After a few days of speculation and a quick turnaround from Monday’s hiring of head coach Lovie Smith, Illinois’ new boss has tapped Louisville’s Garrick McGee as offensive coordinator.

Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino announced the departure of his offensive coordinator via press release.

“I wish Garrick McGee and his family nothing but the best and I am grateful for his friendship and commitment,” Petrino said in the statement. “I’ve known him for a long time and I’m going to miss him as a person and coach. He did a great job wherever we have coached together and I think he has a great football mind.”

McGee replaces former head coach Bill Cubit’s son Ryan Cubit.

Before going to Louisville, McGee was a head coach at UAB, an offensive coordinator at Arkansas and an offensive coordinator at Northwestern.

As offensive coordinator in 2010, McGee helped lead Arkansas to a 10-3 finish and appear int the school’s first BCS bowl, a loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.

In 2011, the Razorbacks led the Southeastern Conference in total offense.

A former quarterback, McGee played at Arizona State for two years and transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in 1993. He transferred again, playing two years at Oklahoma, where he ended up fourth on the school’s career passing list with 2,449 yards.

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