Illinois announced it has agreed to a two-year extension with coach Lovie Smith through the 2023 season following a 4-8 record in 2018. Smith is 9-27 in three seasons as the head coach of the Illini.

"This extension demonstrates my belief in Lovie Smith, his staff, and the plan they have for the future success of Illinois Football," athletic director Josh Whitman said. "I have studied our program extensively, and I see steady progress, both in the development of our current players and the talent we are adding to our roster. To date, we have remained one of the youngest teams in college football, with only nine seniors and nearly 80 freshmen and sophomores. As our players grow in strength, skill, and experience, more wins will follow."

Illinois lost eight of its last 10 games in 2018, including a 46-7 loss to Purdue on Oct. 13 and a 63-0 shellacking at the hands of Iowa on Nov. 17. Smith is just 4-23 in Big Ten play during his tenure.

"We recognize that our work is far from finished, with improvement needed in every phase of our program's development, but our plan is sound and our resolve is stronger than ever," Whitman said. "As I have said on many occasions, stability and continuity are key to building a foundation that will yield long-term success. With the opening of our new facility next summer, and the continued efforts of our staff and student-athletes, the success we all covet is within reach. I applaud Coach Smith, his staff, and our team for their commitment and steady progress, and I stand ready, as we all should, to help them in whatever way possible to continue building upon their momentum."

Prior to his time with Illinois, Smith was a longtime NFL coach with the Chicago Bears (2004-12) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15). He won the NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2005 and led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI in 2006, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts. 

"The University of Illinois is an incredible place to coach and teach," Smith said. "We love living here in Champaign-Urbana and representing our state's flagship institution. We will continue working every day as we move our football program forward. Our new football performance center, the Smith Football Center, which will be completed next summer, will be among the best in the nation. I want to thank Josh Whitman and Chancellor Robert Jones for continuing to believe in what we are working to accomplish. Those of us around the program see the progress being made each and every day and we expect to be competing for championships very soon. Our incredible fans and everyone on our campus deserve nothing less."

Smith inherited the program under difficult circumstances. Tim Beckman was fired for mistreatment of players following the 2014 season, and replaced on an interim basis by Bill Cubit. After one season at the helm, Cubit was fired on March 5, 2016 -- shortly before the start of spring practice.