It doesn’t exactly take a genius to realize that Lovie Smith brought a renewed sense of credibility to Illinois Football. The Orange and Blue were sorely lacking in this area prior to his arrival, and this was perhaps best reflected in their year-to-year recruiting rankings. With the exception of their high-water mark in 2014 (No. 7 in the Big Ten), Illinois had been finishing at or near the bottom of the conference in this category since 2009.
If Smith’s recent comments are to be taken at face value, though, those struggles have finally reached the rear-view mirror. During an interview with CSN Chicago’s Vinnie Duber, the new Fighting Illini coach discussed his program’s recruiting pitch and expectations while making it quite clear that high school players have been listening to what he has to say.