Former Nebraska football coach Turner Gill and his staff will lead Liberty U into the FBS division.
While Nebraska football fans are desperately hoping that a former quarterback will return to Lincoln, they can be heartened to know another former QB is keeping his existing head coaching job. Turner Gill and the rest of his staff were given a vote of confidence by Liberty University’s Athletic Director on Thursday evening.
The move means Gill and his entire staff will return in 2018. Next year is a big one for Liberty, which will be making the move into the FBS ranks. The school will be doing so despite the fact that they don’t have a conference to go to.
There was some question as to whether or not Gill and company would return after a third straight 6-5 season. When he first arrived at Liberty, it appeared he had a more impressive trajectory.
While the team has struggled and missed the playoffs, Gill’s boss believes he’s the man to lead the program in the near future. “Coach Gill and I met to review the program at the end of the season,” Flames’ Athletic Director Ian McCaw said in a phone interview with NewsAdvance. “He’s someone who is a very Godly man, cares about his coaches, his staff, his student-athletes and represents Liberty in a first-class manner.
By bringing back Turner Gill, Liberty is also guaranteeing the jobs of a surprising number of former Nebraska football coaches and players that are on his staff. It’s a staff that has largely stayed in tack since Gill arrived at Liberty and several assistants joined him before that.