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Illinois Football: Top 3 head coaching candidates to replace Lovie Smith

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 7, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Buffalo Bulls head coach Lance Leipold looks on during a warm up prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Buffalo Bulls head coach Lance Leipold looks on during a warm up prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois football decided to move on from Lovie Smith over the weekend after going 17-39 in five seasons and here’s who could replace him.

It’s been a rough couple of decades for Illinois football. Since 2000, the Fighting Illini have just four seasons with more than six wins, winning seven twice, nine once and 10 one time as well. That’s not exactly how you keep pace with the big boys in the Big Ten.

When the Illini hired Lovie Smith, it seemed like a home run at the time. Smith was a former NFL coach who had led the Bears to a Super Bowl appearance and had success at that level. He was familiar with the state and had plenty of supporters from around Illinois. Unfortunately, he went just 17-39 in five seasons, including a 10-33 mark in Big Ten play.

After losing 28-10 to Northwestern to drop to 2-5 in a COVID-19 shortened season, Illinois decided to move on from Smith, firing him despite his 2019 turnaround in which he led the Illini to their first bowl game since 2014 and just the school’s sixth since 2000.

That leaves the program in a tough spot. Many believed that Lovie would get another chance in 2021 without COVID-19 dismantling the roster but the athletic department didn’t want to wait.

While it may seem like the number of quality coaches to replace Smith are dwindling, the Illini could still hit a home run with an up-and-comer, following the footsteps of Brad Underwood and the basketball program with a serious turnaround.

Who could replace Smith?

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