring of 2014. He finished his playing career at Northwestern as the college games's most prolific tackler, holding the FBS career record of 545 total tackles (NCAA tackles records date back to 2000. Dana Howard holds the Illinois career tackles record with 595 from 1991-94). He was a semifinalist for both the Dick Butkus and Chuck Bednarik Awards in 2005, while earning All-Big Ten honors in 2004 and 2005.

The Chicago native was drafted in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and played three seasons. During that time he was named NFL Special Teams Player of the Week against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 7, 2007 and was named the team's Iron Man following the 2007 offseason for superior achievement and dedication during team workouts. McGarigle also played two seasons in the United Football League for the Florida Tuskers.

McGarigle, a 2006 Northwestern graduate with a bachelor's in communications studies, returned to his alma mater in 2011 and served as the defensive quality control assistant and graduate assistant for the Wildcats as he pursued his masters in sports administration. He assisted in all phases of coaching the Northwestern linebackers as well as aided the special teams units. McGarigle attended St. Patrick High School in Chicago and was inducted into the Shamrock Hall of Fame in 2008. 

He and his wife Charlotte had a daughter, Claire, who will turn 2 in February. 

PAUL WILLIAMS FILE

• Hometown: Newark, Del.
• Education: BA in Physical Education, Delaware, 1996
• Family: Wife Nicole; son Austin; twins Jaxon and Leah
• Playing Experience: Four-year letterwinner at Delaware from 1992-95

Bowl Games

• 2015 Sun Bow (Miami)
• 2014 Duck Commander Independence Bowl (Miami)
• 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl (Miami)
• 2009 EagleBank Bowl (Temple)

Coaching Experience

• 2011-15 – Miami (Defensive Backs)
• 2006-10 – Temple (Defensive Backs)
• 2005-06 – Western Michigan (Safeties)
• 2001-04 – Delaware (Secondary/Special Teams)
• 1999-2000 – Delaware (Wide Receivers/Special Teams)
• 1997-98 – Pennsylvania (Assistant Secondary/Special Teams)
• 1996 – Lafayette College (Assistant Defensive Line) 

TIM McGARIGLE FILE

• Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
• Education: B.S., Communications Studies, Northwestern, 2006
• Playing Experience: Northwestern, 2002-05

Bowl Games

• 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

Coaching Experience

• 2014-15 – Western Michigan (Linebackers / Run Game Coordinator)
• 2012-13 – Western Michigan (Linebackers)
• 2011 – Northwestern (Graduate Assistant)

ILLINOIS FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

Bill Cubit - Head Coach
Ryan Cubit - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Mike Phair - Defensive Coordinator
Mike Bellamy - Wide Receivers
Jeff Hecklinski - Tight Ends/Special Teams
Tim McGarigle - Linebackers
A.J. Ricker - Offensive Line
Nathan Scheelhaase - Running Backs
Al Seamonson - Outside Linebackers
Paul Williams - Defensive Backs

* as of 1/2/16