Reports: Illinois coach Lovie Smith fires offensive coordinator

SHARE Reports: Illinois coach Lovie Smith fires offensive coordinator
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Illinois coach Lovie Smith (above) made Garrick McGee a part of his first staff at the school. | Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Illinois coach Lovie Smith fired offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, according to multiple outlets.

McGee coached for two seasons at Illinois. His unit ranked last in the Big Ten in scoring in 2017 and second-to-last in 2016. The offense’s 15.4 points per game last season ranked 126th out of 129 teams in the nation.

Defensive backs coach Paul Williams also was fired, according to reports.

Smith met the media Friday after 18 recruits signed letters of intent to play for him. He said he didn’t anticipate any changes to his coaching staff.


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