Big Ten football was making news last spring with Ohio State coming off a national championship and three traditional powers featuring new coaches — Wisconsin (Paul Chryst), Nebraska (Mike Riley) and Michigan (some guy named Jim Harbaugh).
When March arrived this year, the buzz was more ho-hum. Maryland (D.J. Durkin) and Rutgers (Chris Ash) had new coaches, but most talk centered on trivial stuff, such as the Wolverines' trip to Florida over spring break.
Enter Lovie Smith.
Illinois hired the former Chicago Bears coach before spring practice. Who knows if that will translate into more victories, but it instantly made the Big Ten West more interesting.
"[Lovie's] a great name," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. "I know he's got a great reputation. I'm happy for Illinois, and I think it's great for our conference."
Smith's hiring affects the Gophers on multiple fronts. They not only play Illinois each season as division rivals, but that state also is a key recruiting battleground, with several of Minnesota's staff having coached at Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois.
Among the Illinois natives on the Gophers roster are defensive linemen Steven Richardson (Chicago) and Merrick Jackson (East St. Louis), linebacker Jack Lynn (Lake Zurich) and offensive lineman Quinn Oseland (Springfield).
The Illini have mostly staggered along since their Rose Bowl appearance following the 2007 season, going 39-60, so how were they able to woo an NFL coach who led his team to a Super Bowl? Josh Whitman, Illinois' new athletic director, sold Smith on a vision after he'd been fired two years into his five-year contract with Tampa Bay.
On March 5, Whitman's first day on the job, he fired Bill Cubit. Two days later, Whitman hired Smith to a six-year, $21 million deal. A former Illini football player himself, Whitman also promised Smith a $4 million annual salary pool for assistant coaches, which would have ranked third in the Big Ten last year.
"My plan was to stay out [of coaching] this year, see what happens, unless a great opportunity came along," Smith said. "And if you know Josh Whitman, you know he's got a plan.
"Josh, being a football guy, knew that in order for us to catch up and compete year in and year out, you have to be able to draw the top [assistant] coaches. And Josh knew that. That was part of his initial presentation."
Smith hired 16-year NFL veteran Hardy Nickerson as defensive coordinator, and Cal linebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr. announced plans Thursday to transfer for his final season to play for his father at Illinois. Nickerson led Cal last season with 112 tackles. Smith also plucked Garrick McGee from Louisville to be the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. One year earlier, Oklahoma had tried to hire McGee, prompting Louisville to give him a $200,000 raise.
Smith, 57, hasn't worked at the college level since he was defensive backs coach for Ohio State in 1995, so this will be an adjustment. But the whole endeavor should be a lot more fascinating to watch than the Tim Beckman and Cubit eras.
