One could be forgiven for thinking in the past several months that Illinois' block "I" logo actually stood for interim.
The Illini went the entire football season with an interim head coach after firing Tim Beckman a week before the season opener. The school's interim chancellor fired athletic director Mike Thomas in early November, making one wonder if anyone actually was in charge.
Illinois' protracted, often messy three-month search for a new athletic director didn't inspire a lot of confidence. But all that matters in the end is that the Illini finally have a new leader for their sports programs and appear to have made a solid choice in Josh Whitman.