Locksley leaving, UI searching

Have questions for Bob Asmussen? Click here.

With Mike Locksley apparently bound for New Mexico, Washington, D.C. Dunbar coach Craig Jefferies has a candidate to replace the offensive coordinator with strong D.C. ties.

Himself.

"They could always hire me," Jefferies said. "I’ll take care of it."

Losing Locksley will hurt Illinois recruiting in the D.C. area, Jefferies said.

"It will to a certain extent," Jefferies said. "Coach (Ron) Zook does a good job recruiting, but he’s not going to be here pounding the pavement like Locksley is. They’re going to feel the pinch. It just depends on their commitment to this area.

Locksley has agreed to take the coaching position at New Mexico, according to ESPN.com.

New Mexico officials said this morning that no press conference has been scheduled to name a new coach.

Locksley, who earlier interviewed for the job at Clemson, has never hidden his desire to be a head coach. About a year ago, Locksley signed a contract extension at Illinois that paid him $500,000 per season.

Locksley could not be reached this morning. His message box on his cell phone was full.

Besides New Mexico and Clemson, Locksley was also considered to be a candidate at Syracuse.

Locksley recently completed his fourth season coaching the Illinois offense.

In 2007, Ilinois finished third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (28.7 points), first in pass offense (269.3 yards) and second in total offense (438.8). But the Illini struggled late on offense, averaging 16 points in their last four losses, a slump which cost Ron Zook's program a postseason berth.

Locksley was one of the UI's main recruiters, landing several East Coast stars.

Recruiting guru Tom Lemming considers Locksley one of the top assistants in terms of recruiting ability. He said Illinois will have a hard time replacing Locksley in the Washington, D.C., area.

" When Locksley leaves, they'll lose that connection," Lemming said.

 

 

Comments

Add a Comment