URBANA — He posed for pictures. Shook hands like a politician. Made small talk with orange-clad fans.
And he smiled. A lot.
Lovie Smith had just completed his first recruiting class at Illinois. To celebrate, the entire staff attended an Illini Quarterback Club function on Wednesday night at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center.
Smith arrived at 5 p.m. with his wife, MaryAnne. They mingled with the crowd.
The coach easily could have snuck out the back early in the event. It had been a long recruiting season, starting with his arrival in March. The workload really picked up the last two months.