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The University of Illinois Board of Trustees convened on Thursday morning and Lovie Smith’s contract was one of the items on their agenda. The trustees approved some minor changes to the deal, including a redistribution of $2 million into the first half of Smith’s tenure. So while Illinois’ new head coach will still be making a total $21 million over the next 6 years, the annual salary amounts have been shaken up.
| Year | Base Salary | Additional Compensation | Total | Change |
| 2016-17 | $407,692 | $1,400,000 | $1,807,692 | $0 |
| 2017-18 | $800,000 | $2,200,000 | $3,000,000 | +$1,000,000 |
| 2018-19 | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | +$1,000,000 |
| 2019-20 | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $0 |
| 2020-21 | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | -$1,000,000 |
| 2021-22 | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | -$1,000,000 |
UPDATE: Lovie's new deal: Buyout set at $4.5M to $6.5M should #Illini coach leave UI early https://t.co/N0GrbHCi6n
— Julie Wurth (@jawurth) September 9, 2016
Illinois Fighting Illini Links
- Four-star WR Jeff Thomas will visit Illinois on Saturday (Illini Inquirer)
Thomas recently told Scout.com that he was down to two, Alabama and Missouri, but that hasn't stopped the Illini from pursuing a player whose elite quickness and elite speed is reminiscent of Tavon Austin.
- Children of the Future: Football recruiting update (Illini Board)
On a pound-for-pound basis, Illinois is blowing Minnesota, Purdue, and Indiana out of the water and is slightly eclipsing more ballyhooed classes at Rutgers and Northwestern.
- Mike Small receives new contract from Illinois (The Daily Illini)
Small received a six-year contract from the University on Thursday, totaling more than $2 million dollars in base salary. The contract runs through the 2021-22 season and will take effect immediately.