Will Jerry Kill coach from the sidelines next season?
“I may coach from a helicopter,” Kill told Sports Headliners this week. “I get so tired of answering that question.”
The Gophers football boss has also joked about coaching from a stadium “Jumbotron” during games. Because of struggles with epilepsy, Kill coached from a press box for much of the 2013 season and not from the sidelines.
Kill has made adjustments to his lifestyle including easing back on his almost 24-7 schedule. Coaching from the press box rather than the sidelines was part of the change but next fall he expects to be on the field with the team during games. “I certainly plan on doing everything the way I‘ve always done it,” he said.
During the second half of the Texas Bowl last month Kill was on the sidelines. The move down from the press box was another indication of Kill’s improved health and avoidance of seizures during games.
“I proved everybody wrong my whole life,” Kill said. “I believe I’ll be driving by March, maybe even sooner. I am doing well. I look forward to getting behind the wheel and driving to work.
“All the people that have put my situation (down), and a lot of other people down, all that does is motivate me. I’ll be doing everything like I’ve done my whole life and I am gonna do it better.”
Ignorant fans have disparaged Kill because of the seizures but he is revered by thousands of Minnesotans who admire his courage, values and coaching. Kill has battled his way to success first as an undersized football player and later as a coach who not only had to rebuild college football programs but deal with cancer and epilepsy.
Last season was Kill’s third at Minnesota and the team had a breakout year with an 8-5 record. The 8 wins were the most since the 2003 team won 10 games. The 4-4 Big Ten record was the best since 2005. Among the wins was the program’s first over Nebraska since 1960.
The improvement from 3-9 to 6-7 to 8-5 indicates the program is turning around after decades of inconsistency and periods of dismal results. “It’s happened faster than I thought it would because I still think we need a couple more recruiting classes,” Kill said. “Certainly one (more class).”
Wide receiver Derrick Engel, tackle Ed Olson and H-back Mike Henry won’t return on offense because they are seniors. Key seniors from the defense are tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, linebacker Aaron Hill and cornerback Brock Vereen. Placekicker Chris Hawthorne will be gone, too.
Kill praised the seniors but is optimistic about the future. “I think we got some kids who are ready to step in and play,” he said.
The Gophers will return most of their regulars and Kill expects his best Minnesota team yet in 2014. “I think we should be better in all phases of the game,” he said. “I’ll be disappointed if we’re not. I think our kids understand that. We’ll know in the offseason. We’ll see how hungry they are and how hard they work.”
The Gophers lost the Texas Bowl when Syracuse’s Brisly Estime returned a punt 70 yards to set up the winning touchdown in the game’s closing minutes. “We had three or four guys that didn’t make plays (on the return),” Kill said. “We had our chances to bring the ball (carrier) down where he gets a 10 yard return, or something of that nature.”
The Gophers didn’t lose the 21-17 game just because of the punt return. Kill blamed problems with “execution” during the disappointing game. Minnesota had been favored to win over a team that came to Texas with a 6-6 record.
“You can’t define the whole season by one game,” Kill said. “Am I disappointed and are my kids disappointed about the bowl game? Certainly. You’re always disappointed when you end the season with a loss.
“But we’re also a very young team, and they (the Gophers) should be starving when they come back into school because now they know what they can do and what they didn’t do well. It will be pointed out. We’ll move forward and we’ll get better. …”
Kill is quick to praise his assistant coaches. He said the group has been together longer than any major college football coaching staff in the country. The assistants are loyal but that doesn’t mean changes can’t happen including at this time of year when other programs are reorganizing their football staffs.
“Most of the coaching positions (in college football) open up over the next two months,” Kill said. “Time will tell on that.”
At some programs offensive and defensive coordinators earn between $500,000 and $1 million. Other assistants also earn salaries deep into six figures. “It’s different than it was five or 10 years ago,” Kill said. “You can’t blame anybody if they go work for $100,000 more, $200,000 more or whatever it may be. You just can’t. There’s nothing you can do about it.
“We’ve had guys together for a long time. We’re going to do everything we can to keep them together but I also understand that some of them may want to be a head coach if that opportunity arises. Maybe not at Division I. Maybe it’s 1-AA.”
Kill is the lowest paid head football coach in the Big Ten at a reported $1.2 million annually. That is likely to change soon since he is highly valued by the University of Minnesota leadership including president Eric Kaler.
Kill said no one has “sat down” with him yet regarding compensation. “I really haven’t focused on all that,” he said. “I’ve had a lot more to deal with than those things. I figure if those things happen, hell, that’s great. All I can do is worry about what I can control. My job is to keep getting our program better.”
Kill prefers to emphasize the need to better compensate his assistant coaches and have a football complex comparable to most other programs in the Big Ten. “I think everybody knows what we need to do. We just gotta get it done and I am sure our administration will.
“The sooner we can break ground on a facility the better. That helps in recruiting. Everything I’ve been told we’re making progress so that’s the most important thing. The most important thing is the coaches and that new facility.”