Turner Gill quickly has proven to be an excellent college football coach, the Mid-American Conference coach of the year for 2007, in fact.

Of course, Gill avoids talking much about himself. You know Turner — not exactly a tireless self-promoter.

However, Ron Brown will inform you in great detail — if you happen to ask, as I did Tuesday — about Gill’s prowess as a head coach.

Brown rejoined Nebraska’s staff Monday as tight ends coach after a four-year break from the business. He’ll hit the recruiting trail Thursday feeling invigorated and excited about his opportunity and the man for whom he’s working, new head coach Bo Pelini.

Throughout the flurry of activity this week, Brown remained mindful of Gill, the beloved former Nebraska quarterback and current head coach at Buffalo, who last week interviewed for the Husker head coaching position.

Brown, in fact, is concerned Gill might fade quickly from people’s minds now that Pelini has been hired.

“How do you just write him off?” Brown asks, sitting in Barney Cotton’s office in North Stadium (Brown was unsure which office will be his).

“Turner just kind of disappears into the sunset to a degree.“

Brown dislikes that notion. He talks about life’s ironic twists and turns. He thinks of his close friend Turner. He thinks of Tom Osborne, who made what must have been a difficult decision in hiring Pelini over Gill and four others. Everything moved so quickly in recent days, Brown says. Boom, Pelini was hired. Boom, Pelini contacted and hired Brown. Boom, Brown passed an NCAA recruiting test and prepared for duty.

Pelini often has told me he would’ve hired Brown no matter where Pelini ended up as a head coach. Pelini obviously has high regard for Brown, and vice versa. Yet Brown also greatly admires Gill. Brown was in a unique position in being sought after by both men.

“It’s a sensitive kind of deal,” Brown says in a quiet tone.

He tries to take a “practical business man’s view of the situation,” he says. “I guess I should have tougher skin.“

Brown pushes forward with competing emotions. There’s the heart-racing excitement of diving back into coaching, of working for a man (Pelini) that Brown regards as a rising star in the coaching business, of plugging away in a program that’s been so good to him, of toiling under a bona-fide legend in Osborne.

Weigh all that against Brown’s strong feelings for a friend in Gill, who was in the news for several days as a leading candidate for the Nebraska job, and who’s also regarded a rising star in the business.

“I really want people to know that Turner is a very capable coach,” says Brown, who on occasion travels to watch Buffalo play. “I saw the command he had on that football team and the love investment he made in two years there.“

Brown worked as an analyst for ESPN 360 in 2006 when Buffalo lost to Boston College. The Bulls never got much going that day. But now they clearly have things going. They won five games this season, compared with 12 total in their first eight years in Division I-A. Gill loses only three players on his two-deep offensive chart from this season, and just six on the defensive side.

Brown watched Buffalo defeat Bowling Green last month. He spent the weekend around Gill’s program. Brown led the chapel service for players. He watched Turner conduct meetings with the team.

The 45-year-old Gill coaches with his spirituality as his guiding light, Brown said. Gill cares deeply for his players. He expects the same from his assistant coaches.

Make no mistake, Gill is in charge. He’s such a gentleman that some might question how well he operates as a boss who has to make difficult decisions in what can be a brutal arena. Brown has no such qualms about Gill. Brown says he has talked to ex-Huskers who spoke of Gill’s command in the huddle.

“They all say, ‘Turner’s a nice guy, but when that guy got in the huddle, whoa, you knew who was in charge,’” Brown says. “Turner has this incredible high level of confidence that he imparted on everyone else. I see that with his coaching. I was very impressed watching him. I mean, he’s the MAC coach of the year. No mistake there. No surprise. He took a team that was on a downward spiral, a bunch of guys who really didn’t believe in themselves, and he loved them up.

“A lot of times you hear about football coaches having to drive guys to death and bringing intimidation into the program. Turner challenges his assistant coaches to love those players, to peer through face masks and make connections with those guys, to ignite their souls and make them believe that what God gave them, in terms of athletic ability, could be realized, if they got all of the baggage out of the way.”

Brown also admires Gill’s game-day poise. They coached together at Nebraska for 12 years (1992-2003). When the pressure was on, or there was extreme adversity, “Turner would step to the plate and come up with a good call or suggestion. He doesn’t let pressure make him lose his focus. He’s really centered.”

Buffalo probably will be picked to win the MAC’s East Division in 2008. An increasing number of big-time programs probably will come calling.

“I’ll bet this was hard for Tom,” Brown says of Osborne’s hire. “It had to be difficult. Tom knows Turner’s a great coach and person. They’re close. There’s an affinity there.“

Brown fidgeted in his seat.

“I’m extremely excited to be here with Bo,” Brown says. He emphasizes that point.

“I just also want to say that Turner’s a great football coach.“

He can’t emphasize that point enough.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.