CHICAGO — It’s been 22 years since Lovie Smith last coached college football. Smith, who enters year one as head coach at Illinois, last spent time in the college ranks in 1995 when he served as defensive backs coach at Ohio State. For some coaches, returning to the NCAA after 22 years could be rather daunting. Smith, however, doesn’t think so. “I just think you talk about coaching, whether it’s the NFL –– I’m not the only NFL coach that’s coaching in college right now,” Smith said. “Whether it’s coaching junior high, high school, college or the NFL, I haven’t seen many differences from it. Guys want to be coached. You have a different degree of athlete at every level. And for us, even when I was in the NFL, I considered myself a college coach.” Smith’s hiring highlights the need for a veteran voice to help the Illini develop talent, especially after the team’s subpar performances in recent years. The Illini are 17-25 since 2011, and their only bowl appearance in that span came in 2014, when they lost to Louisiana Tech, 35-18, in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Recruiting, especially in the Chicago area, is the biggest area…
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