Illinois is giving interim head football coach Bill Cubit the full-time job, awarding him with a two-year contract on Saturday.
Cubit was elevated to interim coach when the Illini fired Tim Beckman a week before the 2015 season opener. Illinois is 5-6 on the season and will play Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in Chicago for a shot at a bowl game.
"Bill has stepped in during an extremely difficult period and done an outstanding job in leading our football program since August," Illinois interim athletic director Paul Kowalczyk said in a news release. "Our student-athletes have responded in a positive manner and we feel he is the best person at this time to be the head coach.