With defensive line coach Austin Clark accepting a job with the Miami Dolphins, and safeties coach Gil Byrd moving on, Lovie Smith had to vacancies to fill on his coaching staff.
On Friday, the school announced the addition of two defensive line coaches. Joining the Illinois staff will be Alfred Davis, coaching defensive tackles, and Jimmy Lindsey, coaching defensive ends.
“Jimmy Lindsey and Alfred Davis fit our staff as well as you could hope for,” head coach Lovie Smith said in a press release.
With Byrd out and the new coaches splitting duties with the defensive line, Keynodo Hudson will now coach all of the defensive backs.
ALFRED DAVIS, DEFENSIVE TACKLES
An Arkansas alum, Davis was the defensive coordinator at Hutchinson C.C. in Kansas. He was previously a defensive graduate assistant at his alma mater after lettering for the Razorbacks from 2009-12.
“Coach Davis is a rising star in the coaching world,” Smith said. “The work he has already done at an early age is impressive and we are getting a high-energy coach who also should be an outstanding recruiter.”
As a player, Davis appeared in 49 games at Arkansas with 16 starts. He collected 78 tackles, 5.0 for loss with 1.0 sack, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. He made eight starts in his senior season and recorded 38 tackles.
Davis is a native of College Park, Georgia, and those southern recruiting ties were a big factor in landing the job at Illinois. Davis will recruit the Atlanta area for Illinois, and also tap into his JUCO connections.
JIMMY LINDSEY, DEFENSIVE ENDS
Illinois hired Lindsey away from Western Kentucky, where he coached defensive ends and served at the recruiting coordinator. He just finished up his third season at WKU.
“Coach Lindsey has coached some outstanding players during his career and is a proven recruiter at each of his previous coaching stops,” Smith said. “He has a great reputation in coaching edge rushers and comes highly recommended.”
Lindsay played linebacker at Chattanooga from 1996-99 and was team captain as a senior. His previous coaching stops include his alma mater, Gardner-Webb, Miami (Ohio), Tennessee-Martin, Furman, and Georgia Southern.
This past season, Western Kentucky sported the No. 2 defensive in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers allowed 3.73 yards per rush and had 26 sacks in 13 games. Defensive end DeAngelo Malone was a first-team All-Conference pick after posting 11.5 sacks, good for second in the league.
