Somebody had to be first. And it appears Lovie Smith just can’t wait to get his second season underway at Illinois.
In many ways, his first year was a scramble after being hired in March without getting the benefit of signing a recruiting class. And his late arrival also made the Illini the last to get on the practice field a year ago, with the first workout not kicking off until April.
But that obviously won’t be the case with Smith marking Valentine’s Day as the starting point for improving on the 3-9 record he posted in his return to college football.