Texas A&M Coaching Update

Texas A&M

            The Texas A&M search seemed to be centered around Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora, Kirby Smart, Troy Calhoun, and Charlie Strong.  Larry Fedora appears to be on the verge of accepting the North Carolina post even though you would think Fedora’s dream job would be in his hometown (College Station, TX).  Kevin Sumlin appeared to be a given for this job before Houston lost to Southern Miss Saturday in the Conference USA championship game.  Most reports have Texas A&M interviewing these two candidates today in New York City.  Kirby Smart is an interesting candidate who has little ties to the state of Texas.  Smart is one of the best young coordinators in the game and has worked under the best in the business (Nick Saban) for seven years now.  Saban has already endorsed Smart to be a “great head coach” once given the opportunity.  There are reports that he was also interviewed in New York City.  Troy Calhoun (HC Air Force) is also linked to receiving an interview for the position.  Calhoun is taking his Air Force football team to its fifth straight bowl game in five years as their head coach.  He actually was on his way to accept the Tennessee job before (reportedly) Tennessee powerful alum stepped in and vetoed the hire.  Calhoun can coach, no question, but doesn’t appear to have the experience criteria that A&M is looking for.  Charlie Strong (former GA at Texas A&M), in my opinion, is a much underrated prospect that should’ve been given a more serious look at Ole Miss.  Strong is one of the best recruiters in the country and he has quickly turned around a stagnant Louisville program and will most likely be a favorite to win the Big East next year.  Strong has the SEC ties that A&M is looking for (SEC experience), but doesn’t have any ties to the state of Texas.  Make no mistake about it; Strong would develop the necessary recruiting ties needed in both the southeast and in Texas if he were to land this job.  There have been conflicting reports whether Strong will even interview for this job and may just be waiting on an offer without interviewing, thus lowering his chances of receiving this job.  Fedora fits the description that A&M is supposedly looking for the best; however, it doesn’t appear he will be going home to College Station.  Look for A&M to get aggressive with Sumlin, throw a curveball and hire Calhoun, take a risk and hire Smart, or go for the mixture of Smart and Sumlin and hire Strong.

Penn State Coaching Search Update

Penn State:

            This search (as like everything that happens at Penn State) is being kept under wraps.  The only reason anything is known about the search is sources around the candidates that are off the Penn State campus are leaking things.  This search appears to be centered on Dan Mullen.  Mullen has a personality that might bode well for this job; he may just be cocky enough to ignore the issues surrounding the program and still recruit quality to the University.  He also has a tendency to open his mouth and say things that he shouldn’t.  I’m not convinced he is the man for the job and I don’t think he is the answer.  Most people around the program (and every person outside the program) believe that the program needs a fresh start more than anything.  A new coach and entire new coaching staff is the best way to start the healing process on campus and restore respectability off campus.  If Tom Bradley or Jay Paterno (both are said to have interviewed) were to get the job, credibility would severely be in question.  Multiple names have been mentioned in relation to this job, but at this point, it is more interest on their end than anything.  Tom Clements (QB Coach Packers) has apparently submitted his resume and expressed interest in the job.  Clements is a licensed lawyer, which may be a unique quality that could be of good use for the program.  Clements would most certainly always know the right things to say to dance around the plethora of questions he would receive.  He is a McKees Rock, PA graduate who was an all-American quarterback at Notre Dame.  He has been mentioned for several head coaching jobs around the NFL and who could argue the job he has done developing Aaron Rodgers into the best player in the NFL.  Darren Perry is another Packer assistant that has expressed interest.  He is a former standout for Penn State from (1988-1991) and could bring a lot of energy to the program.  Greg Manusky (DC Chargers) has also expressed interest as he is also a Pennsylvania native.  Tim Murphy (HC Harvard) has been talked about with this job from the very beginning.  It is hard to argue with how well he has done at Harvard.  This guy hasn’t lost more than three games since 2000. He definitely fits the “ethical” criteria standards that the search committee will be looking for.  Murphy, Clements, Mullen, and Bradley appear to have the most traction in this search, but there is no real evidence that Penn State is close to a decision.

More Head Coach Search Updates

Arkansas State:

            Now with Hugh Freeze leaving for Ole Miss the job opens up for the second time in as many years.  Coming off their first season with more than six wins since 1987 and their first Sun Belt championship, Arkansas State faithful have to feel good about the direction the football program is headed.  Clint Conque (HC Central Arkansas), Willie Fritz (HC Sam Houston State), and Chris Hatcher (HC Murray State), Jeff Monken (HC Georgia Southern) are successful coaches at lower levels that deserve a look and Monken was mentioned to be recommended by the search firm used in the UAB search that is going to aid in this search as well.  Many Red Wolf faithful called for Conque to be given the job last year when Freeze was named head coach.  Paul Petrino (OC Illinois), Curtis Luper (RB Auburn), Jason Phillips (Co-OC Houston), and John Neal (DB Oregon), Steed Lobotzke (OC Wake Forest), Bill Clark (South Alabama DC) were all assistants linked to the UAB job even though that job is considered the better of the two, these candidates may be looking to slide into a head coaching role.  Turner Gill (former HC Kansas and Buffalo) is out of work and was linked to UAB job and Houston Nutt (former Arkansas and Ole Miss HC) has definite recruiting ties to the state and could bring stability to a program including a great coaching staff.

New Mexico:

            Not many decisions have been made on assistant coaches under Davie as he has been busy recruiting and acclimating himself to the scene in New Mexico.  Obviously Davie wanted to wait until the coaching carousel unveiled itself in order to hire his staff.  Look for former staff members of Tulane, Arizona, Washington State, UCLA, Fresno State, and Colorado State to be talked to by Davie. 

            UPDATE**Jason Lenzemeier (OL New Mexico St.) is set to join Davie’s staff at New Mexico.  He was a former player and assistant at New Mexico under Rocky Long.

North Carolina:

            They appear to be close to at least offering the job to one of their candidates.  Larry Fedora is the most likely to be given an offer; however, it is unlikely a quick decision by Fedora is going to be made as he is set to interview with Arizona State and Texas A&M in New York City tomorrow.  This job is very lucrative and they are set to offer big money to their next head coach.  Kevin Sumlin, Gus Malzahn, Larry Fedora, Chris Peterson, Troy Calhoun, Butch Jones, Skip Holtz, and Everette Withers appear to be the top names on their list.  Malzahn makes sense considering he was at Tulsa when AD Bubba Cunningham was the AD there.  Skip Holtz is rumored to be close friends with Cunningham, but this hire seems highly unlikely at this point.  Peterson is a pipe dream of the Tar Heel faithful and will almost certainly not happen.  Butch Jones turned down an offer from Illinois and it doesn’t seem likely he will leave for any other job this year.  Troy Calhoun and Larry Fedora seem to be the most likely candidates at this point while Malzahn would probably be considered a fallback choice if Calhoun or Fedora decide to head in a different direction or stay at their respective schools.

Ohio State:

            Urban Meyer was hired at the beginning of the week as the next head coach at Ohio State.  Recruiting for Ohio State picked up immediately and there was a commitment from Lakeland, FL that committed within an hour of the hiring of Meyer.  Meyer said he would assemble the best staff in the nation like he stated when he was hired at Florida.  Confirmed members of Meyer’s Ohio State staff would be Luke Fickell, Taver Johnson, Stan Drayton, Mike Vrabel (will be on staff in some capacity) who are all retained from Jim Tressell’s staff.  Mickey Marotti was lured from Florida as Ohio State’s strength and conditioning coach.  Names strongly linked to the offensive coordinator position would be Chad Morris (OC Clemson) who signed a new contract at Clemson to keep him there.  Gus Malzahn appears to be the next choice, but Meyer will have to wait to see how a few head coaching searches go before he gets a full answer from Malzahn.  Greg Studrawa has also been linked to the position; however, it appears he is staying at LSU and preparing to call the plays in the national championship game.  Tim Brewster has also been linked to Ohio State and might have an offer to join the staff.  Mike Stoops definitely has been offered the defensive coordinator position by Urban; however, Stoops is up for a few head coaching positions so Meyer will have to wait on this one as well.  Meyer will probably wait until the coaching carousel calms down slightly before making decisions on the rst of his staff and will recruit with the coaches he has in place.

Ole Miss

            Hugh Freeze was hired today by Ole Miss to lead their program.  Freeze turned around an Arkansas State program from winning no more than six games since 1987 to winning 10 games this season and winning the Sun Belt conference.  Freeze has won everywhere he goes including two state championships at Memphis Briarcrest Christian (TN) high school, two conference championships and 20 wins in two years at division II Lambuth located in Tennessee, and then this year going 10-2 and winning the Sun Belt at Arkansas State.  It appears that Freeze’s staff is already taking shape as Tom Allen (Asst. HC/LB Coach), Maurice Harris (TE Coach/RC), Grant Heard (QB Coach/PGC), Darren Hiller (OL Coach/RGC), Chris Kiffin (DL Coach) and Dave Wommack (DC/S Coach) all will follow Freeze from Arkansas State to Ole Miss.  Reports surfaced early today that Frank Wilson (RB LSU) was offered offensive coordinator job at Ole Miss; however, it appears unlikely Wilson will accept offer.  Sources say Wilson interviewed for the head coaching job at Ole Miss and has good relationship with Freeze from their days at Ole Miss under Ed Orgeron.  Other possible assistant coaches include David Corrao (Asst. LB Dolphins), Marion Hobby (DE Coach Clemson), Noel Mazzone (OC Arizona State), Chris Rippon (DC Marshall), Derek Jones (DB Duke), and Rick Petri (DL Duke) are other coaches with ties to Hugh Freeze or the University of Mississippi.  Freeze is well connected within coaching circles because of his long time lecture circuit that has included most of the top coaching clinics in the country.  Freeze will put together a good staff at Ole Miss and will recruit Mississippi and Memphis as aggressively as anybody in the country.

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UPDATE** 2012 Head Coach Changes (last updated 12/14/11)

Team	Former Coach	New Coach
Akron	Rob Ianello
Arizona	Mike Stoops	Rich Rodriguez
Arizona State	Dennis Erickson	Todd Graham
Arkansas State	Hugh Freeze	Gus Malzahn
Colorado State	Steve Fairchild	Jim McElwain
Florida Atlantic	Howard Schnellenberger	Carl Pelini
Fresno State	Pat Hill	Tim DeRuyter
Hawaii	Greg McMackin
Houston	Kevin Sumlin
Illinois	Ron Zook	Tim Beckman
Kansas	Turner Gill	Charlie Weis
Massachusetts	Kevin Morris	Charley Molnar
Memphis	Larry Porter	Justin Fuente
Mississippi	Houston Nutt	Hugh Freeze
New Mexico	Mike Locksley	Bob Davie
North Carolina	Butch Davis/Everette Withers	Larry Fedora
Ohio State	Jim Tressell/Luke Fickell	Urban Meyer
Penn State	Joe Paterno/Tom Bradley
Pittsburgh	Todd Graham
Southern Miss	Larry Fedora
Texas A&M	Mike Sherman	Kevin Sumlin
Toledo	Tim Beckman	Matt Campbell
Tulane	Bob Toledo	Curtis Johnson
UAB	Neil Callaway	Garrick McGee
UCLA	Rick Neuheisal	Jim Mora Jr.
Washington State	Paul Wulff	Mike Leach

Ole Miss Head Coach Update

Ole Miss:

            Archie Manning and Mike Glenn have led an extensive search on the replacement for Houston Nutt and it appears that they have found their man in Hugh Freeze.  Freeze has won wherever he goes and is a Mississippi native.  He won 10 games in his first season at Arkansas State when Arkansas State hasn’t won more than six games since 1987.  Freeze is a former Ole Miss assistant and seemed to be at the forefront of this search from the very beginning.  He is an excellent recruiter and is well respected in coaching circles allowing him to bring in an excellent coaching staff.  Dave Wommack (DC/S Coach) and Tom Allen (Asst. HC/LB Coach) will most likely be a part of the new staff at Ole Miss.  More may join Freeze from Arkansas State, but look for Freeze to go after top SEC assistants that are either out of work or working at lesser jobs.

Head Coach Search Updates

Akron:           

After Akron officials met with Jim Tressel to discuss their next head coach there hasn’t been much talk on the direction that they will go.  Most fans are calling for a coach that has had success at lower levels due to the fact that Akron has hired top flight assistants for their last three head coaches.  Reports surfaced in the middle of last week that Akron had talked to Joe Moorhead (UCONN OC), Paul Winters (HC at Wayne State), and Mike Johnson (OC/Interim HC UCLA), but all three coaches had games this weekend.  Ed Warriner (OL Coach Notre Dame) was also interviewed this week.  Mick McCall (OC Northwestern) is getting recommended and as actively pursuing head coaching jobs reportedly getting interviewed at Tulane.  McCall spent time in the MAC as OC at Bowling Green and is regarded as top offensive mind.  Chuck Martin (S Coach) Notre Dame) would fit the bill of what the fans want winning 2 national championships at Grand Valley State (MI).  He is a Chicago native and is regarded as one of the top recruiters in the midwest for Notre Dame. If Tressel is aiding in the search expect his nephew, Mike Tressel (LB Coach Michigan State) to be talked about.  Also, Jon Heacock (DC Kent State, former head coach Youngstown State) to also get a look.  Luke Fickell (former Interim HC at Ohio State) was said to be candidate until he accepted to stay on Ohio State's staff under Urban Meyer.  Akron will probably be able to interview their remaining candidates this week hoping to make a decision by late this week, early next week.

Arizona:

            It appears as if Calvin Magee, Tony Dews, and Tony Gibson will be joining the Arizona staff tomorrow and possibly even Jeff Casteel.  Rodriguez may have entire staff together by the end of the week.  Frank Scelfo is someone rumored to be staying on staff; however, sources have stated he turned down offer by Rodriguez because he was going to be moved to TE’s coach.  Expect four hires to be made tomorrow with more to follow as the week progresses.

Arizona State:           

            After they couldn’t come to terms with Kevin Sumlin’s agent at the end of the work week, Arizona State has turned their attention to June Jones and he has spent much of the weekend meeting with Arizona State officials.  ASU AD Lisa Love has been ridiculed by most ASU fans on how she has handled this coaching search and it appears that they have hired a search firm to aide her in the search from this point forward.  There are contradicting reports whether the search firms has delayed the coaching search ending with June Jones or if the search firm recommended June Jones.  Many sources have stated that Arizona State is June Jones’ dream job.  I believe this hire will be made official this week.

Colorado State:

            Steve Fairchild was fired today by new AD Jack Graham.  Most likely Graham will employ a search firm to aid him in the search considering he has zero experience in coaching searches.  Graham is a former quarterback at Colorado State and has been a successful businessman.  Tim DeRuyter (Interim HC Texas A&M), Noel Mazzone (OC ASU), Paul Petrino (OC Illinois), Mike Canales (OC North Texas), Dennis Erickson (former HC ASU), Brent Venables (DC Oklahoma), Billy Gonzales (WR LSU), Jim McElwain (OC Alabama), Justin Wilcox (DC Tennessee), Bobby Kennedy (WR Colorado), Gary Barnett (former HC at Colorado and Northwestern), Chuck Heater (DC Temple), Rick Neuheisal (former HC UCLA), Tony Alford (WR Notre Dame), Brian Polian (ST Stanford), Brian Schneider (ST Seahawks), Mick McCall (OC Northwestern) and Dirk Koetter (former HC ASU) are names that come in mind.  A national search is set to begin immediately and as you can see there are more than plenty qualified candidates available.

Florida Atlantic:

            Carl Pelini has been hired at Florida Atlantic and he has a lot of work to do.  Pelini is a part of the Youngstown Cardinal Mooney coaching tree that includes Bob, Mike, and Mark Stoops as well as Bo Pelini and Tim Beck (OC at Nebraska).  He inherits a football program that didn’t win a game in 2011 and most certainly has his work cut out for him.  Expect a contingency of current and former Nebraska graduate assistants, members of the Youngstown State staff, ex-members of the Kansas staff (of the last two regimes), and former South Florida assistants to be on his short list as assistants.

Fresno State:

            Pat Hill was fired today from Fresno State after 15 seasons at the helm of the Bulldog program.  Hill has done a fantastic job dealing with limited resources and consistently putting together a winner in Fresno.  Thomas Boeh (Fresno State AD) is a Midwest guy who graduated from Illinois and is from the Chicago area.  He was at Northwestern while Gary Barnett was the head coach at Northwestern so he immediately has to be considered a possible candidate.  Other names in this search that is just beginning would be Jim McElwain (OC Alabama), Andy Ludwig (OC San Diego State), Brian Polian (ST Stanford), Rick Neuheisal (former HC UCLA), Willy Robinson (DC Arkansas), Kelly Skipper (RB Raiders), Steed Lobotzke (OC Wake Forest), Steve Mooshagian (HC Ventura College), J.D. Williams (DB UNLV), Ron Caragher (HC San Diego), Robin Pflugard (HC Montana), Doug Nussmeier (OC Washington), Jethro Franklin (DL Miami), and Tim DeRuyter (Interim HC Texas A&M).

Illinois:

            Illinois AD Mike Thomas has been very quiet on his search as most media people have lost their “inside’ contacts that existed when Ron Guenther was the AD.  Thomas is reportedly interviewing Pat Narduzzi (DC Michigan State) and Paul Chryst (OC Wisconsin) in Indianapolis today.  There has been a report that surfaced today that Thomas offered job to current Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones who has since declined the offer.  Todd Monken (OC Oklahoma State), Kirby Wilson (RB Pittsburgh Steelers), Willie Taggart (HC Western Kentucky), and Paul Rhoads (HC Iowa State) have also been talked about most recently.  Thomas has already mentioned that he has a tendency to hire current head coaches; however, he didn’t rule out the possibility that an assistant could emerge.  Most believe that Narduzzi, who was DC at Cincinnati when Thomas took over as AD, is the favorite now that Butch Jones has declined the job offer.  Thomas has mentioned that he wants to move quickly so expect things to move fast this week.

Kansas:

            Kansas AD Sheahon Zenger is reportedly good friends with Mike Leach and most believed that he would act quickly hiring him at Kansas.  Since Leach decided to take the Washington State offer, Zenger’s search seems to be pretty quiet.  With Zenger’s ties being to Jim Leavitt, Bill Snyder, and the Stoops’, it was a foregone conclusion that Mark or Mike Stoops, Brent Venables, or Jim Leavitt would be Zenger’s next targets.  This does not seem the case though as reports have surfaced that Zenger met with Gus Malzahn (OC Auburn) this weekend, Dirk Koetter (former OC Jacksonville Jaguars and Head Coach at Arizona State) is a favorite among the search firms, Larry Fedora (HC Southern Miss), and Justin Fuente (Co-OC/QB’s TCU) seem to be gaining steam.  Sonny Dykes (HC Louisiana Tech) and Dave Christensen (HC Wyoming) could also emerge as candidates. Zenger is obviously looking for a big splash hire that will bring excitement to the program.  Fedora is the one to watch in this search as he only makes a little over 700,000 per year at Southern Miss and after his big win Saturday against Houston, he will most certainly land a new job for next season.  I expect Malzahn, who was once the favorite at Ole Miss and North Carolina, to be in this search until the end as well as Larry Fedora.

Memphis:

            Mum is the word when it comes to the Memphis coaching search that is really being kept under wraps.  Only speculation has been reported up to this point in this coaching search.  Randy Fichtner (QB’s Steelers) has already expressed interest in the job and was a favorite in his time as OC while at Memphis.  Houston Nutt is an interesting name to remember in regards to this search as he probably fits the bill as to what Memphis needs as their next head coach.  He is a proven winner that has the head coaching experience and resources in the area to recruit very well.  Other names that probably deserve a look are Mark Mangino (former HC at Kansas), Tommy Bowden (former HC at Tulane and Clemson), Terry Bowden (HC North Alabama and Auburn), and Ron Zook (former HC Florida and Illinois). All the rumors linking Nutt to the job appear to be just that, rumors; however, if I were the Eastman-Beaudine seach firm that is leading this search, I would strongly consider Nutt.  Vic Koenning (Interim HC Illinois) has been linked to the job as well as many others.  Kippy Brown (WR’s Seahawks) is an interesting name because of his ties to the university.  He is a former QB (1975-1977) and he lobbied hard for the Tennessee job when Lane Kiffin bolted for USC.  Sources say he wants back into the college game and many feel his experience would be a far cry from Larry Porter who didn’t make the best game day calls.  Curtis Johnson (WR’s Saints and reportedly new head coach at Tulane) was reportedly on Memphis’ radar; however, he is most likely going to be named Tulane’s next head coach tomorrow.  At this point, the Memphis coaching search is anybody’s ball game…the real question is how many people are actually interested in this job?

Massachusetts:

            Massachusetts is making the jump to the bowl subdivision and into the MAC conference in 2012.  They are looking to upgrade their head coach to someone who has experience at this level.  UMASS’ search appears to revolve around three candidates:  Neal Brown (OC Texas Tech), Jack Bicknell Jr. (Asst. OL Giants), and Bill McGovern (DC Boston College).  Neal Brown was reportedly interviewed in Atlanta last week; he is a former UMASS WR who is regarded as one of the top young offensive minds in college football.  Brown is only 31 and is a Hal Mumme/Mike Leach disciple.  Jack Bicknell Jr. is the former head coach at Louisiana Tech and son of former Boston College Head Coach Jack Bicknell.  It appears UMASS likes Bicknell Jr. a great deal and he seems to be the favorite.  Bill McGovern is reportedly interviewing for the position, or going to get an interview.  McGovern is a longtime Boston College assistant who may be losing steam considering the poor performance of Boston College this season.  An interesting name to remember is Mark Whipple who is the former UMASS head coach who won 49 games in six seasons as head coach there including a D1-AA national championship.  He was the OC at Miami Florida for two seasons and now is QB coach for Cleveland Browns.

….The rest of the coaching searches will be updated tomorrow and updates to these schools will most certainly be followed as well.  Make sure to follow me @cfcoachingnews on twitter all day tomorrow.