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.***
