Former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill is getting back into coaching. On Monday, Rutgers officially announced that Kill would be its next offensive coordinator.
Jerry Kill joining Rutgers’ staff as offensive coordinator after retiring due to health
The former Minnesota head coach stepped down in October 2015.
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
“I am excited to welcome Jerry and his family to Rutgers,” said Rutgers head coach Chris Ash. “Jerry brings years of experience and tremendous leadership to our offense. He is a veteran Big Ten coach and a proven winner. Our players and coaches will benefit from his wealth of knowledge.”
Last week, Rutgers offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer accepted a job with Tom Herman’s new staff at Texas as an assistant coach.
In late October back in 2015, an emotional Coach Kill announced that he would be retiring from coaching due to medical reasons. He was 54 years old when he retired. The coach has dealt with epilepsy, and he suffered multiple seizures while on the sidelines during games as Minnesota’s head coach. When he announced his retirement, he said that both his condition and his treatments impacted his work.
Thamel added that Kill’s history of health problems was a concern to Rutgers officials, but Kill reassured them.
A source indicated that Kill allayed those fears. “After a year away he is in great shape and feels as good as he has in years,” a Rutgers source said.
Kill went 29-29 during his five years at Minnesota, and got the Gophers to 8-5 records two times. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2014. Kill’s assistant, Tracy Claeys, took over for Kill when he announced his retirement and has held the position since.
Hopefully, Kill’s health has indeed improved, and he can get back into coaching full swing. Meanwhile, the offensive coordinator job at Rutgers continues to be a revolving door — Kill, if hired, will be the Scarlet Knights’ eighth offensive coordinator in eight years.
See More:
