Kill should be the coach

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westcoastgopher11

westcoastgopher11

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He wins everywhere he goes period. Despite the health issues this guy would be a home run in my opinion. Midwestern guy, coached in the midwest his whole life, and I can see this being a long term job for him if we are the ones who pick him up. I'm interested to see how NIU plays in the MAC championship but I have a feeling Maturi was waiting on this guy. Year 3 at SIU he has a 10 win season and rips off 38 wins in his last 4 seasons there after he rebuilt them. NIU has gone 6-7, 7-5, and now 10-2. They will bring back a good amount of starters next year, especially on the offense and should be back in the MAC championship again, if Kill is still coaching there.

He's a winner plain and simple. Besides the health concerns does anyone have a reason we shouldn't sign this guy up?
 

I agree with you. If we can't get any of the big names, I think Jerry Kill is the most impressive. I would be very happy if he is hired. I personally like him as much Brady Hoke and I do like Hoke a lot. Kill's hiring may not require much of a contract buyout.
 



I would be extremely happy with Coach Kill. He's been my favorite of all the 'realistic' candidates for weeks now. He's just an excellent football coach who's won wherever he's gone and usually that has entailed turning around programs in the dumpster, and that's how he has steadily worked his way up the ranks from high school coach to NAIA to FCS to lower level FBS and possibly next to BCS. It's no gimmicks or trickery with the guy, he just preaches solid, fundamentally sound football, and his teams have clearly responded to that at every step up the ladder.

I've watched quite a few video clips of Coach Kill talking about his football philosophies and strategies and discussing various games his team has played, and he is very plain-spoken, very down to earth, not particularly an earth-shatteringly exciting persona, but just an outstanding coach in my opinion. He's sort of like the anti-Brewster, as there's no BS with this guy and no salesmanship. He just loves to coach football. He also inspires staff loyalty, which in my opinion is key and he does have a very good staff, and I would feel good about him being here for years to come.

And surviving cancer has made him a stronger person. Here's a good article on that battle. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview08/news/story?id=3547278
 



Take this for what it's worth, but my contact inside the Gopher athletic dept. says his money is on Kill based on what he's hearing.
 

Thumbs up

I would be happy with this hire as well. Just a solid football coach. Someone the players will respect because he has a track record. You can never go by a lot of these coaches overall records when they are involved in rebuilding programs. A lot of big name coaches started in the MAC.
 

Another thing that I really didn't put in my original post is that he seems like a blue collar hardworking guy. Maybe when Maturi says would be a good "fit" for Minnesota this could be what he means. Minnesota has never been flashy but with Kill at the helm I can see him sticking around long term and making us a run the ball tough nose no-nonsense kind of team. He basically just sounds like the Big Ten prototypical coach that many have been looking for.
 




And Kill is not Brian Kelly, simple is that. Again, past experiences to a degree should not be a factor in the decision. Colorado just hired an NFL tight ends coach, and that wouldn't even be fathomable here.
 

The only problem I have with Kill is that he has NEVER been part of a BCS program, neither as a player nor as a coach. Northern Illinois is the highest level of football he has experienced. He would be just as big of a risk as hiring an up-and-coming coordinator from a big-time program IMO. There is no doubt in my mind we could be a 4-4 Big Ten team every year with him, but can he recruit at a BCS level? Will the pressure of playing ranked teams every other week give him a heart attack? (a legit concern based on his health problems).

We could do worse, but I view Kill as a "safe" hire who would bring the program out of the tank, but whose ability to excel in a major conference is a complete unknown.
 

Good or bad

"And Kill is not Brian Kelly, simple is that. Again, past experiences to a degree should not be a factor in the decision."


What does that mean? Past experience should not be a factor????? If you are saying that Kill is no Brian Kelly meaning he is a lesser coach then I disagree. I think they are at least equals and the verdict is still out on Kelly at ND.
 




gopher7 said:
The only problem I have with Kill is that he has NEVER been part of a BCS program, neither as a player nor as a coach. Northern Illinois is the highest level of football he has experienced. He would be just as big of a risk as hiring an up-and-coming coordinator from a big-time program IMO. There is no doubt in my mind we could be a 4-4 Big Ten team every year with him, but can he recruit at a BCS level? Will the pressure of playing ranked teams every other week give him a heart attack? (a legit concern based on his health problems).

We could do worse, but I view Kill as a "safe" hire who would bring the program out of the tank, but whose ability to excel in a major conference is a complete unknown.
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A legitimate concern based on his health problems? I'm sorry beating renal cancer =/= possible heart problems that's a borderline insulting assessment. Kill is a fighter, and a salt of the earth type guy.

How will he recruit in a BCS conference? Is that the best knock on this guy we got? He can do better than recruit, he WINS. Winning breeds more winning, and don't think he won't have more resources and such at Minnesota to bring in the type of players that he needs to compete.

DII Saginaw Valley State was the "highest level" he had coached at until he won there.

DI FCS SIU was the "highest level" he had coached at until he won there.

DI FBS NIU was the "highest level" he had coached at until he won there too.

Would you want this guy to take a coordinator job at a BCS school before you would approve this guy?


Edit: Oh and he has signed recruits with offers from Iowa, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Kansas State just this newest class ALONE.
 

I'd rather keep Jeff Horton. Kill=Dan Monson.
 




We dont need a loser coach from a small tier conference
 


According to ESPN NIU has five commitments for 2011. Three are 3-star and two are 0-star. I couldn't find anything in Rivals so this may be old.
 


Mid major coach with no BCS experience and health issues. Good coach at that level. 16 years and never moved up past the NI level. NO THANK YOU! At least with Brewster there was a hope of good recruiting classes. Heck John Gag has the most wins of any college coach but he would have struggled to succeed on the BCS level.
 

ncgo4 said:
According to ESPN NIU has five commitments for 2011. Three are 3-star and two are 0-star. I couldn't find anything in Rivals so this may be old.
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Here was the 2010 class. I guess I should've said calendar year. All mid-majors typically get players later in the recruiting cycle because many players will hold out and see if their stock rises to get a BCS level offer.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2010/NorthernIllinois-42
 

Let me get this straight...Leach has said he wants the job, and yet people want Kill?

I thought the idea was to put Gopher football back on the map.
 

Recruting Classes within the Mac. 13 theams

2006 12th
2007 tied 12 last
2008 13TH last
2009 7TH
2010 4TH

fair to bad recruiter. Coaches his players way up. Opposite of Brewster
 


USAFChief said:
Let me get this straight...Leach has said he wants the job, and yet people want Kill?

I thought the idea was to put Gopher football back on the map.
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Much rather have Kill than Leech. No confirmation yet if Kill locked a kid in a shed.
 


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