Jerry Kill, who has been the head coach at Northern Illinois since 2008, is the new head football coach at Minnesota. Kill had a record of 23-15 at NIU. His career coaching record is 127-73, which includes stops at Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois, and Northern Illinois. Seven out of Kill's nine assistant coaches have been with him for at least ten years, so it is likely that most if not all of his staff will be brought with him. If there are openings not filled by Kill's assistants from NIU, the coaching tree has come up with a few potential candidates:
OFFENSIVE ASSISTANTS
Dan Dodd is the offensive coordinator at Tulane, where he has been since 2007 after seven seasons in the same position at New Mexico. Minnesota is a step up from Tulane, but probably not enough to go from OC to position coach, so Dodd would only come as a coordinator. Chris Wiesehan is the wide receivers coach of the Winnepeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. He has experience coaching receivers, tight ends, and offensive line in the college ranks at UCLA and Syracuse, among others. Doug Downing finished his first season coaching running backs at Eastern Michigan. He was the RB coach at Toledo for 8 years.
COACHING TREE CONNECTIONS:
- Dan Dodd: Offensive coordinator at Western Illinois from 1991-95. Northern Illinois tight ends coach and long time Jerry Kill assistant Brian Anderson was the WR coach at Western Illinois in '95 and played at WIU from 1990-92.
- Chris Wiesehan: Graduate assistant at Notre Dame in 1997 and '98. Jay Sawvel, another longtime Jerry Kill assistant, was also a GA at Notre Dame ('96-98).
- Doug Downing: Coached at Western Illinois from 1990-98, when Brian Anderson was a player ('90-92) and WR coach ('95).
DEFENSIVE ASSISTANTS
Jay Hood is the defensive coordinator at Ball State, where he has been for two seasons. He was the DC at Miami (Ohio) from 2005-08. With a coaching change looming at Ball State, Hood is likely in need of a new job. Mike Fanoga is in his second year as the outside linebackers coach at Wyoming. Prior to going to Wyoming, Fanoga spent 19 seasons as a defensive line coach. Deion Melvin coaches linebackers and special teams at Ball State. He also has experience as a defensive coordinator, spending seven seasons running the defense at Missouri State. Melvin is also likely out of a job after Stan Parrish was let go at Ball State.
COACHING TREE CONNECTIONS:
- Jay Hood: Defensive coordinator at Millikin College from 1998-2003. Jim Zebrowski, who was Jerry Kill's new QB coach at NIU in 2010, was the offensive coordinator at Millikin from 2000-02.
- Mike Fanoga: Defensive line and special teams coach at Iowa Wesleyan from 1990-93. Pat Poore, the NIU WR coach and ten year assistant under Kill, was the offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan in 1992 and '93.
- Deion Melvin: LB coach at Western Illinois from 1993-98. He was on the WIU staff with Northern Illinois TE coach Brian Anderson in 1995.
Other names in consideration: Entire NIU Staff; Jaime Hill, Ex-BYU; Matt Sheldon, Vikings
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