Southern Miss:
It is obviously early in the search process as Fedora hasn’t even officially been announced at North Carolina. The head coach at Southern Mississippi should be well conditioned at recruiting junior college talent, Jeff Bowers and Larry Fedora did so very effectively. I do think Southern Miss AD Richard Giannini will move quickly that’s if the rumors aren’t true that he is on his way out the door. Here is an initial list of possible candidates to replace Larry Fedora:
Blake Anderson (OC Southern Miss)
· Current OC at Southern Miss…doubtful hire although may be fall back plan
Darrell Wyatt (WR Texas)
· Tremendous recruiter that deserves a chance…former OC at Southern Miss who recruits the junior college ranks as well as anyone in the country
Ellis Johnson (Assoc. HC/DC South Carolina)
· Finalist for the job four years ago when Fedora was given the job. Former DC at Southern Miss from 1988-1989. He has done a great job at his last two defensive coordinator jobs (South Carolina and Mississippi State). He would bring in a great coaching staff and would most likely be looking to stay in Hattiesburg for a long time.
Frank Wilson (RB Coach/RC LSU)
· Former RB coach at Southern Miss, Wilson is a hot commodity as Freeze tried to sway Wilson into joining him at Ole Miss…he has since declined. Wilson is one of the best recruiters in the game and did interview for the Ole Miss head coaching vacancy.
Mark Hudspeth (HC Louisiana-Lafayette)
· I don’t think Hudspeth is a legitimate candidate due to the fact he has turned down interviews to SEC schools this year. Having said that, no one can deny the job he has done at UL-L this year. He is a tremendous recruiter and excellent offensive mind.
Joe DeForest (Assoc. HC/S Coach/STC Oklahoma State)
· Yes I know Fedora came to Hattiesburg from Oklahoma State and the fan base wouldn’t be excited about bringing in another coach that may leave for a BCS job; however, DeForest, a Florida native who went to SW Louisiana, is highly respected around college football. He is ready for his opportunity and most believe it could come sooner rather than later.
Gus Malzahn (OC Auburn)
· He did turn down a pretty decent job at Vanderbilt last year and seems to be in the running at Kansas, but you never know. Most believe Southern Miss is a job that you can win at so does Malzahn decide to take this job in order to up his ante and resume in order to be in line for the jobs he wants? It makes sense on paper, but still highly doubtful that he makes this move.
Willie Taggart (HC Western Kentucky)
· Taggart has been mentioned for a few job openings around the country and this is a situation that is intriguing. Taggart is a Florida guy who has done a tremendous job turning around the Western Kentucky program. He has recruited the state of Florida better than anyone else in the non-BCS conferences and would most certainly be able to up that while at Southern Miss. He seems like an outsider in this search; however I have seen more bizarre things happen (see below with Memphis search)
Eddie Gran (Assoc. HC/RB Coach/STC Florida State)
· Gran has been rumored to interview for the UAB and Florida Atlantic coaching openings. Gran spent four seasons as RB coach at Ole Miss from 1995-1998 before following Tommy Tuberville to Auburn for the following 10 seasons. Gran is very well respected among his peers and would be able to bring in a tremendous coaching staff in Hattiesburg.
Tony Hughes (S Coach/RC Mississippi State)
· Hughes is a name that Southern Miss fans will know well considering he spent the 2008 season as their DB coach and is alum. Hughes is considered the premier recruiter for the state of Mississippi in the country. Hughes is definitely a name to watch if an outcry ensues for someone that will stay at Southern Miss long term. Hughes is an alum and native of Mississippi that would most likely enjoy spending the rest of his career leading this program.
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