Before we go where we’re about to go, it’s important to know there are zero reasons to suggest the Gophers will be looking for a new head football coach next year. However, Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans threw Jerry Kill’s name into a batch of speculation about who the next head coach at Michigan will be.
Michigan still has a head coach. His name is Brady Hoke. He’s on the proverbial hot seat as Michigan continues to slide into a state of mediocrity. If Hoke is let go, Thamel and Evans believe Kill would be a tremendous replacement. They write:
“Jerry Kill would be a wonderful fit in Ann Arbor, as all he’s done is win at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and now Minnesota. Kill’s epilepsy, which caused him to miss a handful of weeks during the 2013 season, could hurt his candidacy.”
Again, the Sports Illustrated article is purely speculation, and as Howard Sinker of the Star Tribune notes, it would be wise to use caution with a speculative piece like Sports Illustrated’s because mislabeling the article as a “rumor” or “report” can spread some false flames.
To repeat: SI isn’t reporting anything. It’s just a speculative piece based on opinion, as far as we can tell, anyway.
Meanwhile, in the Chicago Tribune today there is a headline applauding Kill’s success with the Gophers.
“Jerry Kill has brought Minnesota back to life,” the headline reads.
Tribune writer Shannon Ryan talked with Kill about improving his team every year, much like he did at Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois. The article is timely considering Kill will make a bit of a homecoming when the Gophers play the Illini on Saturday.
