CHICAGO — At a recent summer workout, the Gophers slammed their chests down to the ground in unison and pushed off the turf with their arms, repeating that process over and over again.

Midway through the conditioning drill, called up-downs, senior safety Cedric Thompson noticed something unexpected.

“I look over and I see coach [Jerry] Kill doing up-downs with us,” Thompson said. “I was honestly shocked.”

Kill normally runs around the practice field, hustling from drill to drill, but partaking in something that strenuous is rare for the fourth-year head coach.

He took a leave of absence to manage his epilepsy in October, but Kill’s desire to join in on offseason conditioning is yet another sign his health seems to be improving.

In February, Kill announced he was driving — which is only legal in the state of Minnesota once someone with epilepsy is seizure-free for three months.

“I beat cancer, and I’m going to win this war,” Kill said at the time.

During the Gophers’ Chalk Talk trip in May, Kill said he’ll likely coach from the sideline again this upcoming season. He mostly coached from the coaches’ box near the end of last season.

Kill appears to be gaining more control of his health, but the up-downs weren’t easy.

“On about the seventh one, it wasn’t feeling too good, but I wasn’t going to quit,” Kill said.

Gophers senior running back David Cobb was also surprised by Kill partaking in early morning conditioning, but he’s confident his coach’s health is improving.

“We don’t worry about it. Coach Kill — he’s doing great,” Cobb said.

On Tuesday, Kill said his health is greatly improved. He has ramped up a walking regimen and quit drinking Coke. As a result, Kill said he lost 12 to 13 pounds.

“I’ve done everything I can, and that’s all you can do,” Kill said. “It’s kind of like a football player training.”

The Gophers seemed to rally around Kill last season when defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys temporarily took over head coaching duties.

“Our team can go through adversity when it hits and we’ll be OK,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner said.

Watching Kill fight through an exercise at practice reignited some of that passion.

“That shows us how determined he is and how much he loves us,” Thompson said. “He’s like our father and he’s going to do it with us.”