On Tuesday afternoon, I sat down with Josh Whitman in his Bielfeldt Building office.
It's a big week for the Illinois athletic director. During a 25-minute interview, we stuck mostly to the three Fs: Football, family and fundraising.
In four days, his football team would be hosting Purdue. With a chance to move above .500 in the Big Ten for the first time in his three seasons in charge.
Whitman's choice to bring Illinois football back to prominence, Lovie Smith, seems to be having a positive effect.
It's what the AD had in mind when he turned the program over to the longtime NFL coach.