Gets a 2-year extension.






He's a guy that everyone falls in love with. Obviously he had success with the Bears but Virginia loved him.

I wonder if this is real extension or one with a low buyout that helps him with recruiting this winter?

Must be nice to know your coach isn't going anywhere.

Look at that beard. Lovie sure has aged hard since going downstate. He's like Moses at Sinai, except instead of being ravaged by the wisdom of the one true God, he just got yelled at about recruiting by some dope at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Savoy.

Maybe he'll pull a Ryan Pace...be absolutely atrocious your first few years, get an undeserved extension, and then pull a rabbit out of your hat.

Terrible thought.

Pace was hired in 2015. He was not "absolutely atrocious" in his first few years. In 3 year he has overhauled the roster and has a team that is competing at a very high level.

In that time period Lovie has grown a beard.

Pace was hired in 2015. He was not "absolutely atrocious" in his first few years. In 3 year he has overhauled the roster and has a team that is competing at a very high level.

In that time period Lovie has grown a beard.

http://wayne.cbslocal.com/soundboard-bb ... ombone.mp3

It's the best move the program could make. Almost the entire roster is Fresh/Soph and he's got some good kids coming in.

There is no sense in bringing someone else and losing half the kids you already have to a new program. We've been down that route.

It amazes me that you hire a guy like Lovie and everyone says it will take him 5 years to turn the program and after 3 years everybody forgets that. You bought in on Lovie, let him put the team together.

They should have never fired Zook. I said it at the time. He kept the program competitive with the occasional very good season. He was the perfect coach for UofI. A guy like Mackovic had too many options. Zook was in the Goldilocks zone for Illini coaches.

It's the best move the program could make. Almost the entire roster is Fresh/Soph and he's got some good kids coming in.

There is no sense in bringing someone else and losing half the kids you already have to a new program. We've been down that route.

It amazes me that you hire a guy like Lovie and everyone says it will take him 5 years to turn the program and after 3 years everybody forgets that. You bought in on Lovie, let him put the team together.

They should have never fired Zook. I said it at the time. He kept the program competitive with the occasional very good season. He was the perfect coach for UofI. A guy like Mackovic had too many options. Zook was in the Goldilocks zone for Illini coaches.

Zook was a boob.

I’m shocked to learn there is a BWW in Savoy.

Zook was a boob.

It's the best move the program could make. Almost the entire roster is Fresh/Soph and he's got some good kids coming in.

There is no sense in bringing someone else and losing half the kids you already have to a new program. We've been down that route.

It amazes me that you hire a guy like Lovie and everyone says it will take him 5 years to turn the program and after 3 years everybody forgets that. You bought in on Lovie, let him put the team together.

They should have never fired Zook. I said it at the time. He kept the program competitive with the occasional very good season. He was the perfect coach for UofI. A guy like Mackovic had too many options. Zook was in the Goldilocks zone for Illini coaches.

Serious question: Do you think Lou Tepper was a better coach than Lovie?

I was asked that this past weekend, and my response was that I would love to have each as a defensive coordinator.

Illinois has one of the worst Defenses in the country, 63 points three times this year. His recruiting class for 19is second to last in the big 10 ahead 9f only Rutgers.

Terrible thought.

Pace was hired in 2015. He was not "absolutely atrocious" in his first few years. In 3 year he has overhauled the roster and has a team that is competing at a very high level.