Zook will return in 2010, AD says
Ron Zook will return as Illinois coach in 2010, athletic director Ron Guenther announced Saturday.
Big Ten blog
ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg writes about all things Big Ten in his conference blog.
Zook has been under fire for the 1-6 start, which includes six double-digit losses. Illinois endured a disappointing 5-7 season last year after reaching the Rose Bowl in 2007.
"There will be some changes, but there won't be a change at the top," Guenther told reporters Saturday at halftime of Illinois' 24-14 loss to Purdue. "There's a great deal of frustration obviously with the program at the moment. We're still going to evaluate [at the end of the season], but I think it's really unfair to start jumping at the end of the fifth year on a guy."
Zook is 19-36 at Illinois after Saturday's loss. He received a one-year contract extension this summer that takes him through January 2014.
Adam Rittenberg covers Big Ten football for ESPN.com. He can be reached at espnritt@gmail.com
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