ESPN College Football

Look, I know that you're concerned, but I'm designing T-shirts now. They're gonna be huge. Also medium and small.

• Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says the department isn't facing any major violations right now. Former Buckeyes linebacker Andrew Sweat chooses safety over potential NFL stardom.
• Michigan State expects top quarterback Andrew Maxwell (knee) to be 100 percent by June. A look at several 2013 recruits Michigan State has offered.
• Jerry Kill says Minnesota needs a facilities upgrade soon. Minnesota's outgoing AD Joel Maturi weighs in on playoff possibilities and other Gopher-related topics.
• Penn State 2013 recruit Greg Webb talks about his recovery from a torn ACL. Lions coach Bill O'Brien reviews spring ball and looks ahead.
• Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is geared up for his second season in Bloomington. Wilson weighs in on the trickiness of non-league scheduling.
• BTN.com's Tom Dienhart looks at Week 3 in the Big Ten this season.
• Purdue offers scholarships to two teammates from Georgia (subscription required) who both play defensive end.
• Hail to the Orange writes that Illinois needs Tim Beckman to be its version of Hayden Fry.
• Great news as Iowa announcer Gary Dolphin is cancer free and ready for the 2012 season.
• Several freshmen offensive linemen could be in the mix for Michigan this year. Michigan's backup quarterbacks remain works in progress.
• A look back at Tom Rathman's 84-yard touchdown run for Nebraska in 1985.

Minnesota wisely chose to introduce Norwood Teague as its next athletic director Monday in the home locker room of TCF Bank Stadium. It was a reminder that football, more than any other varsity sport, drives an athletic program and must be supported and enhanced by the man leading the athletic department. Teague brings superb basketball credentials to the U, not least of which is his ability to both hire and retain Shaka Smart at VCU, where Teague has served as AD since 2006. He also has shown tremendous clout as a fundraiser. What he hasn't done is lead a department with an FBS football program, although he has worked in three departments that have them: North Carolina, Arizona State and Virginia.

Teague will start his new job July 1 if approved by the school's regents. He takes over for Joel Maturi, the Gophers' AD for the past decade.

"It's great to be back at a football school," Teague said at his introduction.

ESPN.com caught up with Minnesota's new AD on Monday to discuss the football-specific elements of his new job.

You mentioned your desire to be at a school with football. Why was it important for you?

Norwood Teague: I worked around football for 13 years, and I missed it. I love football and enjoyed my time at Virginia and Arizona State and North Carolina, and just wanted to get back into it. I'm excited for the opportunity.

What are some of the challenges that football presents when you're leading a department?

NT: It's just more demands. It's more demands on you financially, it's more demands as far as workload for a department. But that comes with it. Football, in so many ways, is the driver of college athletics. It's can be high-maintenance, but you love it, and you have to support it in the highest level, and that takes a lot of work, both from a funding standpoint and a headcount standpoint.

Minnesota has a big piece in place with the stadium. From your perspective, what's next for football? What needs to be done to further enhance that program?

NT: Well, the stadium certainly is a tremendous step in the right direction. Moving forward, I've got to evaluate the soft spots that we have with the football program. Coach [Jerry] Kill and I have had some dialogue, and I'll find out a whole lot more there. Marketing is always key. We've got a great marketing staff here, but I need to support them as best I can in order to fill seats and build the atmosphere in and around games. So, there's plenty to do. I've got a lot of evaluation in the next six months to get there, but I think the future's very bright.

What did you know about Coach Kill coming in, and what's your opinion of the head coach?

NT: Certainly the opinion with Gophers fans is very positive toward him. He is a relentless guy, and he is building a really solid program. Really I've heard nothing but great things about him here. I knew of him from a variety of different people who had worked with him in the past. I know the current athletic director [Jeff Compher] at Northern Illinois [where Kill worked previously] and I knew the previous one [Jim Phillips, who hired Kill at NIU]. So I've been thoroughly impressed. He's doing a great job, and he'll continue to do so here.

You mentioned in your news conference that [Big Ten commissioner] Jim Delany had a role in you going to VCU. What happened there?

NT: I called him, I think the day before I took the VCU job, because I was a little hesitant about going to a non-football job within college athletics. He was great in that he said, 'Your experience is vast in football over the last 13 years, so don't worry about that. I would go ahead and take that job, enjoy it, get great experience and you'll have the chance to take the next step soon.'

Did you have a chance to talk to him about this job?

NT: I have not. I looked forward to doing that. He is certainly arguably one of the more powerful guys in college athletics. I look forward to working with him, and he's really a visionary to say the least, someone who is very well respected.

You went up to Minnesota during Easter weekend before things really got going with the job. In talking to people, what was their feeling about the football program and what needs to happen to get it to the next level?

NT: I detected right away a very, very strong interest and passion in the program in wanting to win and wanting to compete at the highest level in the Big Ten and in the nation. I detected also that people believe that we can, and we should be. There's a strong, strong passionate following and a following that wants to succeed.

You did a lot of fundraising at VCU. How much easier was that process after a breakthrough like the Final Four last year? Does that need to happen at Minnesota before you make a lot of progress, or can you do so without a Big Ten title or a big-time bowl appearance?

NT: We had made some real progress before that and had a multimillion dollar expansion to our basketball arena, and 90 percent of the money was already committed before we went to the Final Four. Now when we went to the Final Four and had a shot in the arm like that, if anything, your expectations for yourself go up. I felt like as soon as that happened, we had to capitalize, so my sense of urgency was even greater. With that, there was a lot more work, and we were able to capitalize on it, but we had done so much good work beforehand and had so much in place, and I felt wonderful about that. The Final Four was more a sense of, 'Oh my gosh, we've got to capitalize on this.' We ran even harder and did a good job at capitalizing.

From talking to people there, do you get a sense of why it hasn't happened for Minnesota football? Great tradition going back decades and decades, but recently, they haven't had a breakthrough in football.

NT: There's probably a number of things I could venture to guess, but to be fair to the program, I've got to analyze that a little deeper. I'm sure playing in the Metrodome was not a help in the long run. Having an on-campus facility, that's just brilliant. I'm going to evaluate other areas to really get to that point, so it wouldn't be too fair for me to comment on that too much right now.

How familiar are you with the Big Ten, and what does it take to succeed in a conference where football really is the driving force?

NT: I'm very familiar. I have several good friends who are ADs in the league, and several that I've worked with. I know Mike Thomas very well at Illinois, Jimmy Phillips at Northwestern. I know Gene Smith at Ohio State very well. So I'm well aware of the league. I've never been in the league, but I know what it takes, and I'm excited to get rolling here.

As expected, Minnesota has hired Norwood Teague as its next athletic director and will introduce him at a news conference scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET.

Teague, the only finalist for Minnesota's AD vacancy, has led VCU's athletic department since 2006. Under his leadership, VCU's annual fund has increased by 119 percent. He'll succeed Joel Maturi, who will retire from Minnesota on June 30 after 10 years as the school's athletic director.

The Big Ten Network and BTN2Go will broadcast the news conference live. We'll have a wrap-up later today on what Norwood says, particularly in relation to football. The news conference, by the way, will take place in Minnesota's mammoth home locker room at TCF Bank Stadium. Nice touch.

Minnesota on Sunday named VCU athletic director Norwood Teague as the lone finalist for its vacant athletic director position.

Teague, who has led VCU's athletic department since 2006, will visit Minnesota's campus Monday and interview with university president Eric Kaler and the search advisory committee, and meet with coaches, faculty members and others. Given these tributes, his visit seems like a formality as he's clearly Minnesota's choice for the position.

Minnesota is looking to replace Joel Maturi, who announced in February he will retire from his post June 30.

Minnesota says Teague is one of approximately 40 candidates to apply for the position. The pool included women, people of color and non-traditional candidates.

Teague is best known for both hiring and retaining Shaka Smart, considered the nation's top young college basketball coach. Smart guided VCU to its first-ever Final Four appearance in 2011. Smart received opportunities to leave VCU after the Final Four run and after this past season, but he chose to remain.

Teague also has held positions at North Carolina, Arizona State and Virginia, including director of basketball operations for Virginia. Here's his VCU bio.

He has extensive basketball experience, but he hasn't led an athletic department with a varsity football program. Minnesota is certainly looking for a boost on the gridiron, where it hasn't captured a Big Ten title since 1967.

Minnesota on Tuesday announced it will use a four-member search committee and the Parker Executive Search firm to identify Joel Maturi's successor as athletic director.

The search committee will conduct semifinalist interviews and report to university president Eric Kaler. Minnesota also has assembled a 21-member search advisory committee, which will identify the qualities sought for the next athletic director, finalize a job description and forward names to the search committee.

Minnesota wants to determine its finalists by late April and announce the new AD in early May. Kaler wants to have the new athletic director start July 1, the day after Maturi officially retires. Maturi has served as Minnesota's AD since July 12, 2002.

The search committee includes:

• R. Timothy Mulcahy, vice president for research, University of Minnesota
• Mary Jo Kane, director, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, University of Minnesota
• Amy Phenix, chief of staff, Office of the President, University of Minnesota
• John E. Lindahl, managing general partner, Norwest Equity Partners

The search advisory committee includes faculty, staff, students, community leaders and alumni. Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray is on the committee, along with men's hockey coach Don Lucia, football operations director Dan O'Brien and athletics compliance director JT Bruett.

One name Minnesota reportedly can scratch off its list is Iowa athletic director Gary Barta, a Minneapolis native. An Iowa spokesman told the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press that Barta is happy staying put.

Minnesota's search for a new athletic director might not be limited to sitting ADs.

What about a conference commissioner running the school's athletic department?

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson told the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press' Marcus Fuller that he's "open" to discussing the athletic director vacancy at Minnesota, his alma mater. Thompson has deep roots at Minnesota, as his brother and several other family members attended or currently attend the U. He grew up about 115 miles West of Minneapolis in Redwood Falls, Minn.

"But there would be a million questions to learn more about the position," he told the Pioneer Press. "Is there a budget deficit? Is fundraising the issue? Is the focus on rebuilding the football program? Are there academic concerns? Is there a support system to graduate student-athletes? There would be a lot more to know about the needs and wants of the athletic department before you can even think about taking the next step."

Thompson has been a conference commissioner since 1987, leading the American South Conference for four years, the Sun Belt Conference for eight years, and the Mountain West since its inception in 1999. It might make sense for him to make a move now, as the Mountain West and Conference USA are discussing a merger. Also, Thompson helped build the Mountain West into the nation's best BCS non-automatic qualifying conference, only to see the league lose its top two teams (Boise State and TCU) in the latest round of realignment.

He hasn't worked for a university since 1980, when he worked in Kansas State's sports information department. But he's certainly an intriguing candidate if Minnesota chooses to go that route.

Other potential candidates, according to the Pioneer Press, include Stony Brook AD Jim Fiore, former NFL coach and Minnesota alum Tony Dungy, former Minnesota Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond and Iowa AD Gary Barta, who is from Minneapolis.

Back from some basketball moonlighting:

• Kirk Ferentz's staff changes show that he's not a major overhaul kind of guy. Mike Hlas weighs in with some thoughts on the Hawkeyes' coaching moves.
• Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon isn't sold on the idea of a college football playoff. Junior Hemingway was the victim of a burglary.
• Ohio State AD Gene Smith says he's among those open to the playoff idea.
• The Big Ten is being practical with its playoff proposal, Dan Wetzel writes.
• Police have denied that they used unnecessary force in a traffic stop of former Michigan State defensive back Trenton Robinson. A Cleveland-area wide receiver accepted a spot as a preferred walk-on for the Spartans.
• Fundraising will be a huge part of the next Minnesota AD's job. The Minnesota president talks about why Joel Maturi's retirement needed to happen this year.
• Jared Crick is healing and trying to get ready for an NFL career.
• SI.com is no fan of Penn State's recruiting class, giving it an 'F'. The Joe Paterno memorial services cost about $29,000.
• Danny Hope expects that changes on staff will help improve Purdue's defense.
• New Wisconsin assistant Eddie Faulkner can use his experiences as a Badger to be an effective recruiter.

As Carlos Boozer would say when grabbing an uncontested rebound, "Gimme dat!"

• More on the Big Ten's college football playoff proposal here and here and here.
• Urban Meyer is showing the Big Ten how to compete with the SEC, Bob Hunter writes. Ohio State recruiting target Stefon Diggs will make his college choice Friday.
• Some advice for new Penn State coach Bill O'Brien on how to follow a legend. Penn State students welcome O'Brien back to campus.
• A former Wisconsin administrator faces more misconduct allegations. Eddie Faulkner talks about returning to his alma mater and coaching a new position.
• Some good insight on Iowa's coordinator candidates from The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette crew. Before teaming up on the gridiron at Iowa, Mitchell Keppy and Reid Sealby face off on the wrestling mat.
• Former Michigan Star star Greg Jones gets a ring (Super Bowl) and gives one (engagement) Sunday night. Spartans safety Trenton Robinson claims his civil rights were violated during a traffic stop.
• Michigan receiver Junior Hemingway has his Sugar Bowl swag stolen.
• Michigan sells out its ticket allotment for the season opener against Alabama. In case you missed it, Michigan already has three commits for the 2013 class.
• Minnesota AD Joel Maturi discusses his impending retirement.
• New Illinois offensive coordinator Billy Gonzales took an interesting route in his career. Illini receiver/punter Ryan Lankford will run track this offseason.
• Former Northwestern star Frank Aschenbrenner, who earned MVP honors in the 1949 Rose Bowl, passes away.
• Purdue linebacker Joe Holland gears up for the NFL draft.

I love riddles!

• In case you missed it, here's the Sporting News story in which Bret Bielema criticizes Urban Meyer's recruiting methods.
• As Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi announced his retirement, the legacy of his botched hire of Tim Brewster remains, Patrick Reusse writes. The next Gophers AD needs to be a big-time fundraiser, Chip Scoggins writes.
• LeVar Woods could be in line for an open assistant coaching job at Iowa. New York Giants linebackers coach Jim Herrmann shot down rumors that he'll be the next Hawkeyes defensive coordinator.
• A 26-year-old Australian power lifter could end up playing football at Michigan State. Mark Dantonio isn't Tom Izzo, but he's still a rock star for the Spartans. Kyle Kerrick is getting a head start on the other receivers in Dantonio's class of '12.
• Indiana recruited some guys who look more like Big Ten players, with an emphasis on the word "big" (subscription required).
• Michigan's four incoming linebacker recruits are flexible enough to play on the inside or outside. The backyard recruiting brawl between the Wolverines and Michigan State is back in full force.
• Players seem receptive to the changes going on at Penn State. The Lions have plenty of company when it comes to recruiting Pennsylvania.
• Jim Tressel can put his coaching skills to work in a different role at Akron.

There will be new leadership in Minnesota's athletic department at the start of the 2012-13 sports season as Joel Maturi announced Thursday he will retire June 30.

Maturi's retirement isn't a major surprise, as many projected the 67-year-old to step down in the next year or so. Minnesota president Eric Kaler said Thursday that Maturi will work with him on fundraising and special projects following his retirement. Kaler said he and Maturi reached a mutual decision that Maturi would step down at the end of June.

Kaler said Minnesota will look both nationally an internally for Maturi's replacement, which Kaler expects to have in place by July 1.

How should Maturi's tenure as Minnesota's AD be viewed? The athletic program had no major scandals under his watch, which hadn't been the case in previous decades. He also helped bring football back to campus with the construction of TCF Bank Stadium, one of the best new facilities in college football. Maturi also made a splash with the hiring of men's basketball coach Tubby Smith in 2007.

But if ADs are ultimately judged by the success of their high-profile programs, Maturi fell short. His hiring of football coach Tim Brewster turned out very badly, and the prolonged search for Brewster's successor last year didn't look good, either. Maturi made some candid, eyebrow-raising comments after firing Brewster and during the process of hiring Jerry Kill.

From the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press:

Last season, his football team, his men's and women's basketball teams, and his men's hockey team all failed to make a national postseason appearance. The last time all four teams did not make a bowl or NCAA tournament was the 1997-98 season. The last time there was no bowl, NCAA tournament or NIT or WNIT appearance was the 1983-84 season.

Maturi also was criticized for buyouts paid to fired coaches like Brewster, former football coach Glen Mason and former basketball coach Dan Monson.

He seemed to have respect throughout Big Ten circles, and he was always forthright in our interactions.

"I know the job," Maturi said Thursday. "Many base my success on wins and losses. I'm not worried about Joel Maturi's legacy. I leave ... feeling good."

Maturi's departure doesn't significantly impact Kill, because it always seemed likely Maturi would step down before any decision on Kill's future would be made. Kill took the job knowing he'd likely have a new boss in the near future.

Then again, new athletic directors usually like to have their guys in place, and Kill will have to prove himself to Maturi's successor. It'll be interesting to see where Minnesota goes with the hire.

You want a prediction about the weather? You're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be gray, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.

• Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi will retire from his post June 30.
• In case you missed them, here are ESPN Recruiting's grades for the Big Ten classes. Here's another Big Ten recruiting rundown from the Chicago Sun-Times.
• The in-state recruiting battle is back between Michigan and Michigan State, Bob Wojnowski writes.
• Don't blame Urban Meyer or other coaches for flipping recruits, Rob Oller writes. Meyer defends his aggressive approach to recruiting, Doug Lesmerises writes.
• Wisconsin's Bret Bielema reached out to Meyer about what he thought were shady recruiting practices. A good roundup of Wisconsin recruiting links.
• Michigan refocused its recruiting on the Midwest and benefited from it, Michael Rosenberg writes. A look at how Michigan's recruits fit into the team's depth chart.
• Some good Iowa signing day takeaways from Marc Morehouse. Iowa is close to filling its two assistant vacancies, including defensive coordinator.
• Despite some key losses, Bill O'Brien and his Penn State assistants held their recruiting class together. O'Brien and chief recruiter Larry Johnson will make in-state prospects the focus of future classes. O'Brien is already being more transparent about recruiting than his predecessor.
• Lineman Ryan Watson headlines Purdue's 2012 recruiting class. The Boilers' staff went beyond the norm in putting together the class.
• Minnesota coach Jerry Kill brought his wife on some recruiting trips because of his recent seizures.
• Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald isn't a fan of the signing day hype despite landing a solid class (interesting quote from Ifeadi Odenigbo at the bottom). More from Fitzgerald on the recruiting haul.
• Michigan State receiver transfer DeAnthony Arnett waits to see if he'll be allowed to play this fall. Urban Meyer is an enemy of Sparta, Drew Sharp writes.
• Illinois' first signing day event under Tim Beckman was more of a quaint affair, but it has the potential to grow. The Illini class is mostly Midwest-based.
• Losing Andrus Peat stings for Nebraska, but the Huskers addressed defensive needs in their class, Sam McKewon writes. Bo Pelini shares his thoughts on the class. Thankfully, no one was injured in a car accident involving Pelini later Wednesday.
• Kevin Wilson discusses Indiana's recruiting class, saying it was a "tough fight" to national signing day.

Once again, we'll split up the links between what's going on in State College and the rest of the Big Ten:

Penn State

• Joe Paterno is retiring from Penn State after the season.
• There's a battle brewing inside the Penn State board of trustees over this scandal.
• A closer look at Graham Spanier and his now tarnished legacy as school president.
• Penn State has handled this nightmare in the worst way possible, Gene Collier writes.
• The school's facade has crumbled, Pat Forde writes.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten

• The Illinois defense has played hard enough and well enough to win the past three games and will need to be good again versus Michigan.
• Teddy Greenstein has his latest handicapping of the Big Ten race to Indy.
• Nebraska's banged-up defensive line has a contingency plan in place. Minnesota AD Joel Maturi is trying to learn from the Penn State scandal.
• Luke Fickell wants more takeaways from Ohio State's defense. Buckeyes players see big things ahead for their once shaky season.
• Minnesota players are still steamed about last year's game against Wisconsin.
• Al Borges' mission: make Denard Robinson a better quarterback.
• A back injury could sideline Purdue G Peters Drey for the rest of the year.
• Michigan State should get three starters back for the Iowa game. The Spartans try to end their slide at Kinnick Stadium.
• Wisconsin's kick coverage unit must get better. The Badgers are still looking for locally grown beef in their 2012 recruiting class.
• Iowa needs defensive end Lebron Daniel to stay on the field.
• It's back to the basics for Indiana during the bye week.

Squirrel up!

• Illinois is ready to ride its Ford. Why has a promising season slipped off the track for the Illini?

• All three of former Indiana coach Bill Mallory's sons have gone into coaching, including two at Big Ten schools. Kevin Wilson might not recruit a quarterback in this class after losing Gunner Kiel.

• It's still hard to figure out how Iowa lost to Minnesota last year. Speaking of figuring out, the Hawkeyes are still trying to find answers on defense.

• Michigan coordinator Al Borges sees no reason to panic after the Wolverines' bad performance at Michigan State. He'd like more production from his tailbacks, though. An excerpt from a book about the Rich Rodriguez years focuses on how the NCAA investigation impacted the program.

• Michigan State has redefined itself as a true Big Ten power. William Gholston sprinted to Spartan Stadium as the Hail Mary pass was being executed.

• Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi better hope his third football coaching hire works out better than the first two.

• Nebraska hopes its no-huddle offense can help tire out the Michigan State defense. Brandon Kinnie's production is down, but the receiver is staying steady.

• Pat Fitzgerald sizes up the state of Northwestern in this video.

• Bret Bielema wishes Terrelle Pryor was still around, for one reason. Ohio State is downplaying the revenge factor, but the Buckeyes have a lot on the line this week against the Badgers.

• Purdue quarterback Rob Henry talks about his involvement with a petition asking for more money for college athletes.

• Matt McGloin is the starting quarterback at Penn State, no matter what the Lions coaches say.

• Wisconsin is looking to fix its special-teams breakdown from the Michigan State loss. Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis could use a little help from some other receivers.

I wrote earlier about Jerry Kill signing a seven-year deal with Minnesota. The first-year Gophers coach talked about his new deal during his weekly news conference and on the Big Ten coaches' call this afternoon.

Kill said he, school president Eric Kaler and athletic director Joel Maturi were all on board with a longer contract to help the rebuilding process.

"The situation that we are in -- and I'm not blaming anybody, it's just the situation that we are in -- is that we have some things that we've got to get corrected," Kill said. "I think that coming in, there were more things than I thought and even probably Joel thought. There were some things in there that's going to take time. We have got some issues from academics to different things."

At his previous stops, Kill said, the key to winning has always been having strong leadership at the top, starting with the school president. Now he has a vote of confidence from the man in charge and knows there will be at least some patience in this process, though that can always change if too many losses continue to mount.

"It gives you time," Kill said. "Sometimes if you don't think you have time, you try to do things the quick-fix way. We're all that way. This allows us to make sure we don't go the quick-fix route and make sure we're sound in the decisions we're making."

Kill said everything from the academic center to weight training must be addressed. He'll also have to change the defeatist attitude around the Gophers. Kill's brother came to town and attended a pep rally on Friday night before the Nebraska game. While walking out, he was spotted by a security guard who asked if he was the coach's brother. When he said yes, the security guard told him, "They ain't never going to win here at Minnesota. Ain't happening."

Kill understands the frustration and wants to reward some loyalty. He said he and his wife will pay to feed lunch to the students who attend Gophers' games, a cost of about $4,000.

"We need everybody to help us go this direction," he said. "I can't tell you the number of kids that come up through my office and say, 'Hey, thanks, Coach,' and I'm sitting there going, 'Wait a minute. We're 1-5, we are not doing very well. What are you thanking me for?'

"So there's some good youngsters at this school, and you know, it's been tough times for them, too. And we want to try to hold them in there and we need them."

The timing is curious, to say the least.

Minnesota announced on Tuesday that first-year head coach Jerry Kill had signed a seven-year contract that runs through 2017. The announcement comes just a few days after the Gophers lost their fourth straight game to fall to 1-6 on the season. They have been outscored 144-31 in their three Big Ten losses. And Kill has twice been hospitalized this season already for his seizure problems, which flared up at the end of the New Mexico State game in Week 2.

Kill had been coaching without a signed contract, as the school and Kill's representatives negotiated language in the contract he was offered last winter. So this should be viewed as more like a finalization of a deal than the beginning of a new one.

Except ...

Kill was originally offered a five-year contract, but the school decided to add two extra years on top of that. That's a pretty bold sign of faith in a coach who has yet to prove he can compete in the Big Ten, and one who has had a history of medical problems. Minnesota hasn't just been bad; it has been one of the worst teams in the BCS AQ conferences, if not the worst. Did the Gophers really need to add two extra years at this time? Why not see how the next year or so goes just to be sure? Athletic director Joel Maturi's own status is not exactly the most secure in the world, and other schools aren't making a beeline to the Twin Cities to try to lure Kill away.

On the other hand, Kill is a proven program builder, albeit at lower levels than the Big Ten. Minnesota looks like a serious rebuilding project, and the best bet for getting this team back to being competitive is to formulate a good plan and stick to it. Kill said recently that he and his staff are monitoring 63 players on the roster to make sure they're attending class. He has also said it will be more than a one-, two- or even three-year process. The Gophers only have 41 upperclassmen on the roster and are carrying 78 true freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores on their 119-man roster (including walk-ons). The painful experience of this year may make those younger players better down the line.

Kill may be exactly what Minnesota needs -- a guy who will approach the rebuilding project in a no-nonsense manner, and one who is not necessarily looking to parlay this into a better job as quickly as possible. The Gophers are banking on Kill being the right guy for the long term.

It's an admirable show of faith. They'd better be right.