CHAMPAIGN – In the spring of 2016, Josh Whitman already had a reputation as a wunderkind, a wonder boy who was here to fix Illinois athletics and perhaps cure the common cold.

In the first days on the job, he announced a move to hire a former NFL coach with ties to Chicago, a guy who had led the Bears to the Super Bowl before getting canned in the Windy City and again losing a job in Tampa Bay. Don’t let any of the details get in the way of the story, so Illini fan boys were busy telling themselves they finally had an athletic director who knew how to get it done.

Three seasons later, the #WeWillWin hashtag hasn’t taken off yet, and Whitman was busy transcribing a letter to anyone who would listen as to why he needed to add years to the contract, giving Lovie Smith two more years in addition to the three years still left on his contract.