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Report: Illinois hires next athletic director
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After three months, Illinois finally has its next athletic director.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois hired Josh Whitman from Division III Washington University.
Whitman, 37, has Illinois roots, as well. A former player (1997-2000), he spent 2005-08 working in the Illinois athletic department, which included two years in which he was an assistant to former Illini AD Rob Guenther.
The move will give Illinois its first full-time athletic director since it fired Mike Thomas in November. Illinois cut ties with Thomas after a university-hired law firm revealed that former Illini coach Tim Beckman mistreated players. Beckman was fired a week before the start of the 2015 season.
Illinois coach Bill Cubit was given an unorthodox two-year deal to become the program’s full-time coach before the last game of the season. It remains to be seen if that will change under Whitman.
Whitman hasn’t been afraid to make major moves in his career as AD. In his first 18 months at Wash U, he made 15 staff changes.
The school reportedly will make an official announcement in the coming days.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.