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There are still at least two more games in the 2021 season for the Minnesota Gophers football team, but Tuesday morning some news broke that suddenly made at least many members of the Twin Cities media look much further ahead to the opener of the 2022 season.
Football Scoop broke the news Tuesday morning that Doug Martin is not expected to return as the head coach of New Mexico State next season. You of course are asking why we would care. Well....this is why:
Sources: New Mexico State is expected to target Jerry Kill as their next head coach https://t.co/sqL5kedtDV
— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) November 23, 2021
New Mexico State’s AD is now Mario Moccia, who previously served as Southern Illinois’ AD while Kill was the head coach there. Kill currently is serving at the intern head coach at TCU after his best friend Gary Patterson stepped down earlier in the season.
Again...on the surface, most people would be like, ok, good for Jerry. Hopefully his health is in check and he won’t be harming himself by going back to coaching full time. Then you check out New Mexico State’s 2022 football schedule:
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They open at home in a Week 0 game against Nevada and then five days later they play at.....does that say what I think it says?
Yes, New Mexico State’s second game of the season will be the Thursday night opener at Huntington Bank Stadium again....the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Whoooo Boy. Also enjoy that trip to Madison two weeks later Jerry....no bad memories in that stadium I’m sure...
Of course also if you remember Jerry was not exactly happy with the U when he left, and especially after Tracy Claeys was let go in favor of....PJ Fleck. Thanks to Ryan Burns for the memory:
Jerry Kill in 2017
— Ryan Burns (@RyanBurnsMN) November 23, 2021
“I won’t be stepping foot back in the stadium, and I won’t be stepping back into the University."
Jerry Kill in 2022 (potentially)
"Let's go Aggies", as he steps back onto Minnesota's campus https://t.co/x2VrSB9cDp
It literally is the Twin Cities media’s wet dream. And it is going to make next September 1st one of the more interesting non-conference home games in some time around here. Unfortunately it will probably be on BTN, not Aggie Vision, but we can’t win them all.