MINNEAPOLIS -- Jerry Kill took over Minnesota's struggling football program and assessed that rebuilding the Gophers is going to take longer than he first anticipated.

The university agreed.

After working for more than eight months under the terms of an agreement struck when he was hired as the head coach, Kill finally signed his contract Tuesday -- getting two more years and a little bit more money than in the original framework of the deal.

His contract runs through the 2017 season and will pay him at least $1.2 million annually, half of that in base salary and the other half in supplemental compensation for appearances, endorsements and fundraising.

"We believe that Jerry Kill is the right guy. I'm convinced he is. He has brought a lot of energy to the program," athletics director Joel Maturi said.

The timing was certainly strange, given the 1-6 record for the Gophers. They've lost their first three Big Ten games by an average margin of 38 points.

But Maturi downplayed the delay and noted that the length of the deal is the same as what men's basketball coach Tubby Smith got when he was hired in 2007.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful to the lawyers, but I think Joel Maturi and Jerry Kill agreed upon the parameters of this contract a long time ago. There's a lot of things that go into contracts as far as the words are concerned," Maturi said.

Most important is the length.

The quick-fix approach is not part of his plan, and he persuaded the school to give him ample time to carry it out.

After new president Eric Kaler started his job this summer, Kill told him how much work needs to be done to turn the Gophers into a winning team, from roster-wide academic reform to stability on the coaching and support staff to positively changing the overall attitude and culture around the program.

Kaler signed off on stretching the deal from five years to seven years and promised Kill the school is committed to supporting the sport at a big-time level.

"It's a great vote of confidence. He's the boss and he's the president, and we're only going to be as good as he is," Kill said.

Kill has also dealt with a series of seizures that kept him away from the team for several days. He collapsed on the sideline at the end of the home opener Sept. 10 and spent five days in the hospital.

But Maturi said no health-related provisions were added to the contract to protect the university financially in case of future problems. He said the school has spoken extensively with medical professionals about Kill's condition.

"I believe he's going to be the football coach at Minnesota for a long time," Maturi said.