Illinois AD Josh Whitman’s contract extended through 2036

Josh Whitman is now slated to stay in Champaign through 2036. 

The University’s Board of Trustees approved the deal on Thursday, which will see Whitman’s contract soar to $2.15 million dollars for the 2026/27 year.

The new deal includes a yearly pay raise of $100,000, totaling $26.1 million over the contract. 

Whitman is the fifth-longest-tenured athletic director among the Power Four schools. 

For the former Illini football player, this deal must feel like the culmination of a decade of success. 

Whitman, 47, has been at the helm of Illinois athletics since 2016 and has overseen some of the biggest moments in university history. 

The basketball program reached its first Final Four since 2006 this April. Along with the women’s team making the NCAA tournament in three of the last four years. Illinois has also seen major success on the gridiron, notching several marquee bowl wins. 

Responsible for the monumental hirings of Brad Underwood, Bret Bielema and Shauna Green, Whitman, although young, is quickly becoming an Illinois great. 

The extension marks Whitman’s fifth as the Illinois AD. The new agreement bars him from accepting a job at any other university during the contract’s duration. 

After a decade of success in Champaign, Whitman will now have the opportunity to oversee another ten years of accomplishments.