Former Illinois head coach Lovie Smith could be the next leader of the Houston Texans, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The news was reported on Sunday.

Smith served as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Texans during the 2021 season. Houston is looking for a new head coach after firing David Culley after just one season with the franchise.

The Texans ended the season with a 4-13 record.

Smith would bring a ton of coaching experience to the table for the franchise. From 2004-12, he was the head coach of the Chicago Bears and had a two-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-15.

After spending most of his career in the NFL, Smith was hired to be the head coach at Illinois, a position he held from 2016-20. Before the final game of the pandemic-reduced 2020 campaign, Smith was terminated.

In his 11 seasons with the Bears and Bucs, Smith compiled an 89-87 record with three NFL playoff appearances. In 2006, Smith led Chicago to the Super Bowl.