CHICAGO — If Illinois dismisses Lovie Smith without cause after his sixth or seventh year on the job, it would owe him $1 million, under the terms of his revised contract.
That's a fraction of the $12 million buyout Smith's contract called for following this past season, his third as Illini football coach.
The details of Smith's buyout were the only new wrinkle in an extension UI trustees signed off on Friday, nearly three weeks after athletic director Josh Whitman announced he was adding two years to the coach's original six-year deal.
Smith's annual compensation in his final two years of the deal remains the same as it is for years 3-6: $4 million.