TCU interim head coach Jerry Kill to become next head coach at New Mexico State

FootballScoop.com is reporting that TCU interim head coach Jerry Kill and New Mexico State are nearing a deal that will make him the next head coach of the Aggies.

According to the report, Kill is bringing current TCU offensive analyst Tim Beck along as his offensive coordinator, and will be hiring Southeast Missouri State’s Nate Dreiling as his defensive coordinator.

While those are the only two confirmed assistants at this time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more current TCU assistant coaches following him to New Mexico State.

It’s a treat to see Kill take a permanent head coaching job again, six years after his doctors told him he needed to step back due to health concerns.

Just last week at his Tuesday press conference Kill was asked about coaching again, and he had this to say:

That’s an interesting question. I don’t know how many people were going to give a guy, a 60-year-old that has epilepsy and has had cancer twice and so forth, an opportunity. Do I think I could coach again? Yeah. You know, it’s a totally different time. I’ve been healthy for four years, whole different situation. I’ve got to go to three or four different programs to be able to check out how they do it and how you, you know, I’d still be coaching if I’d done it a little bit different, but I only knew it one way. You know, I played under coach Franchione, I don’t know if y’all know that, but I did.

So I only know one way and you know what he’s like, you know, work a deal and so forth. So we’ve all been trained the same way. GP, and so I’ve been able to go around and see other ways to do it. And people are doing it a lot different, where they’ve got their coordinators, and they’re more CEO-type people and things of that nature.

So I don’t know, you know, am I going to still be involved in football? Yes. In what capacity? You know, whatever capacity that I can be in. You know, and I’ve been fortunate to have had three or four offers last year to leave here, and I chose to stay here. I love Texas and I bought land here in Texas, I won’t be selling that.

Whether I do some somewhere outside or whatever, I’ll come back to Fort Worth and Texas. But, you know, just have to see, but I think, you know, I’ll have an opportunity and so forth somewhere, and I just don’t know what it’ll be. And I don’t really care. I just want to be a part of the game. I mean, that’s all I’ve known and it’s still fun to me, and it’s still, l I love the kids.

Kill has done an exceptional job in his limited capacity at TCU, going 2-1 in three games and helping lead the team to an upset win over Baylor just days after Gary Patterson left the program.

Getting to know Kill, and hearing him speak these last few weeks, has brought me to a new level of respect for him as a coach and as a person. Kill has consistently spoken about how hard TCU players and coaches are working, how proud he is of them, and how much he cares about each of them. It’s clear from his comments that he’s as genuine as they come.

I hope Kill finds all the success he can at New Mexico State, and I’m thankful for his presence at TCU during this roller coaster season.

It’d be pretty cool if he could beat Iowa State on his way out of town, too.