Illinois announced today that they have agreed to a two-year deal with interim head coach Bill Cubit to take on the full-time role leading the program.
With the Illini still searching to fill their athletic director position, the move allows the football program a sense of stability while giving Cubit the an extended opportunity to prove that he's the right man for the job.
"Bill has stepped in during an extremely difficult period and done an outstanding job in leading our football program since August," interim AD Paul Kowalczyk said in the school's official release. "Our student-athletes have responded in a positive manner and we feel he is the best person at this time to be the head coach. We wanted to allow Bill to make decisions regarding the program as the head coach without the interim title, and lead the Fighting Illini into Saturday's game without speculation."
Forced into the interim head coaching role just a week before the season after Illinois fired Tim Beckman, Cubit led the program to a 5-6 mark. The Illini need a win this weekend against a top-25 ranked Northwestern squad who is sitting at 9-2. Cubit's two-year deal is worth $1.2 million annually according to the release, making him the lowest paid head coach in the conference, just below Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood ($1.25 million). Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.