MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota signed interim football coach Tracy Claeys to a three-year deal Wednesday, a move that had been widely expected since Claeys stepped in when Jerry Kill retired suddenly for health reasons.

Financial terms weren’t immediately released.

Kill resigned Oct. 28, saying he couldn’t do the job anymore while trying to maintain a healthy life with epilepsy. Claeys, the team’s defensive coordinator and a member of Kill’s staff through five different stops since 1995, was immediately made the interim coach.

Claeys previously served as acting head coach in 2013 when Kill stepped away for seven games to focus on his health after a series of seizures. The Gophers went 4-3 during that stretch, including consecutive wins against Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana and Penn State.

Since Claeys took over this season, the Gophers have lost to Michigan and Ohio State.

Claeys has assured players the staff’s philosophy won’t change because Kill has left the program.