Skip to content
College Football

Report: First Big Ten coach of the 2020 season has been fired

Adam Spencer

By Adam Spencer

Published:

The Big Ten has a few coaches on the hot seat, but on Sunday morning, the first domino fell.

Per a report from FOX Sports’s Bruce Feldman, Illinois has fired Lovie Smith after a disappointing 2020 campaign and a Saturday loss to rival Northwestern:

No official announcement has been made, but it appears as if the Illini will be on the hunt for a new coach starting today:

Where will the Illini turn next? This is a program that has been stagnant in recent years, despite a couple of flashes of life, particularly in 2019, when they went 6-6 in the regular season and lost the Redbox Bowl to Cal.

Smith spent 5 seasons in Champaign, going 17-39 overall and 10-33 in B1G play. He was 0-1 in bowl games.

Smith’s recruiting left a lot to be desired. So, we’ll see if Illinois’ new coach, whoever it ends up being, is a better recruiter.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

RAPID REACTION

presented by rankings