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Minnesota is sticking with football coach Tim Brewster, his vow to advance the program unfulfilled through three topsy-turvy seasons.
Brewster and the university agreed Friday to a two-year contract extension through the 2013 season. Both sides declined to reveal terms of the deal before Brewster, who was out of town, signs it next week.
``I'm really pleased, obviously,'' Brewster said in a phone interview. ``It's a nice compliment to our program. We're just continuing the process of building the program that can compete for a championship. We've taken some very positive steps.''
The agreement was reached five days before national signing day, a sign of continuity that could help persuade recruits to choose the Gophers.
After a five-game losing streak to finish the 2008 season and a lifeless performance by the offense down the stretch in 2009, Brewster's future came into question. Minnesota managed a total of seven points in losing road games to conference powers Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa.
Director of athletics Joel Maturi, however, has been committed to patience with a first-time head coach.
``I believe he's earned the opportunity to lead his recruits,'' Maturi said. ``During the course of this past season, I thought it was in the right interest of the program to get an extension done.''
Brewster signed a five-year contract when he was hired in 2007 worth $1 million annually. Including a 1-11 finish in his first season, the Gophers are 14-24 with him in charge.
They've lost in the Insight Bowl each of the last two years, taking some of the luster off of gleaming TCF Bank Stadium. It opened on campus last fall, when Minnesota moved from the downtown Metrodome after 27 seasons.
``We've got a stadium to sell here. We've got a commitment to our program at its highest level in years,'' Maturi said. ``Obviously what we're all hoping for is what coach Brewster is hoping for. We all want this program to get to the next level. That next level to us is a top-three finish in the Big Ten and a Rose Bowl appearance.
``Many Gopher coaches have been saying that for the last 50 years, but they haven't been able to do it. We've obviously got some work to do.''
There has been some off-the-field instability, too.
In the last month, three players have been accused of off-field problems. One of them, promising running back Kevin Whaley, will transfer. Brewster will also use his third offensive coordinator in four years with Jeff Horton, who replaced Jedd Fisch after he took a job with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.
Maturi said the rest of the coaching staff will be retained.
Had Brewster been fired, the school's buyout obligation would have been $800,000, the sum of his $400,000 base salary over the remaining two years of the current contract.
