Pete Thamel, ESPND23. December 2023, 5:31 p.m. ET
Two years after the unlikely revival of New Mexico State's football program, coach Jerry Kill is stepping down, sources told ESPN.
Kill's decision came in recent days and the school has already found an internal replacement in wide receivers coach Tony Sanchez, sources told ESPN. Sanchez is the former head coach at UNLV.
Kill led New Mexico State to one of the sport's most dramatic turnarounds in the last decade, finishing 17-11 in his two years as head coach. That included back-to-back bowl appearances and a 10-5 season in 2023, the school's first double-digit win season since 1960.
According to sources, the New Mexico State team was expected to hear the news in a team meeting Saturday afternoon.
Kill is an experienced head coach with stints in Minnesota, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois, among others. He also worked as an administrator and was an assistant at Rutgers, Virginia Tech and TCU.
Sanchez is a former successful high school head coach in the Las Vegas area who served as UNLV head coach for five years from 2015-2019. Sanchez posted a 20-40 record during that time, with his tenure best remembered for his important off-the-field achievements in the facilities and helping to modernize the program.
New Mexico State had lost both offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coach Cliff Odom since losing to Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 16. Moving to Sanchez could help maintain continuity and momentum in both the staff and the program.