Facility upgrades? Check. New uniforms? Check. Butkus statue? Check. Landing a five-star recruit? Check.
Lovie Smith and the Illini have all accomplished those tasks since the end of the 2017 season. But when the new Football Performance Center opens in 14 months, what will the program look like? Beat writer Scott Richey looks at four items Illinois needs to address before the above venue is completed by August 2019:
JUST WIN
Illinois has made multiple cosmetic improvements since Lovie Smith was hired in March 2016 — the football performance center easily the biggest. Now the play on the field has to match the multimillion-dollar investment.