Ad Disclosure
Illinois AD Josh Whitman: ‘Nobody should be surprised to see us in a bowl game’
Published:
It’s taken some time for the Lovie Smith era to gain any traction at Illinois. In fact, it still hasn’t quite had the success many had hoped for.
But Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman expects that to change this year. After a lengthy rebuilding process, Whitman believes the Illini are capable of reaching the postseason this fall.
“We’re into that period of time where nobody should be surprised to see us in a bowl game,” Whitman told 247Sports. “Nobody should be surprised to see us in a postseason basketball opportunity. I am very bullish on both of those programs, and I think we are now in that window. I fully expect it to happen this year, next year. I think in these next couple of years, I think that we will largely be where we want to be.”
Through three seasons under Smith, the Illini are just 9-27 with a 4-23 mark in B1G play. They’re coming off their best season of the Smith era, finishing 4-8 last fall.
Whitman has been extremely patient with the football program, understanding that a rebuild was coming. He didn’t expect immediate success on the field, but now believes the program should be taking that next step in Year 4.
Illinois’ football struggles extend past Smith. The program has appeared in just one bowl game in the last seven seasons, playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2014 under Tim Beckman. Since 2010, the Illini have finished with a winning record just once.
Though still young, Illinois should have one of its more talented and experienced teams on the field in quite some time. Perhaps it will finally translate to a postseason appearance.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB