CHAMPAIGN — Rod Smith watched some of the Illinois football team’s game film from last season. What the new Illini offensive coordinator wanted to know more than anything was which returning players he would now work with had some experience.
What that tape showed and how those players fared in the 2017 season wasn’t as important.
“I’d be lying to you if I told you I didn’t look a little, but it’s not like I studied it,” Smith said. “The scheme’s different. It’s not fair, I don’t think, to go back.
“I want a blank canvas for our guys.