İlhan Palut, born on 2 November 1976 in the Reyhanlı district of Hatay, has served in Turkish football both as a player and as a head coach.

Playing as a midfielder, Palut began his career at Hatayspor. Between 1996 and 2004, he played 194 matches and scored 24 goals for Hatayspor. From 2004 to 2006, he competed in 58 matches for Adana Demirspor, scoring 2 goals. In 2006, he returned to Hatayspor, where he played 63 matches and scored 5 goals. During the 2007–2008 season, he played on loan at Çorumspor, appearing in 23 matches and scoring 1 goal. İlhan Palut ended his active playing career in 2008. Overall, he made 338 appearances and scored 32 goals during his playing career. He also has a record of appearances for the national team.

After retiring as a player, İlhan Palut transitioned into coaching and has held various positions at different clubs since 2011.

• Kırıkhanspor (Assistant Coach): 23 August 2011 – 9 February 2012
• Hatayspor Youth Academy (Assistant Coach): 27 September 2012 – 15 April 2013
• Hatayspor (Assistant Coach): 15 April 2013 – 30 June 2015

• Ümraniyespor: 20 August 2015 – 30 June 2016
• Hatayspor: Held the position in two separate stints between 25 July 2016 and 30 September 2019. In 104 matches, he recorded 60 wins, 26 draws, and 18 losses, averaging 1.64 goals scored and 0.69 goals conceded per match. He served as head coach for 971 days.
• Göztepe: Served from 4 November 2019 to 11 January 2021. In 40 matches, he recorded 15 wins, 13 draws, and 12 losses, averaging 1.58 goals scored and 1.40 goals conceded per match.
• TÜMOSAN Konyaspor: Led the team from 10 February 2021 to 16 January 2023.
• Çaykur Rizespor A.Ş.: Appointed on 13 June 2023; his contract runs until 30 June 2025.

Throughout his coaching career, İlhan Palut has typically favored the 4-2-3-1 formation. His career statistics include average points per match and performance records based on wins, draws, and losses.