The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has awarded Athletic Director Josh Whitman a new contract extension worth more than $31 million over the next 10 years, securing the former Illini football player’s tenure through 2036.
The board approved the deal at its regular meeting on Thursday, recognizing Whitman’s leadership during a period of unprecedented success for Illinois athletics. The extension marks the fifth time Whitman’s contract has been amended since his hiring in 2016.
Whitman will see a significant salary increase, earning $2.15 million during the 2026-27 school year—a raise of more than 40 percent. He is scheduled to receive annual salary increases of $100,000 before a $200,000 bump to $3.15 million in the final year of the agreement. The contract also includes a $500,000 retention bonus each June 30 that he remains as athletic director, along with additional incentives of up to $500,000 annually based on performance goals set by the university chancellor.
The agreement includes three automatic one-year extensions through 2039 if certain Illini football and men’s basketball performance measures are met. Notably, the contract prohibits Whitman from accepting positions at other universities during the term.
The extension comes on the heels of a series of standout seasons for Illinois athletics. The men’s basketball team reached the NCAA Final Four in April for the first time in 21 years, while the football team won 19 games over the last two seasons—a program record for that span. Illinois athletics also set a revenue record for a fourth consecutive year and topped $200 million for the first time in 2025-26.
At 47 years old, Whitman is now the fifth-longest tenured athletic director among the four power conferences. Since taking the position in February 2016, he has been instrumental in reshaping Illinois athletics from a struggling program into a national competitor.
A former Illinois football player himself, Whitman played tight end for the Illini from 1997 to 2000, earning Academic All-American honors. After a brief stint in the NFL, he earned his law degree from Illinois College of Law in 2008 and practiced sports law in Washington, D.C., before returning to his alma mater. Prior to Illinois, he served as athletic director at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Washington University in St. Louis.
One of Whitman’s most consequential decisions has been his hiring of key coaches. He brought in Brad Underwood as men’s basketball coach, Bret Bielema as football coach, and Shauna Green as women’s basketball coach. These hires have transformed the fortunes of their respective programs, with Underwood’s basketball teams making the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons and Bielema’s football team posting winning records after years of struggles.
Under Whitman’s leadership, Illinois teams have made 110 NCAA postseason appearances during his tenure, with 31 of those teams finishing in the top 16 nationally. The athletic department has also secured substantial fundraising commitments, including a record $150 million in new gifts during fiscal year 2025.
Whitman has also become a prominent voice in college athletics governance. He was appointed to a four-year term as the Big Ten representative to the NCAA Division I Council in 2023 and was elected chair of the Council in April 2024, a position he holds until the fall of 2025.
The board’s agenda noted that “as the fifth-longest tenured athletic director among ‘Autonomy 4’ institutions, Mr. Whitman has guided Illinois to unprecedented success in the modern era and become a prominent national voice in collegiate athletics.”