Tim Beckman arrived at Illinois in 2011 after coaching at Toledo.
The Beckman experience with the Illini didn't end on a high note, with the school firing the former Illinois football coach a week before the 2015 season started after an investigation of player abuse found Beckman culpable of said allegations.
That's about the only connection the two football programs had. Until Thursday.
Illinois announced it will host Toledo on Sept. 2, 2023, one of three nonconference games on the schedule that season that already includes a game on Sept. 9, 2023 at Kansas.
The game with the Rockets will likely be the season opener that year for the Illini, who have never played Toledo in football.