The Fighting Illini appear set to be led by their longtime athletic director for several more years.
It's a new era in Illinois athletics, and there's one man that Fighting Illini fans can thank for that: athletic director Josh Whitman.
The former Illini football player —who starred at tight end in Champaign from 1997 to 2000 — has led a rebirth at his alma mater since being named the school's athletic director a decade ago. Now, Whitman is about to be rewarded for his work.
According to Matt Fortuna, Whitman is set to receive a multi-year contract extension at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting. Whitman's previous deal, which he signed in 2023, ran through 2031 and paid him $1.5 million annually through 2028, before bumping up to $1.725 million.
Whitman is the second-longest tenured athletic director in the Big Ten, trailing only Oregon's Rob Mullens, who joined the Ducks in 2010. Michigan's Warde Manuel and Minnesota's Mark Coyle also were hired by their respective universities in 2016.
Since returning to his alma mater, Whitman has notably been responsible for hiring men's basketball head coach Brad Underwood, football head coach Bret Bielema and women's basketball head coach Shauna Green.
Feb 25, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrates with head coach Brad Underwood and Athletic Director Josh Whitman during senior night prior to a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesUnderwood took a program that had missed the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive years and turned it into one of the best in the country. Illinois finished the year as a ranked team in Underwood's third season, then earned a No. 1 seed in March Madness in 2020-21. The Illini reached the Elite Eight in 2023-24 and secured a trip to their first Final Four since 2005 last season.
Bielema has led the Illini to a winning record in three of the last four seasons. In 2024, Illinois went 10-3 and defeated South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl, marking the program's first season with double-digit wins since 2001. The Illini won the Music City Bowl last season after posting a 9-4 record and are projected to contend for the College Football Playoff in the fall.
Prior to Green's arrival, Illinois had not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2003. The Illini have since made the postseason in three of Green's four years at the helm, combining to tally an 85-47 overall record, including a 39-33 record in Big Ten play. Illinois advanced to the Round of 32 in both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
Whitman graduated from Illinois in 2001, then bounced around the NFL between the Buffalo Bills, the San Diego Chargers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Miami Dolphins. He became the athletic director at Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2010 before leaving for Washington University in St. Louis in 2014. Whitman was eventually named Illinois' 14th athletic director in 2016.
