Good news Horn fans, it’s officially the silly season. Mack is out, the job is open, and we are about to see just how attractive the head coaching job at Texas is. If you are a reader of message boards you’ve seen all sorts of names thrown around. The longer this drags on the more ridiculous the names become. On another site, I’ve seen a call for Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Mike Shanahan, and the need to maybe scour the Texas 5A and 4A ranks for the next guy. Rumors are fun aren’t they?
The timeline looks like it could stretch out ’til after bowl season, leaving the fans, recruits, and teams twisting in the wind for another 3 weeks. That shouldn’t matter to Steve Patterson, take your time, evaluate, interview, and hire the right guy. I cannot stress how important this decision is with the foothold that the SEC has gained into the state and with A&M seizing important recruiting momentum. This is not just a choice for the next six or seven years, this is potentially a two decade long decision. This decision sets up who the next coach may even be. This is not a time to rush to hold together a recruiting class. Make the right hire, take whatever hit to the class and this season, and start to re-build. With all that in mind let’s take a look at the many coaches who have taken a turn on the Carousel.
Off The Board
Nick Saban – It was fun while it lasted. The rumors were heating up and even I was starting to think it was going to happen. That one hurts if it’s true that Mack fulfilled the jihad by detonating the bomb that knocked Saban out of the equation before going down himself. Everyone here knows (or thinks they know) what a Nick Saban hire would do here, and it hurts to think it may have been so close to happening.
Urban Meyer – Meyer, who is good friends with Mack Brown expressed interest in the Texas job while in the TV booth. Had the Horns made their move after the disappointing 2010 season, Meyer may have been the man for the job. Known for his quick turnarounds, Meyer has had Ohio State at the top of the rankings in both of his seasons in Columbus. Meyer, who is the top recruiter as a head coach would have injected a shot in the arm to Texas recruiting and brought an exciting spread offense and tough defense. He might have even been a better fit than Nick Saban, but only being in his second year made this the wrong time to jump.
The NFL Candidates
http://media.sdreader.com/img/croppedphotos/2013/01/15/sporting_lead_t658.jpg?ff95ca2b4c25d2d6ff3bfb257febf11d604414e5
Jim Harbaugh – The former NFL Quarterback has created a career the old fashion blue-collar way. Instead of retiring and then assisting at the NFL level while he worked his way up, Harbaugh went back through the college ranks. He actually spent the final eight seasons of his NFL career working for his father as a consultant for Western Kentucky. Harbaugh was responsible for some scouting and recruiting at WKU while being an NFL QB. After retiring and spending one year as an assistant for the Raiders, Harbaugh took his talents to FCS school San Diego. In three years at San Diego, Harbaugh had a record of 29-6 and led the Toreros to two league championships. The following season he was named the head coach at Stanford and took over a Cardinal team that was a Pac 10 bottom feeder. While previous coaches pointed to Stanford’s academic standards as a reason they couldn’t get talented players into the program, Harbaugh embraced the challenge of winning with integrity and academic excellence. The highlight to his first season was a 24-23 upset of #1 USC. His first year record of 4-8 improved every year as he built a program predicated on toughness, discipline, and merciless physicality. He left the Cardinal after going 12-1 and winning the Orange Bowl for an NFL position with San Francisco. In his first two years in the league he transformed the mediocre 49ers squad into a juggernaut that was knocked out in the conference championship game his first year, and lost the Superbowl in his second year.
The Odds: Despite the optimistic reports, this one is a longshot. Some have said Harbaugh has had trouble with his front office and has turned down an extension offered to him. Harbaugh has publicly denied interest in the Texas position, and it would probably take a once in a lifetime deal to lure him away from the NFL. Harbaugh again has his team in the running for a championship, so this one might have to wait to make a pitch.
John Harbaugh – John Harbaugh worked his way up a little more traditionally through the college ranks as an assistant following his playing days at Miami of Ohio. His first NFL job came in 1998 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He worked there until 2007 as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator. In 2008, the Baltimore Ravens took a chance on John after firing Brian Billick. Harbaugh was only hired after Jason Garrett turned down the job. Not to twist the knife for some of the Cowboys fans here, but how different would things have been had those roles been reversed? In his first year as Head Coach and starting rookie Joe Flacco, Harbaugh led the team to an 11-5 record and wild card berth. He propelled the Ravens to wins over Miami and Jacksonville before ultimately falling to the rival Steelers in the conference championship game. John Harbaugh has made the playoffs every year in Baltimore, and has two division titles and a 9-4 playoff record. In 2012 he added to his trophy case by winning the Superbowl against his brother Jim.
The Odds:  Again, this one is going to be a longshot. The Ravens were gutted after the Superbowl, but John has them hanging tough and trying to make the playoffs. Some point to his tireless schedule and an offer of comparable money to take the Texas job, but John doesn’t lack for a desire to win at the highest level. For some reason, I see this as an even longer shot than his brother.
Mike Tomlin – After playing at William and Mary, the Omar Epps look-alike worked his way through the collegiate ranks with stops at VMI, Memphis, and Arkansas State. In 1999 he took a job with the Bengals as a defensive backs coach. After a year there he moved over to work under Jon Gruden at Tampa Bay. Following a four-year run with the Bucs, Tomlin was named defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. Continuing on his meteoric rise, Tomlin was tabbed to replace legendary Bill Cowher as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his first season, Tomlin led the Steelers to a 10-6 record and an AFC Wild Card exit. The following year the Steelers went 12-4 and won the Superbowl. Following a down year in which Pittsburgh missed the playoffs, Tomlin again led his team to the promised land before losing to Green Bay at Superbowl XLV. The next year, Tomlin once again was bounced in the first round by Denver before starting a downward slide. With a team full of aging veterans and a re-build looming, many have used that as the reason that Tomlin might show interest in the Texas job. Chip Brown has reported that Tomlin has said he’d like a call were the job to come open. He has a record of 68-40 and a playoff record of 5-3 with three division titles, two conference championships, and a Superbowl championship.
The Odds: Not quite a longshot but still tough odds on this one. Maybe he is ready to leave the NFL game, and maybe he doesn’t have the stomach for a re-build, but you are never assured you can get an NFL gig and you might not want to leave one voluntarily. Not known very much for his tactical skills, and more known for his leadership and motivation, Tomlin would probably be a very effective recruiter who would need to hire a strong staff. He also has publicly denied rumors of interest in the position.
Mike McCarthy – This one came out of nowhere for me, when I saw it start to pop up on lists of potential coaches. My father is a lifelong Packer fan, so I’ve had the chance to follow McCarthy’s career in Green Bay. After a four-year stint as a college assistant, McCarthy started on the ground floor in the NFL as an Offensive Quality Control coach for the Chiefs before being promoted to Quarterbacks coach. He spent one year with the Packers in the same position before having roles with New Orleans and San Francisco as an Offensive Coordinator. He was hired by the Packers as the head coach in 2006. After leading the Packers to an 8-8 record in his first year, McCarthy’s new offense provided a shot in the arm to aging legend Brett Favre, and guided the Packers to a 13-3 record that ended in an overtime loss to the eventual champion Giants in the Conference Championship. The following year he would have to deal with the Brett Favre situation, but moved forward with Aaron Rodgers as the offense kept putting up eye popping numbers, but the team struggled to a 6-10 year. The following season The Packers improved to 11-5, but went out in the first round of the playoffs. In 2010, McCarthy and Rodgers got a battered and bruised team to the Superbowl and defeated the Steelers in Dallas. Coming off of the Lombardi trophy, the Packers shot out of the gate in 2011 going 15-1, but were dropped by the Giants in the second round of the playoffs. Some rumors have McCarthy and Rodgers at odds over play calling and a potential reason McCarthy might be available for the job. In his tenure with the Packers McCarthy is 81-44-1 with a 6-4 playoff record, three division titles, one conference championship, and a Superbowl win.
The Odds: Like Tomlin these are tough odds, McCarthy’s daughter lives in Austin, and while he says Austin is a nice place he has publicly denied interest and says his home is in Green Bay.
The Top College Candidates
http://media.komonews.com/images/130105_stanford_david_shaw_660.jpg
David Shaw – This would be my personal pipe dream. I look at David Shaw, and even though he hasn’t accomplished what Saban and Meyer have, he could be a guy that takes your program to new levels of success, and his age suggests it could be over a prolonged period of time. Shaw rose to the Stanford job after serving as offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh. He was part of the foundation that began the re-build of Stanford and is a former player there himself. That’s the problem with this though, Shaw is in his absolute dream job. After growing up in the Bay area while his dad was coaching at Stanford, Shaw played wide receiver for The Cardinal while also lettering in track and basketball. After starting his coaching career at Western Washington University, Shaw took a trip through the NFL and back to college where he worked for Jim Harbaugh at San Diego. When Harbaugh took the Stanford job, Shaw came with him and installed a physical throw back offense, predicated on the running game and defense with physical line play. They also installed discipline and attention to academics. The turnaround garnered Harbaugh the head coaching job for the San Francisco 49ers and landed Shaw a promotion to coach at his alma mater. In his first year as head coach, Shaw took Stanford to the Fiesta Bowl and lost to Oklahoma State. Following the graduation of perhaps the best college prospect in the last decade in Andrew Luck, Shaw won the Pac 12 and returned to the BCS in a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. In back to back years he has shut down the unstoppable Oregon spread offense, and has Stanford in a third straight BCS bowl. He’s proven he can win his conference, and his defenses have shut down the vaunted Oregon spread twice. This is a unique situation with a guy in his dream position but you have to ask right?
The Odds: A Vegas site actually listed Shaw as having the best odds among potential candidates. That said, I’d say this is going to be pretty tough odds. Shaw is in a comfortable position at his dream job with a talented core built around him. His family is all on the West Coast, and his wife loves the area. I’d call this the biggest longshot of those in the Collegiate ranks.
Jimbo Fisher – After working his way through the college ranks as a Quarterback coach, Fisher took over as the Offensive Coordinator at LSU in 2000. After having a good run with the Tigers offense, he was named Florida State’s Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach in Waiting under Bobby Bowden. Following Bowden’s Mack Brown like down turn and resignation, Fisher took over a Florida State team loaded with talent he had been assembling over the years. A 10-4 record in his first year led him to a Chick-Fil-A bowl in his first year. Quarterback Christian Ponder was selected that April in the first round, and Fisher reloaded with dual threat E.J. Manuel. Following a 9-4 year, the Seminoles won the Champs Sports bowl and looked loaded for a run at the BCS National Championship in 2012. The Noles would ultimately finish 12-2 and win the Orange Bowl, and again Fisher saw his Quarterback leave in the first round. Going into this year, Florida State was leaning on super athlete Jameis Winston and boy did he deliver. Blowing opponents away week after week en route to a Heisman Trophy, Winston and Florida State finished 13-0. The smallest margin of victory was a 48-34 win over Boston College. Fisher is a fantastic recruiter, with a high powered offense and boasts a 44-10 record (26-6 in conference).
The Odds: To me this feels like a longshot, but those in the know place decent odds on the possibility of Fisher jumping for the Texas job. I’ll have to believe it when I see it, because Fisher is set to win a National Championship, and re-load with Winston for another next year. If you want to get this done, you’ll have to wait until after the BCS National Championship to try and make a deal. Florida State is also a destination job, so it will be hard to pry a coach from there.
Gus Malzahn – Let me start by saying I absolutely love Malzahn. He’s been a builder everywhere he’s ever been. He built Springdale High School into an Arkansas powerhouse before taking a job at Arkansas as offensive coordinator. Credited for bringing the razorback offense (wildcat, single wing) to Arkansas, Malzahn left the Razorbacks to take a position with Tulsa. After helping Todd Graham win big at Tulsa, Malzahn took over as the Offensive Coordinator at Auburn. After steady improvement in his first two seasons, Malzahn oversaw an offense that won Cam Newton a Heisman Trophy and Gene Chizik a National Championship. Gus then accepted a position with Arkansas State which had a vacancy after Hugh Freeze took the Ole Miss job. In his only year at Arkansas State, Malzahn led the team to a 9-3 record and a conference championship. Malzahn then went back to Auburn to take over for Gene Chizik who had just been fired following a tremendous slide. With Juco QB Nick Marshall, Malzahn’s offense propelled the Tigers to a 12-1 record highlighted by miracle wins over Georgia and Alabama, an SEC title, and a trip to the National Championship. Malzahn is known as an underrated recruiter, who’s teams play tough physical football within a spread scheme. His win over Texas A&M this year was nothing short of gritty. Born in my hometown of Irving, Gus could be looking at a return to the state to take the head job at Texas. He has before referred to the position as a dream job and has seen how shaky the foundation is at Auburn for a coach coming off of a championship with Chizik. There are some questions about his wife’s sanity, and to this point we haven’t seen Texas show a ton of interest, but this would qualify as a homerun hire in my book. His reputation and his offense make him a great fit for the job.
The Odds: I think if Texas gets in the game the odds are good. Auburn is not a destination job and has had its coaches poached by Texas before. The obstacles are an extension Malzahn signed a few weeks ago, (although it doesn’t have a crazy buy out) and the fact that he’s only been on the job for one year. He will also require waiting until after the first of the year. This is where Texas needs to show its muscle and make a good run at Gus.
The Second Tier
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/1009/ncf_u_briles01jr_576x324.jpg
Art Briles – Art Briles has made a career of taking jobs no one wanted and winning. After a college career at the University of Houston, and several west Texas high school jobs, Briles landed at Stephenville High School. Using his up tempo spread offense, Briles transformed Stephenville into a regular 4A powerhouse. After leaving Stephenville with 4 state championships under his belt, Briles went to work as an assistant at Texas Tech. Briles left Tech and took the job as Head Coach at his alma mater. After winning a conference title at Houston, Briles accepted a job at Baylor, he also brought with him a kid he’d recruited to Houston named Robert Griffin. Behind Grffin’s track speed, rocket arm, and ability to read coverages, Briles led the Bears to new heights as Griffin won the Heisman trophy. Reloading with Nick Florence and Bryce Petty in back to back years, Briles has turned Baylor from being a doormat into a legit Big 12 contender. Briles has shown the ability to make chicken salad out of chicken crap everywhere he’s been. He’s built programs from the ground up and turned them into programs that can sustain success. This year he led Baylor to a conference championship and set scoring records week after week. Briles detractors point to his underperforming defenses and his prickly nature that wouldn’t mesh well with the big money donors at Texas. To me, none of that matters if this University is in the business of winning. As a native Texan, I believe Briles would relish the opportunity to not be the underdog for once and to accept a job at his home state’s flagship University. Briles is probably the safest bet for success that’s realistic out there.
The Odds: Despite his contract extension and apparent lack of interest in the job, I think the odds are pretty strong if Texas makes the right pitch. As mentioned, Briles is a native Texan and in position to take the job at the pinnacle of his profession. He would have more financial support at Texas, and could finally test out his methods at a blue blood school.
Les Miles – It’s almost crazy to have a guy who’s won a National Championship and played for another in the second tier, but for some reason people just don’t like Les. It could be the way he claps, or the way he manages the clock, or the little bit of crazy he seems to have in him when in front of a camera. After working through the NFL and college ranks, Miles took over Oklahoma State and improved on the previous tenure. Following his time at Oklahoma State, Miles was offered the head coaching gig at LSU to take over for Nick Saban. In his time at LSU, Miles has recruited lights out in southeast Texas and Louisiana. He’s got a 94-24 record (52-20 in the SEC) and a 5-3 bowl record. He’s won the national championship and played for another. His kids love him, they play with toughness, and his strength and conditioning staff is out of this world. Yet there is still a thought that these teams win in spite of Les and he kind of just falls into victories. His name has popped up on several sites, and that could be a product of him not feeling the appreciation in Baton Rouge. He’s not far off as LSU fans can’t stand the guy, but he does have his program at the top every year. His offense doesn’t thrill me and he’s been the subject of a few NCAA investigations. It’s crazy to think that a guy with his resume might be a 9th choice, but the reality is that is the way he’s thought of.
The Odds: If his name is popping up, I’d guess that’s because he’s indicated some interest so I’d give him decent odds. The allegations of cheating may taint him in the view of the University, and he’s not on any sort of hot seat at LSU.
The Third Tier
http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/1/38/3977814/108994-650-366.jpg
Jim Mora Jr. – At one time this guy was a real rising star in the NFL circles. After working as a position coaches at franchises all over the league, Mora got his chance as a Defensive Coordinator for San Francisco. In 2004 he was named head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and in year one led the Falcons to the NFC Title Game. Following that with 8-8 and 7-9 years, Mora was fired. Some of this may have been due to the fact that in an interview he said he’d take the University of Washington job if offered, even if the Falcons were in a playoff run. In 2007, Mora joined the Seahawks as an assistant head coach. In 2009 he was named Seahawks head coach and then fired promptly after a 5-11 season. Following a short hiatus, Mora took over the UCLA program and has since resurrected them a bit. He’s had his team in the hunt for a conference championship both seasons and has recruited well.
The Odds: Despite turning down the Washington job, I think Mora could be had. UCLA has never been known as a place that supports the athletic programs strongly, and Mora might be able to cash in on a big pay day. It scares me to death but I’d say the odds are strong.
Charlie Strong – After a journeyman coaching career, Strong found a home as Urban Meyer’s Defensive Coordinator at Florida in 2002. Over his three-year tenure in Gainsville, Strong presided over defenses filled with NFL prospects that clamped down on the SEC. Known as a strong recruiter (see what I did there), he reeled in one prospect after another and built a fast, attacking defense that helped the Gators win two National Championships. Following that run, Strong was offered the head coaching job at Louisville. The Cardinals had been down for a period of time following Bobby Petrino’s run there and had been searching for their next star. Strong took over and went 7-6 in his first two seasons. Last year behind star Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Strong led Louisville to an 11-2 record and a sugar bowl win over Florida. This year, his only blemish was a loss to Central Florida leading to an 11-1 record and a Russell Athletic Bowl selection. Strong’s teams play with physicality and discipline and they don’t seem to ever play scared.
The Odds: Strong to quite Strong (I did it again). If Texas offered I’d expect Charlie to jump all over it.
James Franklin – If you haven’t watched a James Franklin youtube video yet, you probably need to. This guy makes me want to run through a brick wall for him, but the question is would he be the right fit for the job at Texas? Franklin bounced around several teams year to year, before landing an Offensive Coordinator position at Kansas State. I’m sure you remember Texas vs K-State in 2006 and 2007, so I won’t bring it up. After accepting a move to Maryland in the same position, Franklin was named head coach at Vanderbilt. Franklin is a passionate man prone to crying in press conferences and giving Leonidas like speeches to his team. He’s got Vanderbilt performing at a level above any they’ve ever seen (albeit against a lot of garbage teams). In his three years at Vandy, he’s 23-15 (11-13 in conference) with a 1-1 bowl record. The question regarding Franklin, is he just an internet sensation or does he really have the goods to take the next step in coaching? Me personally, I’m not sure I want to find that out at Texas.
The Odds: Incredibly strong, if Texas offers there’s no reason he wouldn’t take it.
![Instant Reaction: Texas stunned by Georgia… AGAIN [VIDEO]](https://hornsports.com/wp-content/uploads//2024/12/USATSI_24936625_168380999_lowres-350x250.jpg)
![Instant Reaction: Texas stunned by Georgia… AGAIN [VIDEO]](https://hornsports.com/wp-content/uploads//2024/12/USATSI_24936625_168380999_lowres-120x86.jpg)
