CHAMPAIGN — Illinois has always been important to Josh Sternquist. His dad, Tom, was a longtime high school coach in the state. Sternquist played high school football at Belvidere. So, when
Sternquist had a chance to join Lovie Smith’s staff at Illinois, the 35-year-old jumped at it.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” Sternquist said. “This is where I wanted to end up.”
Sternquist is Illinois’ director of player personnel. In essence, he is in charge of Illinois’ recruiting.
There are some limits. Because he isn’t one of the nine assistant coaches, he can’t evaluate prospects.