CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Newly-welcomed Illinois defensive tackles coach Alfred Davis and defensive ends coach Jimmy Lindsey never imagined receiving a phone call from Illinois head coach Lovie Smith.

Here was a guy, whom Davis and Lindsey both idolize in the coaching profession, calling them and offering a job coaching Power Five football, a dream of theirs.

For Lindsey, he not only looks up to Smith because of what he’s accomplished on the football field, but how he did it.

“He’s a guy, as a young African-American coach, that you looked up to,” Lindsey said. “You look at Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, Herm Edwards and obviously Mike Tomlin, those guys are pioneers for this generation of coaches. They’re someone that you admired and said, ‘hey, I hope I can be like that someday.’ It’s a blessing. Truly a blessing.”

Lindsey had never met Smith prior to receiving the call inquiring about the defensive end coaching position. Lindsey was, in fact, a recommendation from former defensive line coach Austin Clark on his way out to take the same position in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins.

Clark visited Western Kentucky last February to see Hilltoppers’ head coach Tyson Helton, who he has a relationship with, and that’s when Lindsey first met Clark. Nearly a year later, that meeting resulted in a phone call from Smith, and an easy decision for Lindsey.

“I just said, ‘yes sir, I accept,’” Lindsay said laughing. “It was a no-brainer with coach's vision and his hopes for this program, this team, this staff and how he wants to represent the University of Illinois and how he talks about building men. That’s an easy sell to want to be a part of.”

Davis had never met Smith prior, either, till Smith visited Hutchinson Community College himself when Davis was the defensive coordinator and Smith was recruiting the college. Smith’s visit was unexpected to Davis. He said tight ends coach Cory Patterson visited the first day, and the following day, he brought Smith along with him, which was a big deal to Davis and the entire football program.

He took Smith being on campus as an opportunity. He treated the two’s meeting like a job interview, talking football and coaching with Smith, whether that was teaching techniques, or drills.

Smith walked away from the meeting impressed with Davis and had a feeling Davis would be someone he should remember.

“Before I had left, I go, ‘hey, give me your number,’” Smith said. “I was that impressed.”

Davis gave Smith his number and card, a gesture that left the former Arkansas defensive tackle and graduate assistant excited.

“That was big-time for me. Like I said, it’s a platform,” Davis said. “If coaches come in, you want to be on top of everything when it comes to being a college football coach. So, I treated it like an interview anyway. So, no matter what coach comes through that building, I had to carry myself a certain way.

"That day, I started talking to coach and different techniques, talk about being a good teacher and, ultimately that’s what coach was looking for. I made a good impression and now a month and a half later, I’m here."

Even though he knew he had impressed Smith, Davis still never thought anything would come from the exchange. He didn’t think there was a chance meeting Smith would result in him coaching on his staff less than two months later.

“I’d be lying to you right now if I thought it would lead to what it is right now. When I gave coach my card, I was excited about it,” Davis said. “Felt like I had done a good enough job that day to at least get him to remember my name. When I did get that phone call from coach, I was, for one, super excited to be on the phone with coach. I couldn’t even tell you what my emotions were like… It’s a big-time opportunity for me and I’m excited to be here.

“It’s good I was on my best behavior that day.”

Smith said he interviewed numerous coaches for both positions, but said Lindsey and Davis were both clear fits for his program.

“It was kind of obvious when I interviewed Jimmy Lindsey and Al Davis that they would be the perfect fit for what we wanted to do,” Smith said.

And what he wants to do now is focus more in-depth on his young defensive line. The last two recruiting cycles, Clark brought in a haul of defensive linemen, so Smith is using the departure of former safeties coach and passing game coordinator Gil Byrd as an opportunity to give more attention to the big men up front.

Former cornerbacks coach Keynodo Hudson now oversees the entire secondary.

“I think you have a lot of options on your coaching staff on how you arrange it, and I think you start over each year,” Smith said. “And where we are, we’re going to have a lot of young defensive linemen. Simple as that. I thought it made sense and we have the back end, secondary-wise, a lot more guys that have played football back there. Thought it just made sense in order to get our team better to have two guys and split up the defensive line.”

On the recruiting trail, Smith is expecting the arrivals of Davis and Lindsey to help the program recruit more in the state of Georgia. Davis is from College Park, Georgia, and he said he’s been recruiting in that area for six years now.

“I feel really good there,” Davis said. “The Memphis area I’m pretty familiar with and I lived about eight years in the state of Louisiana, so I got a lot of connections there too. The goal for us is to get out and hit this Southeast corner. If it’s Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, I don’t care. I’m going to go recruit my butt off.”

Lindsey has experience, he said, recruiting in the Southwest region as well, hitting North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and has lived in Georgia for 19 years.

His message to recruits is simple and one he resonates with because it’s the same message Smith gave to both him and Davis. Neither hesitated to take him up on it.

“The chance to be a part of something special,” Lindsey said.