CHAMPAIGN – Sometimes the next guy is just the right guy.

Just weeks after Ron Zook was hired as Illini football coach, offensive coordinator Larry Fedora left after a day or two on the job for more money at Oklahoma State. The Illinois offense appeared in disarray before Zook managed to reach spring practice.

He promoted some guy by the name of Mike Locksley, who served as his running backs coach at Florida. At the time, this didn’t seem like a good thing.

But as the Illini built from the ground up, the program’s secret weapon turned out to be Locksley, a remarkable recruiter who taught himself the job of offensive coordinator. A native of Washington, D.C., Locksley built a powerful pipeline to the Baltimore-D.C. area, and he was the biggest contributor in the rise of Zook’s program here.

“I cut my teeth here,’’ said Locksley, who attended the reunion last weekend for Illinois Rose Bowl team from the 2007 season. “I’m forever grateful to coach Zook for giving me that opportunity to be a coordinator as a young coach. We had some tough years. You can’t talk about the 2007 season without talking about 2005 or 2006. We did it the right way.

“That really did help my career take off.’’

After some highs and lows in his professional and personal life, Locksley is the offensive coordinator at defending national champ Alabama. It’s no surprise Locksley worked his way to the top. At Illinois, he was the kind of talent needed by a head coach propping up downtrodden program. Not only did he provide an infusion of talent by working a niche recruiting market, but he developed an exciting offense that eventually reached Pasadena.

Does Illini coach Lovie Smith have that kind of lieutenant to work behind the scenes and make it happen? Hardy Nickerson is rebuilding the defense in the shadow of Lovie. Otherwise, Rod Smith replaced Garrick McGee as offensive coordinator, and perhaps his experience in the RichRod offense can improve on that side of the ball. His recruiting ties to southern California may also help.

Is there a Locksley who can run his side of the ball and lead the program as a recruiter? Does Smith have the ability to go from riding shotgun as a coordinator under Rodriguez to calling the shots? He looks like he’s ready to run the offense, but everyone is waiting to get the real answer. Is there that guy who works behind the scenes to lift up the program? Are Cory Patterson and Thad Ward the kind of recruiters who provide that kind of boost, much like Locksley did 10 years ago? Patterson’s hiring created some energy in St. Louis, a suddenly lucrative market for prep football talent.

“Locksley was a key component,’’ said Juice Williams, the quarterback who admitted he received much of the credit that should have gone to Locksley. “None of this happens without Locksley. You may get the players (from D.C.). You may not get the players. More so than that, he out-schemed teams. I was still young. I just managed it. He called all the right calls. This doesn’t happen without Locks.’’

Locksley grew into the job at Illinois.

“When I hired him and made him the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, I knew we weren’t going to be a very good football team at that time,’’ Zook said. “It would give him a chance to grow. I knew how he was as a recruiter at Florida who coached the running backs. It was one of those things that worked out. We had a great staff.’’

His recruiting victories, such as landing eventual NFL first-rounder Arrelious Benn, were critical for pumping talent into a program starved for playmakers. With Zook, Locksley and recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell, the Illini had a trio of star recruiters on a staff who all knew how to get players. Zook told everyone it wasn’t about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jimmy and Joes.

“Those guys along with coach Zook closed a lot of guys together,’’ said former Illini linebacker J Leman. “If you look at what Illinois has been since coach Zook left, Illinois would be more than happy with what coach Zook did in his last five years here.’’

Yes, but the momentum evaporated after Locksley left following the 2008 season for New Mexico, where he failed as a head coach. After rebounding as an assistant at Maryland, Locksley decided to spend a year as a volunteer at Alabama.

“As you learn in this business, you have a lot of ebb and flows,’’ Locksley said. “I was fortunate to get involved in the Alabama program. I looked at it as a sabbatical. I was still paid by Maryland. I wanted to go work at Alabama to see what they were doing to be so successful. Three years later, I’m still there, and it was a great opportunity for me.’’

As long as Locksley can make the right choice in a quarterback controversy and direct a loaded offense through the SEC and back to the college football playoffs, life is good. At this point, he has the faith of his head coach.

“Michael Locksley has a wealth of experience,’’ said Alabama coach Nick Saban. “He’s been a coordinator for a long time. He’s been in our system. He’s made great contribution in our program recruiting as well as he how impacts players, and he has experience being a head coach and a coordinator at other places where he’s had a tremendous amount of success.

“So we’re very, very confident that he will do a great job, and the players have responded extremely well to Mike. And I have a lot of confidence in Mike.’’

Lockley’s return to Champaign in July for the Rose Bowl reunion was his first trip back to town since he left for New Mexico. It was an emotional for the Locksley, who is dealing with the grief of losing his oldest son, Meiko. He was killed nearly a year ago in a late-night shooting in the Baltimore-D.C. area.

“This was a rough year for our family,’’ Locksley said. “For my kids, this is what they call home. They went to high school here. Coming back brings up so many emotions.’’

Otherwise, his younger children are flourishing on the competitive field. His daughter, Kori, is playing soccer at Auburn, and Kai is a quarterback at Texas-El Paso under Mitchell, the old recruiting buddy at Illinois. Kai was the junior college player of the year last season after spending his first year at Texas.

After his stint at New Mexico was so unsuccessful, Locksley is content hanging out with the Tide.

“I’m going to concentrate on taking care of business at Alabama,’’ he said. “I’m working with the best in the business. ‘’

A decade ago, Locksley was the key component on Illinois’ run to the Rose Bowl and the last time the Illini really took care of some business. Lovie needs one or two of these on his staff.