Coming off an eight-win season, Minnesota coach Jerry Kill received a one-year contract extension and a raise of nearly $1 million per year Saturday.
The school announced that Kill's contract will now run through the end of the 2018 season and that he will be paid $2.1 million for the 2014-15 season. Kill was the lowest-paid coach in the Big Ten last year at $1.2 million.
The Gophers went 8-5 in Kill's third season at the helm, losing to Syracuse in the Texas Bowl. They also won four straight Big Ten games for the first time since 1973 and beat Nebraska and Penn State along the way.
Kill also dealt with health problems relating to his epilepsy. He took a leave of absence midway through the 2013 season. When he returned, he coached from the press box before resuming on-field coaching duties in the second half of the team's bowl game. The contract extension signals the school's belief in his ability to control his condition and remain coach.
"Jerry Kill is the right coach for the University of Minnesota," school president Eric Kaler said in a statement. "He has clearly moved our program forward, and I am pleased we have come to this agreement to secure his long-term leadership of Gopher football."
