After Josh Whitman made the decision to fire Bill Cubit over the weekend, starting the search for a new head coach that would infuse some new energy into the program, a number of players learned of the move via Twitter. As you can imagine, that didn't go over well with many of them.
However, when Lovie Smith was introduced to the team today by Whitman, all that seemed to be forgotten, and the team gave Lovie an emphatic standing ovation.
Below is a 26-second look into that moment that ushers in a new era of Illinois football. Players are clearly excited to have someone inked to a very solid six-year deal to stay in Champaign.