Illinois head coach Tim Beckman will return to the program next season, athletic director Mike Thomas told media Monday.

Staff changes coming though we hear MT @WCIA3Matt: #Illini AD Mike Thomas just told me Tim Beckman will return as coach next season. — FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) December 2, 2013

The Illini went 4-8 this season, Beckman's second with the program -- and that's double the amount of wins the Illini had in his first year with the school. In 2012, Illinois went 2-10 and winless in Big Ten play, and improvement does not appear to be rapid.

Illinois started the year 3-1, with an impressive non-conference blowout win over Cincinnati and a close loss to a very good Washington team, but things fell off the rails once conference play rolled around. The Illini lost their first six games in conference play, including a 52-35 defeat to Indiana, before finally getting in the win column against lowly Purdue. In its season finale, Illinois lost to in-state rival Northwestern, breaking the Wildcats' seven-game losing streak.

Beckman was previously the head coach at Toledo, where he compiled a 21-16 record over three years.

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