It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but the carousel is already turning. Here is the latest on the open jobs, and which jobs may be opening up...
Florida Gators
Pay no mind to all of the Chip Kelly to Florida talk. It may yet happen, but as of now, he is purely a conjecture candidate that people are going crazy over on social media. Kelly is not nearly a lock for this job, and will likely not get it according to Steve Spurrier's comments on ESPN U radio today. Spurrier stated that the candidate that Florida wants is currently "with his team, and will be through the rest of the season and maybe even the bowl game". That leaves Chip Kelly out of the equation. Scott Forst would be the primary candidate that the school is seeking, and if not him, they could turn to the old guard in either Dan Mullen of Mississippi State, or Charlie Strong at USF.
Tennessee
Now that we are finally done with Butch Jones (I reported his demise two weeks ago, as the decision was official at that time), it's time for Tennessee to get serious about a real coaching candidate, and not a clown holding a coaching whistle. Derek Dooley was a failure. Lane Kiffin was a failure. Jones was a failure. Not one of those coaches was a seriously strong candidate when they were hired in the first place. Tennessee has to go big. They have the cash and the facilities to sell a top tier coach on. That candidate will not be Jon Gruden. Gruden has zero interest in the Tennessee job, much like what the case was last time this job opened with his name pinned to it. One candidate to keep in mind is Mike Leach at Washington State. He is a perfect focus for the job, as long as they are willing to hire him and leave him alone to do his job. No real names are attached to this job as of yet, but stay tuned, as I am certain that names will begin to bubble up next week. The goal is to have a new coach in place by December 20.
Ole Miss
There is very little buzz around the Rebels at this point, but I will tell you that the new permanent head coach will likely not be Matt Luke. That ship has sailed on. One name that is floating in orbit around this job is Troy coach Neal Brown, who has some experience in the SEC as OC at Kentucky. This will not be one of the more sought after jobs in the SEC or nationally based on the issues left behind by the former coaching staff.
Oregon State
The Beavers have been a different kind of football team since the departure of Gary Anderson. Anderson had this program uptight, and both players and assistants felt the strain. Corey Hall will not be the final candidate after serving as interim. One name I am hearing over and again around this job is Cal OC Beau Baldwin, who was the head coach at Eastern Washington, where he competed for Big Sky and national titles every single season. Jeff Tedford could also attract attention after raising Fresno State from the dead in one year. Another interesting name could be current UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins, and Washington DC Pete Kwiatkowski could find his way into this one as well after being a candidate for the Nevada job last year.
UTEP
This is a job that is going to be one of the last filled. It's not exactly a job that sells itself. The Miners are in the bottom tier of recruiting in the state, facilities are average to bad, and this program has suffered losing for a very long time. There are probably some coordinators or FCS head coaches that will look at this as a major opportunity. KC Keeler of Sam Houston State should be reached out to, but has been a career FCS/1-AA head coach. It could be an opportunity for someone like Dusty Meacham if the Kansas situation falls apart as well. If Kansas moves on from David Beaty, he could get closer to his Texas roots by looking at this post as well. UTEP needs someone who understands the state, and understands the high school system, and understands where the diamonds in the rough are in the state for the program to flourish. A bad hire could set this program back for years once again.
Georgia Southern
Tyson Summers was always in over his head when he was hired to replace Willie Fritz, who left after a successful run for Tulane. Brent Davis, the OC at Army, is a leading candidate based on his expertise in triple option offenses.
Jobs That May Open Up
UCF: Scott Frost seems destined to leave for either Florida or Nebraska. He has set the table well for a successor, but his leaving will likely set the program back again.
USF: Charlie Strong could be on a short stop in Tampa, with Florida calling, among others. This is a fluid situation, but it is an attractive job as it stands now.
Memphis: Mike Norvell could very well be an attractive candidate in-state at Tennessee, and so expect some kind of charge for him. He could also be back at Memphis in 2018, but if the market opens up like many expect it to, this job could be open as well. Norvell should also likely attract attention from Ole Miss, and possibly Arkansas.
SMU: Chad Morris will be targeted by at least a few, including Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. Look for this situation to be fluid in the next 30 days, as Morris spurned Baylor last year to remain in Dallas.
NC State: Not much being talked about here, but Doeren could be a huge target for a school that does not get their primary candidate after pushing Clemson for the their divisional title all year long.
Louisville: The Cardinals are not going to fire Bobby Petrino, but he could very well leave if he feels something better comes along, and remember, he is getting a new boss who may not be too happy with the way that the Cardinals performed when expectations were high this year.
Florida State: I find the percentages to be incredibly low, but you cannot explain away how badly things went at FSU this year. Jimbo Fisher is also being attached to other jobs right now, including Tennessee and Texas A&<, but I just don't see that happening.
Duke: Again, I find it a low percentage chance, but David Cutcliffe may very well at least speak with Tennessee about their open job. If he is swayed enough, all bets are off.
Iowa State: Matt Campbell is a target for almost anyone with an open job, but word is that his buyout is huge at ISU, and he may not want to leave. Stay tuned here, but I can see him back in Ames in 2018, when the league may be wide open.
Kansas State: I fully expect Bill Snyder to retire at this point. He is having health issues, and he is pushing 80. He has done enough for K State at this point.
Texas Tech: If the Red Raiders fail to make it to a bowl game, Kliff Kingsbury will be gone. His Big 12 record is abysmal, and the powers that be are sick of being an also ran in Big 12 play.
Kansas: Despite the words of support from the chancellor this week, there is a very real possibility that the AD and coach David Beaty are shown the door, if not just Beaty by himself. This hire has not worked at all.
Nebraska: This job is opening up, it's just not "official" yet> Mike Leach and his staff will finish the season, and sometime on Thanksgiving weekend will be officially let go. Scott Frost is the primary target here, and Nebraska has the cash to do whatever they want with the hire. I can tell you that it will not be something as stupid as the Mike Riley hire was.
Minnesota: Teams are already shopping for PJ Fleck (Tennessee, as well as others), and his buyout is supremely affordable. I am not saying that Fleck is leaving, but if he can get a better offer...
Illinois: There is zero reason to keep Lovie Smith here for one more season. He has done nothing but take the oney he has been given, and the program may actually be worse now than when he was hired. I fully expect some change here.
Charlotte: Brad Lambert has not been able to turn the corner with this infant program, and may have actually taken a step backwards in 2017. There has been some grumbling around this job. Stay tuned.
UAB: Bill Clark, one of the best coaches in college football, just signed a nice extension to stay on at UAB, but that does not mean that others will not be coming to kick the tires and gauge interest. They'd be stupid not to.
Rice: I think that we have finally seen all we need to see of David Bailiff to know that he is not getting it done at Rice. He was nearly fired last year. There is no reason to keep him beyond this awful season, as his record is now well under .500.
Miami (Ohio): Everyone thought that Chuck Martin had turned a corner last season, but that was not to be the case in 2017. He has gone backwards again this season.
Kent State: Paul Haynes mysteriously survived last season when everyone thought he would be gone. He won't make it another year.
New Mexico: Scandals and bad football combine to formulate a bad plan. Bob Davie could be on his way out.
Arizona State: The loss to UCLA last weekend certainly did Todd Graham few favors. He needs to go to a bowl, or be on his way.
UCLA: Again, I don't see this opening up this year, but Mora has lost the fan base in a huge way, and Dan Guerrero cannot be trusted to fire his fourth football coach, and hire his fifth. This could be an AD/Football Coach combo if it opens up. It certainly should.
Utah: Kyle Whittingham has had a very contentious relationship with Utah, and this may be his big chance to move on, especially if, say, the UCLA job opened up. He could also be connected to some of the open SEC jobs as well. He's a great coach having a really down year, so that may stunt things to a degree.
Vanderbilt: Derek Mason is on the ropes, as this season continues to unravel. The recruiting classes have worsened every year under his watch, and quite frankly, he is out of his league.
Mississippi State: I would find it terrible if Dan Mullen leaves. He does not have to win the SEC at all to keep people happy in Starkville. He just has to go bowling and compete every season. It's not much to ask/do. Bigger jobs mean bigger pressures.
Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin will be out at the end of the season. How about UTEP as a landing spot? Names being floated around boarder on the ridiculous. Jimbo Fisher, Chip Kelly, and others are all seemingly smoke screen candidates being floated by the media. There is a much different reality in all likelihood.
Arkansas: Jeff Long was fired as AD today. Bret Bielema, short of a miracle, will likely follow him out the door sometime next week.
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