Kill signs seven-year contract

In the midst of a losing season in which blowout losses have become the norm, Gophers head football head coach Jerry Kill finally got some good news: He now has some job security.

Kill signed a seven-year contract to remain with program through February 2018, athletics director Joel Maturi announced in a release by the team Tuesday.

“Rebecca and I, along with our family and staff, are very thankful to the university and certainly to our administration, including … Maturi and president Eric Kaler,” Kill said. “I’m glad it’s now settled and we can move on from here. We are excited about the future of our program.”

The contract is retroactive to December 2010, when Kill was first announced as the Gophers’ 27th head football coach, two months after Tim Brewster was bought out from his contract.

Kill was previously working under a Memoradum of Agreement with the University, according to the release.

“This contract represents a significant commitment to Coach Kill and our belief in his vision for Gopher football,” Maturi said. “He has proved over the past 10 months what a great fit he is at the University of Minnesota and I have been very impressed with him as both a coach and a person."

"I am thrilled that we now have an agreement in place that has secured Coach Kill as our head football coach well into the future," Maturi added.