Illinois and its pass-catching AD on Monday announced major enhancements to Memorial Stadium and the Illini's football facilities. The quote at the header of the Illini's landing page says it all:
Make no mistake: before the nation’s best and brightest student-athletes are competing for us, we are competing for them. Our facilities must demonstrate an institutional commitment to building, supporting, and sustaining a winning football program.
Checking in at a price tag around $130 million, Illinois will build a new grandstand to enclose Memorial Stadium and house the team's new locker room, meeting rooms, weight and training rooms, recruiting offices and offices for Lovie Smith and his staff.
In addition to the shot above, take a look at these renderings, courtesy of Illinois athletics.
The south grand stand and new facilities therein are expected to be complete in 2019, with renovation to the east stands completing in 2020.