A couple of months after Mike Poeta was placed on leave, Illinois officially has a new wrestling coach.
Illinois removed the “acting” tag off Jeremy Hunter’s job on Thursday and made him the 16th head coach in Illini wrestling history.
Hunter has been with the Illini for a quarter-century since arriving in 2001. He has been a full time assistant since 2009.
Poeta was placed on indefinite leave in December. Athletic director Josh Whitman said Poeta will “remain away from the program while the University conducts an investigation into potential violations of his employment agreement stemming from possible noncompliance with University fiscal control policies.”
Poets was named head wrestling coach in 2021 and competed for the Illini from 2004-08. He was a three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten champion.
The Illini are 12-5 this season. They will compete at the Big Ten Championships next month.
