Southern Illinois Extends Coach Nick Hill Through 2029 Season

Nick Hill is staying in Carbondale, and Southern Illinois athletic director Tim Leonard made no attempt to hide the ambition behind the decision.

"We want to win a national championship with Nick Hill at the helm, and we believe that we can do that," Leonard said when announcing the four-year contract extension that keeps Hill with the Salukis through the 2029 season. "Coach Hill brings passion and energy to our program, and we are investing in football at a level that reflects that commitment."

The extension, announced March 18, comes after Hill completed his 10th season as head coach in 2025. According to Paxton Media, Hill had one year remaining on his existing deal, and the new agreement adds three years. Hill, a Du Quoin, Illinois native, has roots at SIU that run deeper than the coaching staff: he led the Salukis as starting quarterback from 2006 to 2007, setting school records and guiding them into postseason play, before returning as quarterbacks coach in 2014, earning a promotion to co-offensive coordinator in 2015, and taking over as head coach in 2016.

The numbers Hill has built since then make the extension easy to justify. He is tied with Jerry Kill for the most wins in the modern era of the program, with 55. SIU has appeared in three FCS playoffs under Hill: reaching the quarterfinals in 2020, the round of 16 in 2021, and the round of 16 again in 2023, when the Salukis dismantled Nicholls 35-0 in the first round before falling 20-17 in overtime to No. 4 Idaho. Hill has also beaten three FBS programs: UMass 45-20 in 2019, Northwestern 31-24 on the road in 2022, and Northern Illinois 14-11 in 2023. Since 2016, his teams have gone 16-0 against nationally ranked FCS opponents. The program has appeared in the FCS Top 25 for 62 consecutive weeks, including the entire 2025 season, and peaked at No. 3 overall in 2021.

The 2025 season went 7-5 overall and 4-4 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, but the offense gave reason for genuine optimism. SIU averaged 36.4 points per game, ranking 12th nationally and marking the program's highest scoring average since 2007. The Salukis also ranked among the FCS leaders in rushing offense, third-down conversion rate, and red-zone efficiency. They closed the regular season by blowing out Illinois State 37-7. Quarterback DJ Williams finished third in the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year race and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Cornerback Jeremiah McClendon earned All-MVFC First Team honors. Hill has produced 12 All-Americans and eight NFL players during his tenure, including safety Jeremy Chinn, cornerback Madre Harper, and tight end MyCole Pruitt.

Hill's own comments framed the extension less as a contract negotiation and more as a homecoming ratified on paper.

"I feel like God's always directed my road back here to southern Illinois," Hill said. "I love living here, and when you're happy off the field, and your family's happy, that allows you to be a better coach. This is home to me."

He added: "This is where I want to be, this is where my family wants to be. We're in that constant pursuit to bring championships here to Saluki Football."

SIU's last national championship came in 1983. With a dominant offense returning its pieces, a coach who has never stopped believing in the program, and an athletic director willing to say out loud what most administrators keep to themselves, the 2029 timeline Leonard set is less a contract deadline than a statement of intent.