As the Mack Brown era comes to an end, or so it appears, speculation is rampant regarding who could be the guy to take over the reigns on the 40 Acres. Everyone has an opinion on the matter and has their reasons for why they like the person they like. For the first time in nearly a generation a coaching search is about to be under way and it’s time to put all of the candidates together and compare them in one place.
Obviously, the first domino to drop is going to be the hiring of a new athletic director. Oliver Luck appears to be the frontrunner as of now and nobody knows what stamp he’s going to want to make on the program right away, but here is a list of the names being mentioned the most. They are going to be in alphabetical order so as not to promote anyone more than the others.
Art Briles, Head Coach, Baylor University
Age: 57
Record: 73-58, 2-4 Bowls
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 1 (C-USA 2006)
My Take: Briles might be the antagonistic name that has been mentioned, soliciting responses from both sides of the aisle regarding opinions of his viability. What you cannot deny is how good of an offensive coach that he is. The Baylor offense turns 2 and 3 star talents into 5 star monsters while in Waco and they put up video game numbers. Defensively, Briles’ teams leave a lot to be desired, but their defense has played well starting down the stretch of last season and into this season. In all honesty, how good does the defense have to play if you know the offense is going to score 40 points on an off night? And if he were to be able to recruit higher-level talent like he would at Texas and spend whatever it takes to hire the best defensive assistants, I think he could be homerun hire. The main drawback is his age and the fact that he might want to see through the upgrades that are occurring at Baylor that are mainly due to his success.
Pete Carroll, Head Coach, Seattle Seahawks
Age: 62
Record: College 83-19, 7-2 Bowls; 64-54 NFL, 3-4 Playoffs
National Titles: 2 (2003 AP, 2004 BCS)
Conference Titles: 7 (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
My Take: Carroll is a guy that I think is highly wishful thinking due to the success he’s currently having with the Seahawks, but his name has been mentioned enough for me to list him. There are only a pair of current coaches out there who can claim multiple national titles and I will get to them later, but his off the field issues would cause some concern. Whoever the new AD is would need to have to ability to keep a reign on Carroll if he were here. His age is an issue, but he doesn’t look or act like it. For this to be an option the Seahawks would need to fall apart down the stretch.
Jimbo Fisher, Head Coach, Florida State University
Age: 48
Record: 37-10, 3-0 Bowls
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 1 (ACC 2012)
My Take: Jimbo is a guy that I think should be getting a lot more play. He took over a program from a legendary coach who had struggled over his last few years and has rebuilt it into a monster in just a short period of time. He’s a top-notch recruiter nationally and goes after guys that fit his system. A major issue with hiring him would be convincing him to leave a talent like Winston with another year of eligibility and a title run on the horizon. His low salary ($2.75 million) could make it interesting if Texas were to come in with a big offer. I don’t know if FSU would be able to match what Texas was to offer.
Pat Fitzgerald
Age: 38
Record: 54-43, 1-4 Bowls
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 0
My Take: Fitzgerald is a name that was much hotter on lists a month ago before Northwestern went into a 4 game losing streak. He could be tough to pull away from his alma mater, but with the limitations on the players that he can recruit he could look to get away if he feels that there is no more he can accomplish. He’s very young and that could be something some of the decision makers like if they want someone long term, but he’s never been out of his bubble around Chicago so that could also be an issue. You cannot deny his coaching abilities because his teams play hard for him. Probably not going to be a guy that really gets considered in the long run.
Jon Gruden, NFL Analyst ESPN, Monday Night Football
Age: 50
Record: NFL 95-81, 5-4 Playoffs
Super Bowl: 1 (2003)
Conference Titles: 1 (2003)
My Take: Similar to Briles, Gruden’s name seems to really get people’s emotions started when their names come up regarding the Texas job. The fact that he’s been out of coaching and in the booth for five years is a concern, but at the same time he’s been around the game just as much as anyone else has been so that’s not a huge negative to me. It’s well known that Gruden is a guy who eats, sleeps and breathes football and is a very good X’s and O’s coach offensively. How would his coaching translate into the college game and what kind of assistants would he hire are the biggest questions about Gruden with his lack of college experience. One thing that you know that you would get is name recognition with a hire like this and that is something that needs to be thought about in my opinion.
Urban Meyer, Head Coach, Ohio State
Age: 49
Record: 123-23, 7-1 Bowls
National Titles: 2 (2006, 2008)
Conference Titles: 4 (MWC 2003, 2004; SEC 2006, 2008)
My Take: One of only two coaches who have won two BCS titles, Meyer has won everywhere he’s been. He worked his way up the chain from Bowling Green to Utah and then Florida where he won a pair of national titles. Meyer is an Ohio native, so pulling him away from that job might be impossible, but he’s professed interest in the Texas job previously so you have to at least inquire in him. At 49 years old, there might not be a guy with the pedigree and long-term ability out there. His offense would be a major positive in a state like Texas that has evolved into a spread state and he has shown an ability to recruit top talent from here already. Off the field issues while at Florida are a concern, but not a major one to me.
Will Muschamp, Head Coach, Florida
Age: 42
Record: 22-11, 1-1 Bowls
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 0
My Take: Muschamp is like the anti Briles. His teams play amazing defense, but seem to be allergic to offense. Before their loss to Missouri last week, Florida had gone 13 straight SEC games without allowing more than 20 points, while the next best was Alabama with one. Muschamp would appear to me to be comfort hire with his ties here from his HCIW gig. It’s a major worry that he hasn’t been able to figure out what to do on offense and he could really fall down the list if Florida doesn’t turn things around and ends the season with 4-5 losses. There might even be a chance that Florida could part ways with him if things do not get changed.
Nick Saban, Head Coach, Alabama
Age: 61
Record: 167-55-1, 8-6 Bowls; NFL 15-17
National Titles: 4 (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012)
Conference Titles: 4 (2001, 2003, 2009, 2012)
My Take: Saban is without a doubt the first call we are going to make. He’s going to have to turn us down before we look at anyone else on this list. Saban is arguably the greatest coach in the history of college football and when you have an opportunity to bring him in you have to take it. There’s no guarantee that he’s going to want to leave the machine he’s built at ‘Bama, but he’s always been a builder of programs rather than a sustainer. At his age, you know he’s not going to be here for a decade, but if he does like he does everywhere else he’s been you’ll win a title or two and be turned into a monster for his replacement to just keep things going the way they are. Could we have missed out on the chance to get him by bringing Mack back this year?
Charlie Strong, Head Coach, Louisville
Age: 53
Record: 32-15, 2-2 Bowls
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 2 (Big East 2011, 2012)
My Take: I look at Strong as a Bob Stoops type candidate except that he has head coaching experience. When we hired Mack 15 years ago Stoops was one of the top defensive coordinator’s in the country and wanted the Texas job, but we weren’t going to hire someone without HC experience and the rest is history. Strong has a similarly excellent coordinator background with national titles, but now has had a HC job for a few years where he has been successful, including a BCS victory over Muschamp and Florida last season. I don’t know where he is going to be on the list or if he’s even on it, but he’s a hard-nosed coach who would change the culture of the program, which is what is needed. Could be a guy that Florida looks to if they decide to make a change.
Kevin Sumlin
Age: 49
Record: 52-21, 3-1 Bowls
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 0
My Take: Sumlin is a bit of an enigma to me. He’s won a lot of games as a head coach and has done big things at A&M when it had been a while since someone won like he has, but at both jobs he’s had he’s inherited top shelf talent from his predecessor and won with it. In looking for our next coach, hiring a guy who hasn’t won with his own players is a major gamble in my opinion. When he took over at Houston from Briles he had Keenum and he got lucky with Manziel at A&M, a guy that he didn’t even recruit at Houston. The year he was without a top level QB he went 5-7 at Houston. He’s definitely a strong recruiter and has turned the state of Texas around since he arrived in College Station. Do not think he’d be contacted, but wouldn’t it be funny to take the best coach A&M has had in 20 years?
Mike Tomlin, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 41
Record: 65-37, 5-3 Playoffs
Super Bowls: 1 (2008)
Conference Titles: 2 (2008, 2010)
My Take: Tomlin probably is wishful thinking, but this is a guy that would possibly be the only coach that I would take over Saban if he were actually available. He would be Kevin Sumlin on steroids. He’s always been a guy that I’ve thought would be the best NFL coach to take over a college program if it ever came down to it. The drawbacks are that he’s coaching the Steelers who typically do not fire their coaches and pay them very well and that he’s been an NFL guy for the majority of his career. As with Gruden, the questions would be what kind of staff would he hire in order to help him recruit and how he would cope with the limitations on coaching times with the players.
Other names:
Kirby Smart, Defensive Coordinator Alabama; Chad Morris, Offensive Coordinator, Clemson: Both of these guys are the arguably the best coordinators on their sides of the ball in the country. If for some reason we look towards an assistant these are probably the best out there. Smart might be a tough pull because he’s more than likely the heir apparent to Saban at Alabama and the fact that he’s turned down some really good jobs previously might mean he is there for the long haul. Morris coached high school in Texas, but is an Aggie through and through and might be the replacement for Sumlin if he leaves.
ConclusionsÂ
There is no shortage of quality coaching candidates out there. The problem is that there is a shortage of homerun type hires and the ones that are there are in very good situations they might not want to leave. If I were making the decision, my first call is to Saban and then Meyer. You have to make the best turn you down before moving on. If neither of those accepts, the decision becomes whether you want a guy like Briles or a younger up and comer like Sumlin. Or do you look towards the NFL and try to make a major splash on that route.
