CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman had a wide variety of topics to discuss on Thursday during his annual media roundtable meeting.
Whitman delivered an opening statement lasting about 90 minutes, touching on a number of Illini-centered topics, along with some discussion of the broader college sports landscape.
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Included in his comments were many notes on upcoming or ongoing facility upgrades for several spots on campus with Illinois Athletics.
FOOTBALL:
Whitman highlighted the ongoing efforts at Gies Memorial Stadium, including functioning wifi on the way, new LED lights and the massive new video board being constructed on the south side of the stadium.
He says the video board should be done by sometime in mid-July.
“Really looking forward to getting that up and operational,” Whitman said.
Fittingly, the Illini AD says it’s possible the video board will debut first as part of Illinois’ Busey Family Movie Night, with a showing picked out by Illinois basketball’s fan-favorite forward David Mirkovic. Mirkovic said during March Madness that his favorite movie is Air Bud, so Whitman says that may be the movie pick this year.
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There is not a date officially announced for that 2026 movie night, but it was in early August in 2025.
Whitman noted the major football facility upgrades do not include significant changes to the south horseshoe at Gies Memorial Stadium. He says Illinois has made some changes there in recent years, but doesn’t anticipate full-scale upgrades in the near future. Part of this decision revolves around a desire to keep tickets, including season tickets, affordable in those sections.
“We want to maintain that as a family friendly, economical option for our fans,” Whitman said. “For now, we think it’s better to keep our focus on other parts of the stadium.”
He did, however, note that the large new video board will have the sound system at the top, rather than the bottom, which he believes will benefit the fan experience for visitors in that area.
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BASEBALL:
Illinois Athletics announced major upgrades coming to its home baseball stadium, including new seating and dugouts. Click here for the full story on that $5 million project.
GOLF:
Upgrades are on the way at the Demirijian Indoor Golf facility. Whitman says donor support helped here, too. This change will not be one to practice space, but rather add new staff offices, locker rooms and more. He expects this project to get underway in the fall of 2026.
MORE:
Whitman says Illinois is making ‘early efforts’ to explore a new combined practice facility for its wrestling and volleyball programs. He says there are no immediate plans to remove competition for these two sports from Huff Hall, but he would like to see day-to-day activities, including practices, find a new home.
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Illinois has also worked to enhance the student-athlete experience through changes to the Fighting Illini Center for Excellence (FICE). This included a re-done top floor, serving as an academic support center, plus, a ‘huge renovation’ to its sports medicine facility.
“It’s beautiful.. Incredible facility,” Whitman said. “It’s awesome to walk through there.”
Whitman also announced an addition to Illinois men’s basketball’s 2026-27 non-conference schedule, click here for more.
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