Coaching Rumor tidbits heading into Thanksgiving

·         Look for Rich Rodriguez to have three of four staff members in place by the end of next week.  The most likely of these candidates appear to be:

1.      Calvin Magee, Co-OC/RB Coach Pittsburgh

2.      Tony Gibson, DB Coach Pittsburgh

3.      Greg Frey, OL Coach Indiana

4.      The fourth option could be one of the following:

§  Tony Dews, TE Coach Pittsburgh

§  Travis Trickett, TE/Slot WR Coach Samford

§  Bruce Tall, DC UNC-Charlotte

§  Jeff Casteel, DC West Virginia

I believe the first three will definitely be hired and the fourth coach is less likely to be finalized by the end of next week.

·         The Ole Miss coaching search has been quite secretive and I keep getting mixed vibes in the direction they are going.  They seem to not be interested in some of the hot names out there (Mike Leach and Kevin Sumlin) and sources have been limited when regarding prospects.  At the same time, Ole Miss has told their entire coaching staff to clear out their offices by Monday leading some to believe that they will move quickly next week in naming their next head coach.  Having said that, expect Gus Malzahn and Art Briles to be in this search to end and as of right now, I believe Art Briles will be named the next head football coach at Ole Miss.

·         Tulane appears to be heading in the assistant direction route as far as interviews go at this point.  Burton Burns and Frank Wilson appear to be in line for interviews and I think Calvin Magee and Major Applewhite may get looks as well.  All four candidates are Louisiana natives and only Major Applewhite (Baton Rouge) doesn’t hail from New Orleans.  Tim Brewster is still a wild card in this search and I don’t expect a decision to be made until December.

·         Florida Atlantic has been aggressive and they have narrowed down their options to Terry Bowden (North Alabama HC), Jason Phillips (Assoc. HC/Co-OC/WR Coach Houston), Eddie Gran (Assoc. HC/RB Coach/STC Florida State), and Chuck Amato (former NC State HC and longtime Florida State assistant).  There are many reports saying that Jason Phillips is the favorite to land this job.  This is an interesting development due to the fact that Phillips (a Houston native and alum) would definitely be seen as the heir apparent to Kevin Sumlin at Houston if Sumlin were to leave.  Does he wait it out at Houston or does he jump at the opportunity in Boca Raton?

·         All signs at North Carolina point to Skip Holtz with his relationship with their AD.  I look for this to happen after next week at the earliest.  Everette Withers will not go down without a fight and expect him to be in serious contention to the end.  Kevin Sumlin has been linked to this job as well.  This is one of many coaching searches that will really heat up after Thanksgiving.

·         Akron is still in the early stages of their coaching search, but expect them to at least make a run at Luke Fickell if he is not named head coach at Ohio state.  Also expect Carl Pelini (DC at Nebraska) to get an interview as well as Pat Narduzzi (DC at Michigan State).  Top assistant coaches is where the attainable talent is for Akron, however, after hiring a couple failed top flight assistants, they may look to lower levels or out of work experienced head coaches to head their program.  More information will follow in the coming weeks.

·         Penn State is still in the aftershock stage of everything that has happened with their football program and hasn’t had much room to breathe when it comes to their search for their next head coach.  Expect Al Golden to talk with Penn State about the opportunity; however this seems too obvious and too much of a lateral move for it to actually happen.  Only time will tell where Penn State will go with this search and how many coaches will actually turn them down considering all the allegations the university if facing.  As much as they have kept wrapped up the last twenty years, expect their coaching search to be very secretive.

·         Expect Arizona State, Illinois, and Washington State to fire their respective head coaches next week. 

·         I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving and continue to check back for information and news as it develops over this long weekend.