CHAMPAIGN – Just like a football team, Illini coach Lovie Smith wants to mix the young and the old to develop a team.
There are freshmen who start and contribute, some perhaps earning greater status. There are seniors who have been around the block and know how to get it done. So when Lovie publicly introduced defensive line coach Austin Clark and safeties coach Gil Byrd to the media Monday, he showed off a mixture of youth and experience.
“You look at a football team,’’ Lovie said. “It’s the same way you want upperclassmen along with bringing in new guys. There are guys at different stages of their careers. You want the same thing in coaching. You want guys who have been around and just about seen it all. We’ve got guys who have done that along with the next wave of young people with fresh ideas. It’s a melting pot. You want it on your coaching staff as much as your team.’’
Like most coaches, Lovie isn’t afraid to hire guys from his past, acquaintances in the game who have already earned his trust. He did it in the past by selecting Hardy Nickerson as his defensive coordinator and Donnie Abraham as a defensive assistant. They both played under Lovie in the NFL during his days as a Tampa Bay assistant coach.
But Lovie also looked outside the box by hiring Clark, whose resume only incudes one year as a recruiting specialist at Cal and two more as a graduate assistant at USC.
Clark, played six seasons at Cal, was a surprising hire because he comes to Illinois after just three years in the coaching business, albeit at the bottom of the totem pole.
“It doesn’t matter a lot about age, just like it doesn’t matter a lot about age on the football team,’’ Lovie said. “It’s about the person. There are no surprises. If you’re doing good things, it gets around. You do your research and analyze it for yourself. You come up with your own conclusion. That’s what we did.
“I talked to him and really liked what I heard in terms of what he likes to teach and how he motivates. We have a young group of defensive linemen who need a certain type of instruction. I describe our staff as stern teachers. I think he’s a stern teacher.’’
Clark came up the hard way. He graduated from Plant High School in Tampa, known as a football powerhouse. He walked on at Cal. He’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves, he said, because he comes from a blue-collar household. Clark’s father is a heating/cooling technician, and his mother works at a bank.
“Austin Clark is a good coach,’’ Lovie said. “He’s been working with good athletes. I would like to think early on in my career, I was a decent football coach. He’ll be fine.’’
Clark follows his sister’s footsteps into coaching. After a pitching career at Hofstra and working there as a graduate assistant, Adrienne Clark is an assistant softball coach at Connecticut.
“She played and got a job the next year,’’ Clark said. “It’s kind of a lifestyle for us. It’s something we embrace. If you love what you’re doing, you never work a day in your life.
“I’ve been a part of a unit that led the nation in sacks, part of a Rose Bowl and conference championship. I’m ready for this opportunity, and I’m extremely excited.’’
Nonetheless, Clark is a rookie on the defensive side of the ball, where Illinois has great experience and a legacy of former NFL stars who turned to college coaching. Byrd, Abraham and Nickerson were Pro Bowl selections as NFL players, and they will form the leadership role for Clark.
Byrd will coach the safeties, thus sliding Abraham to Illini cornerbacks. Like Abraham, Byrd led the NFL in interceptions. Before his 10-year playing career ended in 1993, Byrd led the league in picks in from 1989 to 1991. He’s still the Chargers all-time leader with 42 interceptions. Abraham led the NFL in interceptions in 1999.
When the coaching staff flipped in Buffalo, Byrd eventually made the move to Illinois, although this isn’t his first experience with Champaign-Urbana. He visited the football complex during Lovie’s first spring practice here shortly after he was hired in 2016.
Byrd worked with Lovie with the Tampa Bay Bucs, St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.
“He’s one of my better friends,’’ Lovie said. “It just so happened it worked out to where he could be here. He’s as good a man as I’ve been around. He’s into helping people become men. We’re developing men here. You develop the man first, then you develop the player. He’s a technician, a detailed and fundamental coach. We’re fortunate enough to get him back on staff.’’
After his playing days, Byrd had an early opportunity to work at San Diego State. He turned that down due to bad timing, he said, so the Illini stop is his first in college football as a coach.
“I don’t know if there’s a steep learning curve,’’ Byrd said. “Football is football. People are people. I look forward to the enthusiasm at this level.’’
With spring drills around the corner, the assistants will concentrate with on-the-field coaching before returning to the recruiting scene. Yet the Illini won’t ever stop recruiting, Lovie said. One possible development is adding former Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins as a fifth-year transfer, although Lovie is unable to mention names.
“We’re definitely still actively recruiting,’’ Lovie said.
In the latest wave, Smith recruited a friend and the new kid on the block.
John Supinie is a columnist for Orangeandbluenews.com. During the day, he’s an Audi Brand Specialist at Green Audi in Springfield. Call or text him at 217-377-1977 if you’re looking for an Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota or preowned car. Ask for the Illini deal.
