Jerry Kill
Jerry Kill went 175–115 as a head coach, 1994–2023, at Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, Minnesota, TCU and New Mexico State. Share
14 seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1994–98 at Saginaw Valley State; 1999–2000 at Emporia State; 2001–07 at Southern Illinois. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 175–115 career
- Seasons
- 25
- Schools
- 7
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Born
- Aug 24, 1961
- Alma mater
- Southwestern (KS)
- Best season
- 2010 11–3
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Saginaw Valley State * | 6–4 | T–4th | |||
| 1995 | Saginaw Valley State * | 7–3 | T–3rd | |||
| 1996 | Saginaw Valley State * | 7–3 | T–3rd | |||
| 1997 | Saginaw Valley State * | 9–2 | 3rd | |||
| 1998 | Saginaw Valley State * | 9–2 | T–2nd | |||
| 1999 | Emporia State * | 5–6 | T–5th | |||
| 2000 | Emporia State * | 6–5 | T–4th | |||
| 2001 | Southern Illinois * | 1–10 | 7th | |||
| 2002 | Southern Illinois * | 4–8 | T–6th | |||
| 2003 | Southern Illinois * | 10–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division I-AA First Round L | 9 | |
| 2004 | Southern Illinois * | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I-AA First Round L | 9 | |
| 2005 | Southern Illinois * | 9–4 | T–1st | NCAA Division I-AA Second Round L | 7 | |
| 2006 | Southern Illinois * | 9–4 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Second Round L | 7 | |
| 2007 | Southern Illinois * | 12–2 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Semifinal L | 3 | |
| 2008 | Northern Illinois | 6–7 | 4th (West) | Independence Bowl L | ||
| 2009 | Northern Illinois | 7–6 | 2nd (West) | International Bowl L | ||
| 2010 | Northern Illinois | 10–3 | 1st (West) | Humanitarian (not coached) | ||
| 2011 | Minnesota | 3–9 | 6th (Legends) | |||
| 2012 | Minnesota | 6–7 | T–5th (Legends) | Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas L | ||
| 2013 | Minnesota | 8–5 | 4th (Legends) | Texas Bowl L | ||
| 2014 | Minnesota | 8–5 | T–2nd (West) | Citrus Bowl L | ||
| 2015 | Minnesota coached seven of 13 games | 4–3 | T–4th (West) | |||
| 2016–20: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2021 | TCU interim, remainder of season | 2–2 | T–7th | |||
| 2022 | New Mexico State | 7–6 | Quick Lane Bowl W | |||
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 10–5 | 2nd | New Mexico Bowl L | ||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 20 | 3–17 | 15% |
| Against top-10 teams | 3 | 0–3 | 0% |
| Against rivals | 26 | 12–14 | 46% |
| Conference games | 71 | 41–30 | 58% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 7 | 1–6 | 14% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 48 | 26–22 | 54% |
| At home | 63 | 45–18 | 71% |
| On the road | 58 | 25–33 | 43% |
| At neutral sites | 8 | 1–7 | 13% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 67 | 54–13 | 81% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 62 | 17–45 | 27% |
His own 129 games on file, 2008–2023, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Fitzgerald 2011–2015 | 2–3 | Northwestern | 5 | |
| Brady Hoke 2008–2014 | 1–4 | Ball State, Michigan | 5 | |
| Bill Cubit 2008–2012 | 3–1 | Western Michigan | 4 | |
| Tim Beckman 2009–2014 | 2–2 | Toledo, Illinois | 4 | |
| Bo Pelini 2011–2014 | 2–2 | Nebraska | 4 | |
| Kirk Ferentz 2011–2014 | 2–2 | Iowa | 4 | |
| Danny Hope 2009–2012 | 2–1 | Purdue | 3 | |
| Bret Bielema 2009–2012 | 0–3 | Wisconsin | 3 | |
| Mark Dantonio 2011–2013 | 0–3 | Michigan State | 3 |
Jerry Kill’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsinseries | 6 | 0–6 |
| Purdueseries | 5 | 4–1 |
| Northwesternseries | 5 | 2–3 |
| Nebraskaseries | 5 | 2–3 |
| Miami (OH)series | 4 | 3–1 |
| Western Michiganseries | 4 | 3–1 |
| Illinoisseries | 4 | 2–2 |
| Iowaseries | 4 | 2–2 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–87 | Pittsburg State | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1988–90 | Webb City HS (MO) high school | Head coach | |
| 1991–93 | Pittsburg State | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1994–98 | Saginaw Valley State | Head coach | |
| 1999–2000 | Emporia State | Head coach | |
| 2001–07 | Southern Illinois | Head coach | |
| 2008–10 | Northern Illinois | Head coach | |
| 2011–15 | Minnesota | Head coach | |
| 2017 | Rutgers | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 2019 | Virginia Tech | Assistant to head coach | |
| 2020–21 | TCU | Assistant to head coach | |
| 2021 | TCU | Interim head coach | |
| 2022–23 | New Mexico State | Head coach | |
| 2024–present | Vanderbilt | Consultant |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Dennis FranchionePittsburg State
- Chris AshRutgers
- Justin FuenteVirginia Tech
- Gary PattersonTCU
- Clark LeaVanderbilt
Assistants who became head coaches
- Tracy ClaeysMinnesota
- Chet PobolishSouthwestern Oklahoma State
- Tom MatukewiczNorthern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State
- Jay SawvelWyoming
- Brandon StaleyLos Angeles Chargers
- John HauserOhio
- P.J. FleckWestern Michigan, Minnesota
- Jim ZebrowskiLakeland
- A. J. RickerSaint Joseph’s (IN)
- Doug MeachamOklahoma State
- Tim BeckPittsburg State
- Tony SanchezUNLV, New Mexico State
- and 2 more
Worked under (5)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Franchione | Pittsburg State | 1985–87 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Chris Ash | Rutgers | 2017 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Justin Fuente | Virginia Tech | 2019 | Assistant to head coach | |
| Gary Patterson | TCU | 2020–21 | Assistant to head coach | |
| Clark Lea | Vanderbilt | 2024–26 | Consultant |
Coached under him, later head coaches (14)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy Claeys | Saginaw Valley State, 1995–98: defensive line coach; Emporia State, 1999–2000: defensive coordinator; Southern Illinois, 2001–07: defensive coordinator; Northern Illinois, 2008–10: defensive coordinator; Minnesota, 2011–13: defensive coordinator; 2014–15: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Minnesota | |
| Chet Pobolish | Emporia State, 1999–2000: special teams and wide receivers coach | Southwestern Oklahoma State | |
| Tom Matukewicz | Emporia State, 2000: defensive line coach; Southern Illinois, 2001–07: linebackers coach; Northern Illinois, 2008–10: linebackers coach | Northern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State | |
| Jay Sawvel | Southern Illinois, 2001–07: defensive backs and special teams coach; Northern Illinois, 2008–10: defensive backs and special teams coach; Minnesota, 2011–15: defensive backs and special teams coach | Wyoming | |
| Brandon Staley | Northern Illinois, 2008: graduate assistant | Los Angeles Chargers | |
| John Hauser | Northern Illinois, 2008: defensive backs coach | Ohio | |
| P.J. Fleck | Northern Illinois, 2008: wide receivers coach; 2009: wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator | Western Michigan, Minnesota | |
| Jim Zebrowski | Northern Illinois, 2010: quarterbacks coach; Minnesota, 2011–15: quarterbacks coach | Lakeland | |
| A. J. Ricker | TCU, 2021: co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | Saint Joseph’s (IN) | |
| Doug Meacham | TCU, 2021: offensive coordinator and inside receivers and tight ends coach | Oklahoma State | |
| Tim Beck | TCU, 2021: offensive analyst; New Mexico State, 2022–23: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Pittsburg State | |
| Tony Sanchez | TCU, 2021: offensive assistant; New Mexico State, 2022–23: wide receivers coach | UNLV, New Mexico State | |
| John Mumford | New Mexico State, 2022: defensive line coach | Army, UL Monroe, Southeast Missouri State | |
| Nate Dreiling | New Mexico State, 2022–23: defensive coordinator | Utah State |
Other assistants under him (6)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Limegrover | Emporia State, 1999–2000: offensive line coach; Southern Illinois, 2001–07: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; Northern Illinois, 2008–10: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; Minnesota, 2011–15: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | |
| Matt Simon | Northern Illinois, 2010: offensive quality control | |
| Bill Miller | Minnesota, 2011–13: assistant head coach and linebackers coach | |
| Chad Glasgow | TCU, 2021: defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| Kenny Hill | TCU, 2021: quarterbacks coach | |
| Melvin Rice | New Mexico State, 2022–23: co-defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Minnesota | head coachbonuses up to $1,150,000; $375,000 in bonuses paid | $2,500,000 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Minnesota | head coachbonuses up to $1,150,000 | $2,100,000 USA Today | |
| 2013 | Minnesota | head coachbonuses up to $875,000 | $1,200,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Minnesota | head coachbonuses up to $875,000 | $1,200,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | Minnesota | head coachbonuses up to $875,000 | $1,700,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Kill’s teams went for it on 18% of fourth downs and on 32% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 39% of plays and took 27.3 seconds a play, 2008–2023.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 13 g | Northern Illinois | 19 of 89 21% | 38% | 40% | 27.9 | −0.02 | |
| 2009 12 g | Northern Illinois | 13 of 83 16% | 26% | 37% | 26.5 | +0.01 | |
| 2010 14 g | Northern Illinois | 14 of 82 17% | 25% | 38% | 23.5 | +0.14 | |
| 2011 11 g | Minnesota | 21 of 86 24% | 35% | 40% | 26.2 | −0.08 | |
| 2012 13 g | Minnesota | 17 of 105 16% | 27% | 42% | 26.0 | −0.09 | |
| 2013 13 g | Minnesota | 20 of 100 20% | 41% | 32% | 28.4 | +0.02 | |
| 2014 13 g | Minnesota | 9 of 92 10% | 21% | 32% | 28.1 | 0.00 | |
| 2022 12 g | New Mexico State | 13 of 87 15% | 38% | 42% | 28.7 | +0.01 | |
| 2023 15 g | New Mexico State | 19 of 93 20% | 40% | 46% | 30.0 | +0.13 | |
| All 116 g | 145 of 817 18% | 32% | 39% | 27.3 | +0.02 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.