CHICAGO — J Leman admits it.
He’s caught Lovie Smith fever.
The former Illinois All-American and Champaign native, who spends his fall Saturdays doing broadcast work for BTN, is eager to see what the former NFL coach does in his first season leading the Illini.
“Whenever Illinois has won, they’ve brought players into Champaign,” said Leman, who is sixth on the school’s all-time career tackles list with 407 and played a major role in Illinois advancing to the 2008 Rose Bowl. “Speaking as a guy from the area, we have a couple players come out of central Illinois, but I wouldn’t call it a hotbed.