Is Fighting Illini football on the verge of hiring a coach from one of the nation’s top high school programs? There appears to be a chance. According to 247Sports’ Gus Ramos, IMG Academy’s Donnie Abraham recently interviewed for the vacant assistant slot on Lovie Smith’s staff. Abraham, the current defensive coordinator at IMG, played nine seasons in the NFL as a defensive back.
IMG Academy is probably the most talent-rich school in the country, meaning such a move could absolutely aid in Illinois’ pursuit of top-tier recruiting targets like four-star DB Houston Griffith (IL/FL). Abraham would also make sense from a relationship standpoint, too, because he overlapped with both Lovie Smith and Hardy Nickerson while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.