Media Days: What a difference a year makes

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What a difference a year makes.

Flashback to the 2015 Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, and there was one major storyline that dominated, leaving a cloud hanging over the Illini football program.

Tim Beckman – still at the helm of the Illini during that time – was berated with questions, overwhelmingly ones that dealt with allegations of abuse surrounding his football team and the mistreatment of players and injuries.

There was a clear-cut negative view of the Illini from the outside looking in. The culture of the program simply did not seem to be one that was on the up-and-up.

This time around, things are different. The feelings about the Illini at these Media Days are different, more positive for that matter. Illinois appears headed in the right direction in terms of creating a winning culture with limiting distractions.

The reason for that change in culture? Lovie Smith.

Give credit to new Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman for making the hire, but it is Smith’s name and the reputation that comes along with it that has led people to believe that things will get better for the Illini.

Before the former Chicago Bears coach of eight years coaches a game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign – donning orange and blue once again, only this time for the Illini – he has made the Illinois football program one that at the very least commands respect given the longtime NFL coach’s tack record on and off the field.

“We all have histories on what we’ve done in our past. Hopefully that has helped a little bit – I know recruiting wise (my name) has helped me and us quite a bit in the Chicago area,” Smith said during a media session on Friday’s portion of the Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. “I can’t talk specifics in recruiting, but one message I’ve gotten is that, you know, Lovie, we already know you. You’ve been in our homes on Sunday quite a bit.”

Whitman echoed the importance of the Smith name in recruiting and changing the culture of the Illinois football program in general.

He acknowledged that the first few months with Lovie Smith in charge of the football program have been exciting to watch. Whether it is locally in Champaign or around the state and even the country, the message that Whitman is trying to spread is all the same. Smith has made the ‘We Will Win’ message a bit easier to sell. Whitman is confident that better days are ahead.

“This is a new era for our athletic program. We want (our fans and players) to be positive, we want them to be confident,” Whitman said. “We talk a lot about this ‘we will win’ idea, and tried to explain to people…to me the most important word in that phrase is ‘will,’ and it implies a certain level of expectation that we are done hoping, we’re done aspiring, we’re done wanting. We are in a phase now where we want to start doing, and I think our fans have been really receptive to that.”

The Lovie Smith name does not just resonate with Whitman, recruits and fans of Illini football. Many big names within the Big Ten speak highly of Smith and are looking forward to what he will bring to the Big Ten conference.

“I don't know Lovie that well, but I think his track record as a football coach is very well received,” said Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio. “Obviously a great football coach, heard great things about him as a person. And I believe that the University of Illinois found themselves a great football coach.”

Three-time national championship winning coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes Urban Meyer also chimed in on Smith. While, Meyer – like Dantonio – does not have a prior relationship with Smith, he shared extremely respectful words about the coach with nine years of NFL head coaching experience.

“Instant credibility and name recognition. I don't know Coach Smith. I met him yesterday. I think we met a couple times throughout our journeys,” Meyer said. “I know people have worked for him and with him. And I know people who played for him. I think it's great for our conference, great for Illinois. Anxious to see what he does. But a lot of respect for Coach Smith.”

Smith is well aware of the situation he entered when he became the head coach of Illinois football. Being able to make a difference is in large part what drove him to accept the position.

“Sometimes when things haven’t gone exactly the way people would like, you know change is good,” Smith said. “You get excited about change – seeing what can possibly be.”

He has yet to lead the Illini football team from the sidelines, but Lovie Smith has without question changed the perceived culture of the Illinois program. While there is certainly more work to be done, the Lovie Smith hire is a step in the right direction for a team that is desperate to find success.

What a difference a year makes.