Jerry Kill resigns, Tony Sanchez takes over at New Mexico State
Jerry Kill has resigned after two seasons as the head coach at New Mexico State, the school announced on Saturday. Kill went 17-11 overall with back-to-back bowl appearances, the first head coach to do that with the Aggies in over 60 years.
“Firstly, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the New Mexico State administration—President Jay Gogue, Mario Moccia, and Braun Cartwright,” Kill said in a statement. “They’ve been invaluable in our achievements over the last two years. I also want to express my deep gratitude to the people of Las Cruces. Aggie Nation has been incredibly supportive, and I will always be thankful for the opportunity I was given to lead their team.
“This year has been tremendously difficult for me, and I gave it everything I had physically, mentally and emotionally. New Mexico State holds a special place in my heart as it marks the end of my journey as a head coach. While I’ll remain involved with the Aggies, I recognize the need for a head coach with a lot of energy. Good luck to Coach Sanchez, the student-athletes and New Mexico State University.”
Kill will be replaced by WRs coach, NMSU alum and former UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez, who has been back on the staff at his alma mater since Kill was hired in 2022.
He takes the reigns of a program coming off a 10-win season and 7-1 finish in their first year of Conference USA play. Led by CUSA Offensive POY QB Diego Pavia, the Aggies reached the CUSA title game (a loss to Liberty) and the New Mexico Bowl (a loss to Fresno State).
A two-year wide receiver for the Aggies himself, Sanchez had great success as a high school head coach before joining the college ranks. In six seasons at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas, Sanchez went 85-5 overall and a perfect 37-0 in conference play to win six-straight league titles. That success landed him the UNLV job in 2015, though he never finished with a winning record in five seasons at the helm there and was let go in November 2019. He spent the 2021 season at TCU before returning to Las Cruces in 2022 to coach WRs.
