On March 7, 2016, Illinois football was in the national spotlight. In a good way.
Athletic director Josh Whitman hired former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith to take over the Illini.
Crowds showed up to see Smith at various sites in town, including an appearance on WDWS’ “Monday SportsTalk” at The Esquire.
Everyone was happy and hopeful. They looked forward to brighter days ahead. Remember Whitman’s “We Will Win” mantra?
Turns out the first day was the best day. It has been mostly downhill since the opening optimistic gush.
Oh sure, there were a smattering of golden moments (the upset of No. 6 Wisconsin, the comeback at Michigan State) but not nearly enough to continue with Smith in charge. And on Sunday, Smith’s tenure was put to rest with another $2.3 million owed to him.
Smith had been pointing toward 2020 all along. He brought back a talented, experienced team with a returning starting quarterback and (originally) a favorable schedule.
It was to be the year everything came together. Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit.
The season was at first put on hold, then the schedule got changed and ultimately games were played.
We will never know what might have been without COVID-19. Perhaps, Illinois could have won enough games to buy Smith more time.
But this experiment was destined for failure. Illinois tried to bring a coach back to college football after 21 years in the NFL. The game had changed and Smith never caught up.
Doing it his way
Smith’s indifference toward recruiting and reliance on the transfer portal was not a winning strategy.
Landing the best in-state players should have been the priority.
Smith managed to anger the state’s high school coaches by shunning their recent virtual clinic. It’s hard to get on the wrong side of the prep coaches, who want the state’s flagship program to succeed.
Smith didn’t take the time for the clinic, while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Indiana’s Tom Allen participated. The higher ups at Illinois noticed.
“I wouldn’t say this single event was impactful on the decision,” Whitman said. “Certainly, recruiting was an area of concern as I studied the program. I do think we have an opportunity to build stronger connections with the state high school coaches. That’s something that will be important to us as we move forward.”
Whitman wants Illinois to be the go-to school for the best players in the state.
Smith and his staff never got there.
“I think every flagship university in any state understands the importance of being the destination of choice for players of talent in their state in any sport,” Whitman said. “More so in football. It will be critical for us to connect well with the state high school coaches. It will be important for us to work to make the University of Illinois an attractive destination for their players and to really open those line of communications and make them feel comfortable and welcome here in Champaign-Urbana and around the University of Illinois football program. That will be high on the list of priorities for the new coach.”
Not the right fit
There were other mistakes made during Smith’s tenure, most notably with his initial staff. Too much reliance of assistants with NFL backgrounds. And his first offensive and defensive coordinators, Garrick McGee and Hardy Nickerson, respectively, did not pan out.
Smith wasn’t comfortable connecting with fans and media in the state.
In five years, I don’t remember ever calling Smith on his cell phone. Interviews always had to be arranged and directed through his office.
With past coaches, I knew I could reach out with any important question and get an immediate response. I called them frequently on their cell phones.
Smith’s unwillingness to promote his program was illustrated by his frosty relationship with the Illini Quarterback Club. The most dedicated Illinois fans in the area had to plead with him to attend their game week luncheons. And he didn’t participate in other events that had been Club staples over the years.
The current administration can learn a lot from the past. Mike White and Lou Henson famously built up community support by diving right in. They were omnipresent, and it paid off both on the field/court and in the stands.
With fans likely allowed back in next season, the new coach needs to be willing to be seen. From a safe distance, of course.
“I always feel that you start internal to the building then you move in circles out from there,” Whitman said. “Of course, our first priorities are going to be coaching acumen, the ability to relate to our student-athletes, to build energy within football program, to recruit and identify a great coaching staff. You work out from that into recruiting and then out into the community and to our ticket holders and donors. That’s one of the challenges.
“As we onboard the new coach, connecting with our community on a number of different fronts will be an important piece of that early to-do list.”
from WordPress https://ift.tt/3qUDWIR
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment