If I Were Athletic Director At:

The college football coaching carousal has started, there are now openings at Florida, Nebraska, Michigan, Kansas, & UNLV.   If I was Athletic Director at these schools, here's what I would do.

Nebraska - You don't fire someone with Bo Pelini's track record and replace him with an unknown quantity, you need to find someone with a proven track record, for that reason, I'd pass on Scott Frost.  If I'm the Nebraska AD, I'd be on the phone to Craig Bohl pronto, he's a former Nebraska assistant, he had a phenomenal run at North Dakota State, he's got Wyoming moving in the right direction in just one season, he seems like a perfect fit.  Outside of Craig Bohl, I would think that Jim McElwain would be on their radar, he's got an Alabama pedigree and has done a nice job at Colorado State (they'd better act fast though as Florida is hot on his heels).  Troy Calhoun's name appears anytime there is an opening and he might be a nice fit at Nebraska too.  I've also heard Jerry Kill's name thrown around but I doubt he'd leave Minnesota, of course money talks so you never know.  A long shot name they should be talking too also is Mark Hudspeth, he's got a great track record and he's much younger than Craig Bohl.

Florida - Florida is one of the premier jobs in the country, why they keep going with untested coaches (Ron Zook & Will Muschamp) is beyond me, they need to start thinking big time like they are, and for that reason, if I was the Florida AD I would back the brink truck up to Bob Stoopes or Dan Mullin.  Both have Florida ties, both have great track records, both I think could be enticed to take the job, why not give it a shot?  It sounds like they are already hot and heavy for Jim McElwain though and while he's not a bad coach, I wouldn't call him elite either (like Stoopes or Mullin).  Stop thinking so small Florida, go get a big fish!

Michigan - It seems common knowledge that Jim Harbaugh is on the outs with the 49ers front office, it should also seem common knowledge that Jim Harbaugh would be a perfect fit at Michigan.  He's an alumnus, he's won at the college level before, he's a big name, the fanbase already loves him.  The big question here of course is whether he wants to return to the college game.  If I was the Michigan AD, my first call would be to him.  If Harbaugh says no, the next person on the list would have to be Les Miles, he's another Michigan alum with a great track record, he'd be hard to attract too but you have to at least gauge his interest.  Outside of those two, Greg Schiano makes some sense, he had a nice run at Rutgers, he favors a pro-set offense (which seems to be a good fit in Michigan) and he's a pretty big name.  I have to imagine they'll want to make a splash if possible so I wouldn't rule out guys like Bob Stoopes, Al Golden and Mike Gundy either.  If they did want to go with an up and comer, I'd keep an eye on Mark Hudspeth, Willie Fritz and Justin Fuente.

Kansas - If I was the Kansas AD, I'd have been on the phone to Bo Pelini seconds after he was fired from Nebraska.  Pelini's track record is very strong, he's been coaching in the midwest for years, it just makes too much sense for all parties.  If they don't want to go the Pelini route, young guys like Willie Fritz, Mark Hudspeth and Justin Fuente would make some sense here.  I'd say away from Clint Bowen and any other hot assistant coaches too, let them wet their feet elsewhere first (as Fritz, Hudspeth and Fuente have done).  I've heard Jerry Kill's name thrown around too and he does make some sense as he's a Kansas native, I'm guessing he wouldn't want to make that move though.

UNLV - This is one of those schools where it would make some sense for a hot young assistant to make a name for himself.   If I'm the UNLV AD, I'd want to go after a someone who would come in and run and gun, spread the field, no huddle, keep the game really up tempo.  The two names on the top of my list when I think of an offense like that would be Scott Frost & Mike Norvell.  A long shot here could be Brady Hoke too, he had some success at San Diego State and knows the conference, he's looking for a landing spot and he is a big name, it kind of makes some sense.  I would most definitely not hire a high school coach as is being rumored, that's a mistake in so many ways.

***Just on a side note, as a Minnesota fan, I have noticed Jerry Kill's name linked to many of these openings and it would pain my to no ends to see him leave Minnesota when he's got things moving in the right direction there, but if he were to leave Minnesota, there would be no better fit for the Gopher program than Craig Bohl, he would be my hire there, and rather quickly at that.***



***EDIT***
11/30/2014, Buffalo hired Lance Leipold as head coach.
12/04/2014, Flordia hired Jim McElwain as head coach.
12/04/2014, Nebraska hired Mike Riley as head coach.
12/05/2014, Kansas hired David Beaty as head coach.
12/10/2014, Oregon State hired Gary Anderson as head coach.
12/10/2014, UNLV hired Tony Sanchez as head coach.
12/15/2014, Houston hired Tom Herman as head coach.
12/16/2014, Youngstown State hired Bo Pelini as head coach.
12/17/2014, Wisconsin hired Paul Chryst as head coach.
12/22/2014, Colorado State hired Mike Bobo as head coach.
12/24/2014, Pitt hired Pat Narduzzi as head coach.
12/29/2014, Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh as head coach.


Oregon State - With Mike Riley taking the Nebraska job that opens up the Oregon State job.  As you can see from above, I'm not a fan of a power 5 conference team hiring an untested assistant coach from a top program, I'm sure it works on occasion but I can't think of too many.  A power 5 conference should be hiring proven commodities when they hire head coaches.  To me that should eliminate names like Scott Frost & Justin Wilcox.  In Oregon State's case I also firmly believe that they should also be looking at someone with some west coast ties, it just makes the recruiting aspect that much easier when they hire someone who already has ties to the areas.  All of this being said, if I was the Athletic Director at Oregon State, the three names that really stand out to me are Beau Baldwin, Matt Wells & Bronco Mendenhall.  All three are in their 40's, all three have proven head coaching success, all three have strong ties to the northwest, I don't think they could lose with any of the three, if fact I think any of the three are also probably an upgrade from Mike Riley.

Colorado State - With Jim McElwain taking the Florida job that opens up the Colorado State job.  I liked the hiring of McElwain in the first place, in my opinion that is the same way they need to approach the current opening (i.e. going after a top assistant at a top program who is looking to make a name for himself, as opposed to grabbing some retread).  Colorado State is a decent job too, McElwain has built it into a strong program, they are set to compete for the next few years.  All of this being the case, if I were Athletic Director at Colorado State I'd be reaching out to the following (in this order):  Scott Frost, Kirby Smart, Pat Narduzzi, Tom Herman & Brent Venables.

Houston -  Houston has fired Tony Levine so that opens another job.  I'm not sure which direction Houston will go, they could very well go with a top assistant or they may want to bring in an experienced head coach.  My only advice to them, stay away from the retreads, if your going for head coaching experience go with someone ready to breakout, not someone on his last legs.  If they want someone with head coaching experience, I will continue to tout Willie Fritz & Mark Hudspeth.  If they want to go the assistant route, I'm guessing that Doug Meacham will get a lot of consideration as will Tom Herman, Jake Spavital and perhaps a sleeper like Rhett Lashlee.   Personally, if I was athletic director, I'd hire either Fritz or Hudspeth.

Wisconsin - With Gary Anderson moving on to Oregon State that creates an opening at Wisconsin.  Barry Alvarez has already stated that he would like someone with some head coaching experience so I'm guessing you can already rule out he likes of Dave Aranda, Darrell Bevell & Pat Narduzzi.  If Wisconsin ties are important, 2 names to keep an eye on are Dave Doeren & Paul Chryst.  A few other names to keep an eye on could include Greg Schiano, Dave Clawson, Al Golden, Justin Fuente, Steve Addazio & Doc Holliday.  I have to believe that they'd also want someone who would run a system similar to what Bret Bielema and Gary Anderson ran (i.e. very run heavy).  If I'm the Wisconsin Athletic Director, I'd make a run at Dave Doeren, he's a former Wisconsin assistant, he's done a nice job as the head coach at Northern Illinois and North Carolina State and I'm guessing he'd be comfortable with a run first system.  Dave Clawson & Doc Holliday also intrigue me and I'd make a run at one of them if I couldn't land Doeren.

Pittsburgh - With Wisconsin hiring Paul Chryst, that creates an opening at Pitt.  I'm guessing that Pitt is going to potentially end up smelling like roses in this exchange.  Paul Chryst was honestly a bit underwhelming in his time at Pitt and they now have the opportunity to replace him with a much better coach.  If I were the Athletic Director at Pitt I'd be on the phone pronto to Bo Pelini, he really does have a great track record as a head coach and he's just sitting there for the taking.  Hire him now Pittsburgh.  Gary Schiano is another option, he's got a lot of ties to that region and he was a pretty good coach in the college ranks.