Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman has placed head wrestling coach Mike Poeta on indefinite administrative leave, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Friday afternoon.
In a brief statement, the DIA said that the University is investigating Poeta for potential violations of his employment agreement caused by “possible noncompliance with University fiscal control policies.” He will remain away from the team while the investigation is underway.
Poeta has served as head coach for the Illini since April 2021 and was an assistant with the program for five years prior. Just this July, Poeta signed a contract extension with the University that was set to keep him in Champaign through 2029.
Before he stepped into coaching, Poeta was a decorated student-athlete at Illinois from 2004-08 and was a part of the 2005 Big Ten championship team. Individually, he was a three-time All-American, two-time NCAA finalist and two-time Big Ten champion.
In Poeta’s absence, assistant coach Jeremy Hunter will serve as acting head coach. Hunter has an extensive wrestling background as well, having served as a volunteer assistant since 2001 before being hired on full time as an assistant coach in 2009. As a collegiate wrestler, Hunter was a three-time All-American at Penn State from 1998-2000 and was the 2000 NCAA champion at 125 pounds.
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Currently, Illinois wrestling is 5-2 this season and ranked No. 10 in the nation. The coaching shake up comes just a couple days before the team heads to Nashville, Tennessee, for dual meets with No. 18 Cornell and No. 20 Lehigh on Sunday.
**This is a developing story.**
