10 college football coaches who could be out of a job after the 2020 season

Lovie Smith, Illinois Fighting Illini

Record: 15-34 in 4 seasons

It wasn’t long ago that Lovie Smith was one of the most talented head coaches in the NFL. After his Chicago Bears’ appearance in Super Bowl XLI, Smith never fond the same volume of consistency in the NFL. After two coaching stints in the league, he decided to take over as head coach of Illinois.

The Illini haven’t seen any form of success with their football program since Ron Zook took them to a bowl game three times in eight seasons. Coach Smith was hired as a surprise to bring some high-volume success to a football program in the Big Ten with low resources.

In his first three seasons with Illinois, Smith accumulated a 9-27 record. In the previous season, the Illini accounted for a 6-7 record as they went to their first bowl game since 2014. A year after a bowl appearance, the Illini have a step forward in the right direction with Lovie as their head coach.

The first sign of a performance drop-off, the program might look for another direction for a head coach. The Illini finished last in the Big Ten and among Power Five teams in the 2020 recruiting class.

If Lovie wants to continue some progress for the Illini, then he will have to win on and off the field.