Mike Thomas On Tim Beckman And Possible Changes

So we know that Tim Beckman will be back for the 2013 season. Athletic director Mike Thomas made the announcement Tuesday night on the "Tay and J Show" on ESPN radio in Champaign.

"When a coach has been on a campus 10 months or so, I think someone deserves more of an opportunity to put their system in place, their culture in place, their kids in place that fit that system to provide stability for the future," said Thomas

He also talked about possible changes on the coaching staff, though he said he hasn't discussed any of this with Beckman, who is currently on the road recruiting.

"Tim and I will have discussions," Thomas said. "It'll be a comprehensive review about his program as it relates to the operation of, the management of, personel, all those type things. But for me to speculate when I haven't even sat down with Tim is a little bit premature, and that's probably something at the end of the day that he should probably talk about."

If there's any good news to come out of this, it's that it seems obvious that both sides realize that even if Beckman is going to return, other changes need to be made. The only questions are which coaches will return, which will depart, and will those coaches be happy either way.

Obviously, as I've made it known here before, I feel that one of our offensive coordinators need to go. The Illini just had too many cooks in the kitchen this season, and one of Chris Beatty and Billy Gonzales will likely be shown the door. If not both.

From the rumblings I've heard, it's more likely that Gonzalez will be the one working elsewhere in 2013.

As for any other coaching changes, your guess is as good as mine -- you can find a reason to get rid of just about every one -- but considering the performance of the offensive line, Luke Butkus probably shouldn't get too comfortable.