Turner Gill Continues To 'Press On' At Liberty Despite The Seeming Drop In Status

Turner Gill went from being a Big 12 head football coach to coaching in Division 1-AA. Yet his remarks on the move for the former Kansas Jayhawks coach are that his faith and values are leading him onward despite the obstacles he’s faced.

“Obviously, with my faith and scripture, it’s learning to press on towards the goal,” Gill said. “That’s what I do. I learn from what goes on each and every day. I kept believing in our ability. And by ours, I’m saying ours as a coaching staff, and my ability as a teacher and as a developer of talent.”

Charlie Weis was recently announced as the replacement for Turner Gill, who many believe was also let go too early. While Gill had a miserable first two seasons with the Jayhawks, winning only three games in his tenure including one lone Big 12 conference win, it often takes significant time to establish a winning program. It seems he will likely have a chance to not only be at Liberty for some time but also lead them to another level entirely.

As Jayson Jenks writes, “Gill could also lead Liberty into the FBS level of football. Liberty, a private Christian school, currently competes at the FCS level (formerly Division I-AA), but on Thursday the school announced it’s conducting an “FBS Feasibility Study” to determine if Liberty could move to the FBS level in the future.”

Liberty President: Turner Gill 'A Perfect Fit'

After an unbelievably inept 5-19 record in two years in Lawrence, it's somewhat hard to believe that former Jayhawks football coach Turner Gill was able to find a job so quickly.

However, he was one of the rising stars in the industry before taking the Kansas job, leading the University of Buffalo to a MAC championship in 2008.

It seems that Liberty, a Christian university in Lynchsburg, Virginia, was eager to hire Gill. In a school press release, president and chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. raved about the former Nebraska QB:

"Every indication is that he is a perfect fit for Liberty University. His experience is at the level where we would like to take our football program. His Christian faith is strong and sincere and what any new recruit would expect to see in a Liberty University head football coach. I think Liberty University and Turner Gill were made for each other."

A relatively new program that was founded in 1973, Liberty football has been one of the powers in the Big South conference in the FCS, winning four straight conference championships from 2007-2010 and beating Ball State, an FBS school, in 2010.

Turner Gill A Candidate For Liberty Head Coaching Vacancy

Former Kansas football head coach Turner Gill is the leading candidate to replace Danny Rocco as the head coach at Liberty.