Where Does Minnesota Go from Here After Jerry Kill's Decision to Retire?

When Minnesota announced the immediate retirement of Jerry Kill Wednesday morning, it left many fans looking back at all the Golden Gophers head coach had accomplished in the past four-plus seasons.

It also left some looking forward to where Minnesota goes from here.

In the immediate future, the Golden Gophers' road looks rocky, with consecutive games against No. 15 Michigan, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 10 Iowa ahead in the next three weeks. With what's left on its schedule—including games against Illinois and Wisconsin to close the season— Minnesota's final five opponents possess a combined 30-7 record.

Sitting at 4-3 on the year, the Golden Gophers' Big Ten West Division championship aspirations have all but disappeared. Bowl eligibility may even be a stretch at this point, as interim head coach Tracy Claeys inherits a team that may only be favored in one of its five remaining games.

But while what's left of the 2015 campaign paints a bleak picture for what's ahead for Minnesota, the future possesses plenty of promise in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Because while Kill's departure may have been abrupt, the Golden Gophers now find themselves with one of the more attractive head coaching vacancies in all of college football thanks in large part to their now-former head coach. In four-plus seasons under Kill, Minnesota compiled a 25-26 record, including consecutive 8-5 records in each of the past two years.

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Last year, the Golden Gophers contended for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game until the end of the regular season before participating in the Citrus Bowl against Missouri on New Year's Day. With a $190 million athletics facility on its way and the nation's No. 30 recruiting class for the 2016 cycle currently intact, Minnesota's next head coach could be walking into a situation already set up for success.

"The ability to advance our program to the national stage, a Jan. 1 bowl game, all of those competitive advantages have put Minnesota football on the map in the way that it wasn't before," university president Eric W. Kaler said during Wednesday's press conference announcing Kill's retirement.

While both Kaler and interim athletic director Beth Goetz declined to speak at length about the process they plan to use in selecting a new head coach, both said they were mindful of the timetable they currently find themselves facing. As the interim head coach, Claeys, who previously served as the Golden Gophers defensive coordinator, will get the first crack at proving he's the man for the job in Minneapolis, but with with the rough road Minnesota has ahead, that could be a tough sell.

Should the Golden Gophers falter in the coming weeks as expected, names will undoubtedly trickle out attached to Minnesota's vacancy.

Those jobs could include but won't be limited to the following candidates.

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Tony Dungy

The former Golden Gophers quarterback (1973-76) would be one of the bigger names linked the the Minnesota opening, given the current NBC analyst's track record as a head coach in the NFL. In 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, Dungy compiled a 139-69 record, winning Super Bowl XLI as head coach of the Colts at the end of the 2006 season.

Having just turned 60 years old, Dungy's age wouldn't necessarily be a concern, although it's worth noting that he hasn't been a head coach since retiring from the Colts sideline in 2008. Still, should his alma mater come calling, one would imagine Dungy would listen, especially given the resources the Golden Gophers have been pouring into their football program.

Dungy might be considered a long shot, but would certainly be considered a home run hire should a return to the North Star State ever come to fruition. In a league that already possesses Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and Mark Dantonio, Dungy would give Minnesota some much-needed star power in addition to a coaching resume that speaks for itself.

Matt Campbell

A rising star in the college coaching ranks, Campbell currently has his Toledo team undefeated at 7-0 and ranked 20th in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches poll. At 35 years old, Campbell is the second-youngest head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision and has already compiled a 33-13 record in his three-plus years in charge of the Rockets program.

At this point, it's not a matter of if, but rather when Campbell will make the jump from the Mid-American Conference to a Power Five job, and he could certainly do a lot worse than staying in the Midwest with Minnesota. The Massillon, Ohio, native has recruited well despite the competitive disadvantages that come with coaching in his conference, and currently lays claim to the nation's No. 65 overall class for 2016.

The Golden Gophers would be wise to make Campbell one of their primary targets in their upcoming search. But with vacancies across the country—and even the Big Ten—already opening up, Minnesota would likely be in for a fight when it comes to acquiring Campbell's services.

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P.J. Fleck

Another up-and-comer from the MAC, Fleck isn't quite as accomplished as Campbell, but he has received rave reviews for the way he's turned Western Michigan around after going 1-11 in his debut season in 2013. Last season, the Broncos saw their win total increase by eight before receiving a bid to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and this year Western Michigan is off to a 4-3 start, including losses to Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan State.

With five games left this season—including a regular-season finale against Campbell's Toledo—Fleck has an opportunity to bolster his resume and jump onto Minnesota's radar in the coming weeks. A former graduate assistant at Ohio State and wide receivers coach at Rutgers, Fleck has loose Big Ten ties, but at 34 years old, could ultimately find himself as one of the Golden Gophers' top targets should they opt to hire a younger head coach.

Brady Hoke

While Hoke may not have fared well in his first Big Ten go-round, compiling a 31-20 record in four seasons at Michigan, the former Wolverines head coach is sitting out the 2015 season in hopes of getting another Power Five conference job in 2016.

"I think the general scope would be hopefully be in a Power Five conference. I think that would be ideal," Hoke told SI.com's Campus Rush about his coaching aspirations for next season. "I haven't forgotten how to coach."

Wanting, of course, is just half the battle, as the feeling will have to be mutual with another school in order for Hoke to once again land one of the top openings in college football. While it was under a different administration, it's worth noting that the last time Minnesota had a head coaching vacancy, it targeted Hoke, who ultimately opted to leave San Diego State for Ann Arbor following the 2010 season.

Whether the Golden Gophers' current administration would have similar interest in Hoke remains to be seen. But with his Midwest ties and old-school approach, he could once again make for one of Minnesota's more intriguing candidates.

Chris Ash

One of college football's hottest coordinators, Ash helped transform Ohio State's defense from what was the Buckeyes' weakness in 2013 to one of the nation's best in the past two years. After ranking 112th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game two years ago, Meyer hired Ash from Arkansas to be his new defensive coordinator and Ohio State's secondary hasn't been the same since.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Last season, Ohio State's pass defense improved to 29th in the nation en route to the Buckeyes winning the national title, and this season OSU ranks fifth in the country in passing yards allowed per game. Ash has been one of the biggest reasons for the Buckeyes' dramatic turnaround, as his quarters system defense has proved to work wonders in Columbus.

"Words can't even describe how far we've come. It's a completely different unit," Ash said of the OSU defense last offseason. "Each player is better, each unit is better. The overall 'Silver Bullets' defense is better."

Having previously served as Wisconsin's defensive coordinator, Ash's Big Ten ties could be appealing to the Minnesota administration. The Buckeyes assistant will likely find himself with his own program to run sooner rather than later, and all factors considered, the Golden Gophers could prove to be the perfect fit.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Odds provided by Odds Shark. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.