APJust three days after officially losing offensive line coach Jim Bridge to fellow Big Ten member Purdue, Illinois coach Tim Beckman has found his replacement in former Western Michigan offensive line coach A.J. Ricker.
Ricker comes to Illinois from Middle Tennessee State, but served at WMU for the past two years under current Illini offensive coordinator and former Broncos head coach Bill Cubit.
“I’m very excited to be with Coach Beckman and back with Coach Cubit,” Ricker said in a statement. “I have a lot of respect for the way Coach Beckman coaches, having been in the MAC and coaching against him for two years. Coach Cubit coached me at Missouri and gave me a start as a coach by hiring me as a graduate assistant at Western Michigan. The man is a genius when it comes to offense.”
