New Mexico State football coach Jerry Kill optimistic entering Year 2

LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State football's run to a 7-6 record and bowl game victory last season came as a surprise to many in college football, including head coach Jerry Kill.

Kill entered last season with tempered expectations in his first season taking over an independent program that had been to one bowl game since 1960. As the wins piled up in the second half of the season − and following the Aggies' victory − in the Quick Lane Bowl, Kill admitted the Aggies exceeded expectations.

Turning a program around is nothing new for Kill, but in the first year?

Now the question becomes: With a second recruiting class in place, key returners and entrance to Conference USA, can Kill and the Aggies do it again?

More: Six key returners for New Mexico State football to look out for in 2023

"We are going into a new conference with a lot of good teams and lot of good players, so I can't draw the line at how good we are going to be," Kill said. "Athletically, to this point and the way they have worked, I'm cautiously optimistic that we are going to have a good season again.

"We have our work cut out for us. We could have a better team, but we are going into a conference. We have to prove it on the field and see how we match up with the teams we are playing."

The Aggies have lost eight starters on defense, but Kill believes the roster is more athletic on that side of the ball. He also believes the returning experience on the offensive side of the ball will lead to more versatility.

"The kids came back and weren't out of shape, so if we keep going like we have been, I feel pretty good about our team," Kill said. "I think we had a good roster in the spring and we have added some more kids, and the freshmen are in. I think the big thing is we have more depth and more competition."

Kill adds former Minnesota running back to staff

Kill has added David Cobb to the staff as a consultant and NFL liaison.

Cobb rushed for 2,803 yards with 20 touchdowns at Minnesota under Kill from 2011-2014, setting a school single-season rushing record in 2014 with 1,626 yards as a senior before he was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

"He played in the NFL after he popped a hamstring against Wisconsin, and that hamstring never healed the way it should have and it ended up getting him," Kill said. "He's done a lot of that stuff that kids ask about, and he can do a lot of things for us."

Cobb had a two-year NFL career before starting his post-playing career as a scout with the Carolina Panthers.

"He will be a guy we can use in recruiting and analyzing film," Kill said. "He knows what a player looks like, and he will be involved in the offensive room, kind of like a graduate assistant."

Aggies add Utah State transfer tight end Ron Tiavaasue

Kill and offensive coordinator Tim Beck have continued to add to the tight end room. The Aggies signed junior college transfer KD Wells and Stony Brook transfer Tyler Devera during the 2022 signing period.

NM State has added Ron Tiafaasue, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound Utah State transfer.

Tiafaasue started his career with current Aggies offensive line coach Andrew Mitchell at Snow Junior College, where he had 12 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown from 2018-19 before transferring to Missouri State. Taifaasue had 21 receptions over two seasons for 247 yards in two seasons from 2020 to 2021. Tiafaasue played in four games last year at Utah State but did not record any stats.

Returning senior Thomaz Whitford and sophomore Trevor Stephens are the top tight ends on the Aggies roster, but the addition of an experienced player with size and speed and blocking ability will improve what is an important position for the Aggies moving forward.

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico State football coach Jerry Hill optimistic on Year 2