Skip to main content
SI

2 assistant coaches leave Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Illinois assistant coaches Alex Golesh and Mike Ward have left the team. Golesh was special teams coordinator and tight ends coach and

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Illinois assistant coaches Alex Golesh and Mike Ward have left the team.

Golesh was special teams coordinator and tight ends coach and Ward coached the inside linebackers. Coach Bill Cubit said Wednesday that a national search has begun to replace the two.

College Football Bracket Challenge

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Iowa State announced earlier this week that Golesh has joined the staff of new coach Matt Campbell, who arrived from Toledo. It was not immediately clear if Ward left for another job.

Golesh and Ward were at Illinois for four years and came to the school from Toledo with former Illini coach Tim Beckman.

Beckman was fired after a preliminary investigative report found he interfered in medical decisions and pressured players to play hurt. Cubit was named head coach Saturday.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published | Modified