CHAMPAIGN, IL – University of Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today a two-year contract extension for Head Football Coach Lovie Smith to keep Smith at Illinois through the 2023 football season.
"This extension demonstrates my belief in Lovie Smith, his staff, and the plan they have for the future success of Illinois Football," said Whitman. "I have studied our program extensively, and I see steady progress, both in the development of our current players and the talent we are adding to our roster. To date, we have remained one of the youngest teams in college football, with only nine seniors and nearly 80 freshmen and sophomores. As our players grow in strength, skill, and experience, more wins will follow.
"We recognize that our work is far from finished, with improvement needed in every phase of our program's development, but our plan is sound and our resolve is stronger than ever," Whitman continued. "As I have said on many occasions, stability and continuity are key to building a foundation that will yield long-term success. With the opening of our new facility next summer, and the continued efforts of our staff and student-athletes, the success we all covet is within reach. I applaud Coach Smith, his staff, and our team for their commitment and steady progress, and I stand ready, as we all should, to help them in whatever way possible to continue building upon their momentum."
Smith was named head coach of the Fighting Illini in March, 2016, after 19 seasons in the NFL, including 11 seasons as a head coach. He has progressively set the foundation in place for the Fighting Illini program's long-term success, with a focus on team-first culture, player development and individual accountability.
"The University of Illinois is an incredible place to coach and teach," Smith said. "We love living here in Champaign-Urbana and representing our state's flagship institution. We will continue working every day as we move our football program forward. Our new football performance center, the Smith Football Center, which will be completed next summer, will be among the best in the nation. I want to thank Josh Whitman and Chancellor Robert Jones for continuing to believe in what we are working to accomplish. Those of us around the program see the progress being made each and every day and we expect to be competing for championships very soon. Our incredible fans and everyone on our campus deserve nothing less."
Terms of the extension are being finalized and, with the support of Chancellor Jones, will be presented to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees for approval at its January meeting.
