RE: Hazell Sweepstakes
From ESPN Insider, info on all of the open positions D1:
Travis Haney Blog
Candidates for every major opening
November, 27, 2012
Nov 27
9:08
AM ET
Recommend33
Tweet10
Comments157
Email
Print
US PresswireArt Briles and Dan Mullen are among potential candidates for open SEC head-coaching jobs.
Nov. 25 was Black Sunday in the college coaching world, not that the firings at any of the schools -- even Colorado -- were altogether surprising. The fallout is that four of the 14 SEC schools now need a coach, in addition to several other BCS-level programs. Here's a quick guide to the open head-coaching jobs in the AQ conferences, along with an alphabetical short list of potential candidates for each school. We'll update this as the carousel continues to spin and hiring decisions are made.
Right now, the list below includes Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Cal, Colorado, NC State, Purdue and Tennessee, with analysis of the Kentucky hire.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arkansas Razorbacks
How good is the job?
It isn't quite Auburn or Tennessee in terms of resources and tradition, but it's really, really close. No one has had longer to scan the field and make a hire than AD Jeff Long, who has to come back strong from the John L. Smith debacle. Unfortunately for whoever is coming in, 2012 was the year the program was building toward. Losing QB Tyler Wilson will hurt and the defense is still shaky.
What are they looking for?
Someone like Bobby Petrino. You know, minus the soap opera.
Candidates
Art Briles, Baylor Bears head coach: I've said since the spring that this was the best fit, in terms of the above description. Briles has won wherever he's been. He's good with media and fans. He scores a bunch of points and wins games. He'd open doors in Texas that weren't previously open. Briles is helping to build a new stadium at Baylor, but at some point he's got to understand that there's a limit to what he can do in Waco.
Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs head coach: Dykes runs an exciting program at Louisiana Tech, and that isn't the easiest thing to do. After a 9-1 start, the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive games. But that doesn't change the fact that, like Briles and Petrino, he has an offense that scores a mess of points. Like Briles, he'd have inroads in Texas. So if Briles isn't interested, Dykes would make sense. He's going to be a popular name for several openings.
Bo Pelini, Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach: Pelini might be a reach, but some in Lincoln are convinced that he's scouring the "For Hire" ads in an attempt to get back into the SEC. On the precipice of the Huskers' first Big Ten title game and possible Rose Bowl appearance, this might be more of an internal attention grab than anything. But Nebraska's scene would have Pelini plenty prepped for the fan and media attention in Fayetteville, if he opts for a change. He could handle the heat.
Paul Rhoads, Iowa State Cyclones head coach: Rhoads, who has the Cyclones bowl-eligible for the third time in four years, should be mentioned for jobs more often. Recall that Gene Chizik was 5-19 in Ames before he was invited back for an SEC gig. The calling card: Rhoads' teams play fiercely into the fourth quarter, even when outmanned. If Auburn hadn't just unsuccessfully gone this route with the recently fired Chizik, Rhoads would be a nice candidate for the Tigers. At Arkansas, he'd bring defensive principles currently absent.
Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach: Previously the hot name at Arkansas, Tuberville's star cooled a bit when the Raiders started losing games after a 6-1 start -- and after that weird assistant-coach sideline incident. The Razorbacks could do a lot worse than this savvy program manager. But they might be able to do better, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auburn Tigers
How good is the job?
As I wrote Sunday, this is a difficult job. There will be so much pressure, given the fact that Chizik was fired just two seasons removed from a national title -- and because, across the state, Alabama coach Nick Saban is cleaning up in terms of wins and recruits. The resources are exceptional and the fans are terrific, even if they feel the angst sometimes. It's a great gig when the coach is riding high, but it's a tough situation for someone who doesn't understand the culture.
What are they looking for?
Someone who doesn't give a dang about what's stacked against him. That requires an ego. That requires someone who knows Auburn. Who fits that bill? Hmm.
Candidates
Mark Hudspeth, Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns head coach: He spent time in the state (at North Alabama from 2002 to '08) and in the SEC (as a receivers coach at Mississippi State). But is Hudspeth ready to be a head coach in the league? At Louisiana Lafayette, the school will play in its second bowl game in as many seasons after never going to one as a Division I-A program.
Chad Morris, Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator: He's among the best of the current coordinator crop. Clemson labored last offseason, especially in the wallet department, to keep Morris. There'll be more overtures this season. As Gus Malzahn 2.0, Morris will always have options. It's a matter of where he wants to begin as a head coach. If he doesn't go when the going's good, though, he could wind up landing at a place like where Malzahn ultimately did (Arkansas State).
The Tigers might put a premium on offensive firepower after this season's terrible scoring output (116th nationally in points per game), which is why Sonny Dykes' name could come up, but as I mentioned Sunday, the history of Dykes' offensive coordinator Tony Franklin at Auburn could keep this from being a fit.
Bobby Petrino, former Arkansas and Louisville head coach: This is who I was referencing in the "What are they looking for?" section, if you missed that. It's an internal struggle at Auburn, from what I understand. Some boosters simply want to win. Others think Auburn is above hiring someone with Petrino's sins, even if the NCAA has never been an issue at his previous stops. (As opposed to Chizik, who might have made office space for officials from Indy.) Here's the fundamental question being asked in the War Eagle "war room": How badly would you like to win? Because Petrino would win.
Charlie Strong, Louisville Cardinals head coach: Strong would seem to make a nice, safe choice for one of the open SEC programs, but does the former Florida and South Carolina defensive coordinator have any interest in returning to the league? He might want to consider it, with the Big East continuing to sink. (It's being squeezed out of the Orange Bowl.) Even being good at Louisville doesn't mean what it did in 2011.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston College Eagles
How good is the job?
Expectations are fairly modest, but Frank Spaziani always appeared to be in over his head. Tom O'Brien (seven winning seasons in 10 years) and Jeff Jagodzinski (two in two) found ways to recruit and win in Chestnut Hill, but it's been a decline ever since. BC, like Wake Forest and Duke in the ACC, has to deal with a heightened academic standard. It's a tough job because of that, but it's possible to break through to be a division contender.
What are they looking for?
Regularly going to bowls is enough to maintain satisfaction. The Eagles went to 12 in a row from 1999 to 2010. It isn't an impossible bar to hurdle, even while minding academia.
Candidates
Bob Diaco, Notre Dame defensive coordinator: The Irish's defense has been one of the best stories in college football, and Diaco's name has been linked to this job for several weeks. Notre Dame's suffocating defense has allowed just eight touchdowns in 33 red zone trips by opponents this season. BC would be a nice place for Diaco to begin his head-coaching career. His previous coaching stops as an assistant, Cincinnati and Virginia, are similar-tiered programs.
Darrell Hazell, Kent State Golden Flashes head coach: Hazell coached previously at Army and Rutgers, so he understands some of the Northeast dynamic. He turned around the Golden Flashes from a 5-7 first season to 11-1 -- and on the verge of an improbable BCS berth -- in his second year.
Tom O'Brien, former NC State and Boston College head coach: They wouldn't take him back, would they? Wait, why wouldn't they? He was 75-45 at BC and also had a winning record at NC State (40-35) despite his firing Sunday.
Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator: This was the first job I heard in connection with Roman, though others -- more appealing and lucrative jobs -- have opened in the time since.
Don Treadwell, Miami (Ohio) head coach: Treadwell's pair of 4-8 seasons at Miami is nothing special, but there are two reasons to believe he'll at least get a look: (1) He was the co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach at BC in 1997 and '98 under O'Brien, and (2) new Boston College AD Brad Bates came from Miami (Ohio). I've written several times that Bates' connection to the MAC might lead to his giving some coaches from the league, Treadwell included, a glance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
California Golden Bears
How good is the job?
With so much new blood in the Pac-12, there's still room for a program like Cal. It has a redone stadium and enough resources to keep the school competitive. The Bay Area has a fair amount of high school and junior college products, and the L.A. area is well within range.
What are they looking for?
Berkeley just needs a jolt of life. The perception is that Jeff Tedford is a solid coach whose program got stagnant after an extended stay. Tedford, Cal's all-time winningest coach, was there 11 seasons.
Candidates
Gary Andersen, Utah State Aggies head coach: It took a little while for the Aggies to get going under Andersen, but they're 10-2 on top of a seven-win season and bowl appearance in 2011. Andersen was previously the defensive coordinator at Utah, but his offensive coordinator, Matt Wells, has a top-30 offense. The Aggies' only losses this season were at Wisconsin and BYU.
Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State Bulldogs head coach: When he was working as Texas A&M's defensive coordinator, his name was regularly brought up to me as an underrated mind in the game. That's being backed up this season, his first as a head coach and his first at Fresno. The Bulldogs have won nine games, something that hadn't happened since 2007 for longtime coach Pat Hill. Hill won 10 games only once in 15 seasons.
Mike McIntyre, San Jose State Spartans head coach: Stanford's David Shaw is engineering the Bay Area's most impressive coaching job, but McIntyre isn't far behind. San Jose has gone from 1-12 in his first season, in 2010, to 10-2 this season. In fact, McIntyre's Spartans pushed the Cardinal in the teams' opener.
Chris Petersen, Boise State Broncos head coach: It's a Hail Mary, but in the past Petersen always told those close to him that he'd at least consider Cal. With Boise shuffling to the Big East, whatever that will mean, maybe it really is the time for Petersen to consider his options. Oregon might still interest him, but if Chip Kelly does leave, the Ducks already have a logical internal candidate in offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich. It sure would be intriguing to see what Petersen could do at Cal.
Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator: This might be the most ideal landing spot for Roman, who is working not too far away from the Berkeley campus. Learning from Jim Harbaugh worked well for Shaw. That might be enough for an AD to look Roman's way. The fact that the Niners' offense is suddenly explosive with Colin Kaepernick at QB is a cherry on his résumé.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Buffaloes
How good is the job?
Did you hear the comments Monday from Colorado AD Mike Bohn? While indicting himself -- or those higher up -- for canning a second-year coach, Bohn bemoaned a lack of funding and resources. In talking with a couple of former Buffs recently, this echoes their thoughts. Without some kind of change in a league with spiking administrative support, there isn't a good deal of hope.
What are they looking for?
A miracle worker who will work for peanuts, essentially.
Candidates
Gary Andersen, Utah State Aggies head coach: While he might be a lower-end candidate at Cal, he makes a whole lot of sense at Colorado.
Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State Bulldogs head coach: Fresno is a pretty tough place to come in and immediately win, as DeRuyter has. Boulder would be a similar challenge, albeit in a league that's growing and improving.
Todd Monken, Oklahoma State Cowboys offensive coordinator: Monken showed this season that his offense works with three different quarterbacks. It's still No. 5 in the country in yards, third in points. Think it would work at Colorado?
Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach: He's from Florida and played at WKU, but he got a taste of the Pac-10 at Stanford from 2007 to '09. He was the Cardinal's running backs coach. He cut his teeth at his alma mater, taking a relatively new FBS school and winning seven games each of the past two seasons. The Harbaugh protégé is probably ready for a BCS program.
Jeff Tedford, former Cal head coach: Perhaps Tedford just needs a fresh start. Coming from Cal, though, he surely would understand the limitations at Colorado. Still, if he wants to work, it would at least keep him in the same league.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kentucky Wildcats
Hired: Mark Stoops (Nov. 27)
There's some excitement in the Bluegrass, with the hire of the Florida State defensive coordinator. Stoops made our initial candidates list, and even though we didn't necessarily view him as the front-runner on Monday, this was hardly surprising.
Stoops' background in recruiting-rich Ohio and Florida should come in handy in his gig with the Wildcats, and it will be interesting to see how he forms his offensive staff and what sort of system Kentucky will run. Generally, Stoops will undoubtedly draw from the successful and unsuccessful experiences his brothers have had as head coaches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina State Wolfpack
How good is the job?
Debbie Yow certainly thinks a lot of it. The former Maryland and current NC State AD said Sunday that she wants Alabama-type results. Really? Bama? "I have an unrelenting belief that NC State can do something special," she said, according to the Raleigh newspaper. In reality, it's a decent program with decent resources and a decent recruiting base. This was O'Brien's third consecutive winning season, despite some injuries littered through those seasons. Should the expectation be much more than that?
What are they looking for?
Yow's goals seem lofty, but at least competing regularly for division titles would likely suffice. O'Brien wasn't far off that pace, but he couldn't quite clear the last hurdle or two that Yow and others desire.
Candidates
Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech head coach: Yow mentioned Louisiana Tech during her presser, even if her calling it a top-20 team wasn't all that current. Was that a hint about Dykes?
James Franklin, Vanderbilt Commodores head coach: Yes, Yow said Sunday that he wasn't a candidate. But things change and the link there is too strong to summarily dismiss Franklin. In reality, NC State probably doesn't have enough sizzle to get him away from the SEC, since Franklin will be in line for bigger jobs as he continues to win at Vandy.
Pete Lembo, Ball State Cardinals head coach: He turned Elon into a winner before heading to the MAC. NC State is about an hour east on Interstate 40. Is Lembo up for Round 2 in the Tar Heel State?
Mike McIntyre, San Jose State head coach: Maybe Cutcliffe puts in a call here, too, if it doesn't work out at Kentucky ... or if this is actually a better position? If McIntyre would like to get back to the East Coast, this is a pretty good spot to land.
Chad Morris, Clemson offensive coordinator: Morris has learned the ACC the past two seasons with the Tigers, and the Raleigh area -- along with Virginia's Tidewater region -- could supply him with enough talented skill players to run his system. Could he do better, though?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purdue Boilermakers
How good is the job?
It perhaps isn't good enough to ax a coach who has been to consecutive bowl games, though 6-6 in 2012 felt disappointing because of the team's experience and relatively weak division. Going 13-19 in four seasons wasn't enough for Danny Hope.
What are they looking for?
While Hope had the recent Boilers in bowls, the school aims for something a little higher up than the Pizza Bowl. Occasionally, it wants to regularly vie for a New Year's Day game, and, once every decade or so, reach the Rose. Joe Tiller set that bar and Hope, upon promotion from within, let it drop.
Candidates
Dave Doeren, Northern Illinois Huskies head coach: My hunch is that he'll wait for a higher-end job in the Big Ten, but he's seemingly the best coaching candidate from the MAC. Doeren's offense has clicked this season, showcasing QB Jordan Lynch (363 total yards per game, third in the FBS), despite replacing several starters from the 2011 team. The Huskies were a one-point loss against Iowa in the opener from an undefeated regular season.
Darrell Hazell, Kent State head coach: Hazell spent 2004 to '10 as an assistant at Ohio State. He knows the Big Ten and would be able to recruit the Buckeye State.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas A&M Aggies offensive coordinator: This is an intriguing name, because of Aggies coach and Purdue alum Kevin Sumlin. Might he put in a call for his OC, who has been described to me as "brilliant" by peers? It's likely Kingsbury would hold out for a bigger job, but he might be itching to get started somewhere. Aggies special teams coordinator Brian Polian, in the mix for Stanford when it went to Shaw, could also get a look on Sumlin's recommendation.
Pete Lembo, Ball State head coach: Lembo has won 93 games since 2001. Maybe it's time to give the guy a BCS job. Coming from Muncie, he would already understand the state's landscape.
Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State Spartans defensive coordinator: Narduzzi seemed like a big-time name for jobs before the season began, but Michigan State's struggles have muted his publicity. Still, he's an electric kind of guy and has proven results beyond whatever went wrong this season with the Spartans. With his own program, he might elicit results.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tennessee Volunteers
How good is the job?
It was a great job about a decade ago, but regional competition and a couple of bad hires have brought it back down to a good job. It can be great again, relatively new AD Dave Hart (previously at Alabama and FSU) contends. The resources are there, and no program is more committed to getting back to where it was. These past few years have been embarrassing for the department as a whole.
What are they looking for?
Hart has said he wants a sitting head coach, maybe one with some experience in the SEC. Would he make an exception?
Candidates
Larry Fedora, North Carolina head coach: He's had five winning seasons in five years as a head coach, at Southern Miss and then this past season at NCAA-strapped North Carolina. The academic cloud is still hanging around, so he might decide to opt for an upgrade if gets the chance. Fedora's résumé includes assistant stops at Florida and Oklahoma State. His quick-pace offense and background make him a likely candidate to eventually jump to the SEC. Is it time?
Jon Gruden, former NFL coach: He remains in the fans' crosshairs. Again, it begs the question: Who's to say he would be a good college coach? It still seems more logical to me that he'd stay at ESPN or go to the NFL, but don't tell that to bloggers and fans anywhere near Rocky Top.
Butch Jones, Cincinnati Bearcats head coach: Jones quickly rebuilt a program that previously sent coaches to Notre Dame and Michigan State. On the downside, some Vols fans might remember that he did lose last season at Neyland Stadium to now-ousted Derek Dooley. Jones groused this season about a lack of support for the UC program. That wouldn't be a problem if he won at UT.
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach: The Bulldogs fell off after a 7-0 start, but he's still gunning for his second nine-win season in Starkville in three years. That's quite a feat, given the limitations there. Willingly going from one SEC school to another would be tricky, but Mullen might see that there's a certain cap where he is, and a move to Knoxville or Fayetteville could lift the ceiling.
Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator: I have a friend in the athletic department who was talking last week about the need for a strong talent developer because of the relatively weak recruiting base and the current situation of four coaches in six seasons. Why not a Harbaugh disciple, then? Roman has expressed interest in gaining a college program. This, along with Cal, might be the best available to him.
Travis Haney
• Joined ESPN as Insider's national college football writer in April 2012
• Previously wrote for The Oklahoman and The Post and Courier
|