Report: Lovie Smith, Illinois Tab Louisville's Garrick McGee As New Offensive Coordinator
(CBS) Just two days after officially being named Illinois' new football coach, Lovie Smith has made a decision on perhaps his most important hire.
Smith has tabbed Garrick McGee as the Illini's new offensive coordinator, according to ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg. McGee has spent the past two seasons as Louisville's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, working under coach Bobby Petrino. While an assistant coach at Arizona State in the early 1990s, Smith recruited McGee to the Sun Devils.
While this is a lateral move in title for McGee, he's expected to have more freedom and control of the Illinois offense under the defensive-minded Smith than he did at Louisville under the offensive-minded Petrino.
Illinois has allocated $4 million for its assistant coaches' pay pool. McGee will likely make more than $900,000 annually, Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner reported.
Louisville was 65th in scoring offense in college football last season.