Where does Lovie Smith sit amongst the Division-1 college coaching ranks? According to Athlon Sports, it's probably quite a bit lower than you think. The website's staff rated all 128 head coaches on Tuesday, and Smith was slotted at No. 65 overall -- which puts him at No. 11 in the Big Ten Conference.
— Athlon Sports (@AthlonSports) June 21, 2016
Here's what they had to say about the new Fighting Illini head coach:
While [Lovie] Smith hasn't coached in college since 1995, he brings plenty of name value to Illinois, which should add credibility on the recruiting trail.