When Jerry Kill suddenly resigned as the head coach at Minnesota midway through the 2015 season, it looked very unlikely that he would ever step back on the sidelines.

Kill pointed to health issues – a longstanding battle with epilepsy – as the primary reason for his decision. And his press conference, you could hear the disappointment in his tearful sendoff.

But a year-and-a-half later, Kill’s health has improved and he’s headed back to the sidelines. And he sat down with Sports Illustrated to discuss his new roll as the offensive coordinator at Rutgers.

It’s a great opportunity. I didn’t know if I’d get that opportunity again through battling epilepsy. I’ve had a great year. I’ve had no seizures. For Chris [Ash] to give me this opportunity, I think he gave it to me for two reasons. One, certainly to help out the offense, but the other, I’ve been a part of turnaround programs my whole life.

Kill is an expert at turning around programs, turning Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Minnesota into consistent winners after inheriting losing squads. And after a 2-10 season in Piscataway, Ash could certainly use that know-how.

Offensive coordinator will be a new role for Kill, after spending his last 21 seasons as a head coach. In seven-and-a-half seasons at the FBS level, Kill tallied a 52-45 record, including a 29-29 mark at Minnesota.

Regardless of how Kill is rejoining the game, it’s good to see the longtime head coach get another opportunity and back on the football field.