Who Lurks?

Time for round 2 of the college football coaches merry go round. I’m excited, I’m sure you are.

Today’s entries? UCLA, Memphis and Kansas


First, Memphis. I know, a lot of people reading this blog are thinking, umm Memphis? Yes, this is why…because I fully believe this is a job that someone has to look 2 years down the road. Do you really believe that Memphis will be in Conference USA in 2 years? If they are, I expect a major adjustment in the way the BCS does their business. I expect the Big East to make a major run at Memphis… mostly for their basketball program, but that turns this job into a fairly attractive position in the college football landscape. Memphis SHOULD be able to compete, especially in an even more watered down Big East. This is similar to when Virginia Tech joined the ACC and was currently in the Big East… they hired Seth Greenburg, then Seth hit the jackpot by leaving the cellar of the Big East and getting into the ACC… and thus buying himself additional time to compete and grow the program. So who do they target? I’d assume a mid-tier coordinator… or even as high as Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. Another name that I imagine is in play…because he never dies is Houston Nutt. The guy at least has some experience in the area. Outside the box idea, what about Ed Orgeron, currently at USC, formerly failed at Ole Miss. Another outside retread idea, and trust me, this isn’t a great idea… but I hear Al Groh is available.

All that being said, I’d hire Mark Mangino, the former Kansas coach. Memphis isn’t going to lure the best quality candidate to the program. Mangino has his share of issues (on so many different levels), but after a couple years away from the game, it is time someone gives him a look.

Kansas is a bit of a different situation. I’m a little surprised they pulled the trigger on Turner Gill. (I also think Gill would be a more than solid hire for Memphis, just FYI). I really think they pulled the trigger because of the ridiculous success Kansas State is having under an 80 year old man. Really, the little apple needs to find a solution for when Bill Snyder really does retire. But back to Kansas….this is an athletic department that continues to give Bill Self a ridiculous amount of money to coach a program that pretty much runs itself. So every bet is off the table. Guys like Ron Zook, Houston Nutt, and Mike Stoops could all get a look. So could a rack of Big 12 coordinators… take your pick… the Oklahoma coordinators, Texas’ defensive coordinator, Oklahoma State offensive guy… who the hell knows.

If I’m Kansas, I would pony up some money and go get Larry Fedora from Southern Miss. Fedora has experience in the conference and clearly can build a program at Southern Miss. He would be a great hire based not only on what he’s done the last few years, but also his conference (Oklahoma State, Baylor) knowledge.

And finally… UCLA.
What a mess. The crazy part is I fully expect that UCLA Football will have some kind of cheating alligations and NCAA infractions violations against them any minute now. This is Rick Neweasel we’re talking about. Ask any Washington or Colorado fan. See what they think of the guy… and those teams at least won while he was there. UCLA can’t say the same. The hot rumor is that UCLA will chase Chris Peterson. I’m just a tad bit skeptical on this for a couple of reasons. 1. Boise State currently has a better chance to get to a title game than UCLA. And those chances only improve if the BCS changes their system so non-aq schools can get in even easier, which is rumored to be the case. And 2. This would require UCLA, a school that has historically paid NOBODY, to pony up and pay Chris Peterson. Seriously, it’s going to take 3 mil a year to pull the guy from the friendly confines of Boise, Idaho. Money isn’t everything, but Peterson knows he has a job forever in Boise… why leave that? 7 years, 3 mil a year. If you can’t seriously go down that path, then move on, and quickly because there are a lot of other solid programs looking for a coach.

So who else? Today’s news of Jack Del Rio is interesting. Yes, he hasn’t spent any time coaching in college football, but he could be wildly successful in returning to LA coaching the other side of town. You’ll hear the same names as Arizona State (Sumlin, June Jones, Mike Leach) as well as some folks with UCLA ties (Ken Norton Jr, DeWayne Walker) and some wild cards. I really like the thought of turning to Mike Bellotti, the former Oregon coach.

My first choice? I’d call Jack Del Rio… that’s the kind of splashy hire that UCLA needs to make. My 2nd? Bellotti as I feel he can actually win games and has strong ties with the area and conference.