Illinois announced defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson has resigned due to health-related reasons on Monday. Nickerson joined head coach Lovie Smith at Illinois in 2016 where he coached the linebackers and coordinated the defense.
"When I was contacted about being offered this job back in 2016, I was excited for the opportunity to come in to coordinate and run Illinois' defense," Nickerson said. "I had every intention of helping put our defensive student-athletes in the best possible position to win, and, ultimately, to make the University of Illinois community and fans proud of our results.