NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 20: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches action during the first quarter of a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 20, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NCAABy Harry Lyles Jr. on

In what was a somewhat surprising move, the Illinois Fighting Illini fired head coach Bill Cubit Saturday. The move was surprising in the aspect that the school had just hired him full-time in late November.

If the following is true, the search for a replacement has appeared to be swift, as Ryan Baker of CBS Chicago is reporting that Lovie Smith will be the next head coach at Illinois:

Smith was most recently the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 and 2015, and was fired after a 6-10 season this past year.

His most recent ties to the state of Illinois come from his nine seasons as Chicago Bears head coach from 2004-12. The last time Smith coached in the college game was 1995, when he was the defensive backs coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Prior to that, he spent time between Tulsa, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Kentucky, and Tennessee from 1983-1994.

The timing of Cubit’s firing was strange, and if this is truly their candidate, it comes unexpectedly. Sure, Smith spent nearly a decade in Chicago with the Bears, but he hasn’t been in the college game in over 20 years.

Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel suggested Leslie Frazier, P.J. Fleck, Jim Tressel, Ed Warinner, Todd Monken, Brock Spack, Al Golden and Troy Calhoun as possible candidates for the job, most of which make some kind of sense.

But if we’re being honest here, the odds of Illinois hitting a home run with their hire are going to be low. That’s a big mess of a program that somebody will be going into. Some will love the Smith hire (if it’s him), and some won’t. There are certainly benefits of having Smith as your head coach. He was loved by many as the coach of the Bears, and many felt he was unfairly fired. With Smith, you can now sell the NFL appeal to recruits.

Of course, Illinois hasn’t exactly been a hotbed for NFL talent, but they would have a veteran NFL head coach who knows what it takes to make it in the league. For some kids, that will be enough.

About Harry Lyles Jr.

Harry Lyles Jr. is an Atlanta-based writer, and a Georgia State University graduate.

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