Jerry Kill to take over New Mexico State football program

LAS CRUCES - Jerry Kill will be introduced as early as Monday afternoon as the next New Mexico State head football coach.

Multiple sources confirmed to the Sun-News that Kill, 60, will replace Doug Martin, whose contract will not be renewed after nine seasons. Kill is expected to be introduced via press conference on Monday.

The Aggies beat Massachusetts 44-27 on Saturday to finish Martin's ninth season with a 2-10 record and a 25-74 record overall as the Aggies head coach.

Kill, 60, has previously worked for New Mexico State athletics director Mario Moccia at Southern Illinois when Kill was the head coach there from 2001-2007 and Moccia was the AD.

Following Saturday's game, Moccia would not comment directly on Kill as it relates to the Aggies job, but does have a long standing relationship with Kill, who was most recently the interim coach at Texas Christian for the last three games of the season.

"I certainly worked directly with him at Southern Illinois," Moccia said. "It's a unique community where you know a lot of the donor, boosters and supporters. I have certainly kept in touch with him and his staff throughout the years.

"Just because it doesn't look like there is any movement on the street, there is always a subway system underneath."

Moccia described qualities he was searching for in the next head coach, including a proven record of success at programs with limited resources and a willingness to engage the community.

Kill is 153–99 overall including a 38-14 mark at Saginaw Valley State, a 55-32 record from 2001-2007 at Southern Illinois and a 29-29 record at Minnesota from 2011-15 with three bowl game appearances.

Moccia has not hired a football coach at NM State, but he compared Kill's credentials to current head basketball coach Chris Jans.

"Chris Jans was a coach for eight years in junior college and he had an 80 percent winning percentage and then when he got his shot at Bowling Green, he was a national coach of the year for first year coaches," Moccia said. "He had a proven record of winning. That is something you would always like to have."

Kill has not been a head coach since 2015, but his hire would make sense given the quick turnaround from the season with early signing day in December and the regular signing period in February with spring practice to follow.

Kill also has had serious medical issues. Suffering from epileptic seizures, Kill stepped away as head coach at Minnesota in 2015. He suffered a late game seizure against New Mexico State at Minnesota in 2011. Kill again suffered seizures while offensive coordinator at Rutgers in 2017. He has been at Texas Christian the past two years and finished the season as the interim head coach for the past four games following the firing of Gary Patterson.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Jerry Kill to take over New Mexico State football program