As can be expected at this time of year, coaching news was a big item in this week's college football headlines. As it figures to be for the rest of the campaign; indeed, we'd be surprised if there isn't at least one dismissal per week for the remainder of the regular season. But not all of the news focused upon the coaching changes, with more attention paid to Charlie Weis' worsening plight at Notre Dame (more on that in a moment). Two other coaches got the heave-ho this week. One of those, Memphis' Tommy West, came as no surprise; indeed, we had been reporting as much since early October. In his ninth year on the job, and with empty seats overwhelming filled ones at the Liberty Bowl these days, West's ouster was somewhat expected.
There was another coaching move this week that might have been overlooked by most, coming as it was on the fringe of the college football radar screen. Like Memphis with Tommy West, Western Kentucky also hit the eject button on David Elson, which on the surface might not seem such a surprise with the Hilltoppers laboring through an 0-9 campaign (with 17 straight losses since a year ago). The circumstances surrounding Elson's dismissal, however, are a bit different than West's. And point out that even at one of the remotest outposts of the FBS in Bowling Green, Kentucky, administrators can be just as quick to hit the eject button as they are at the top-level programs.
You see, this is the same Elson who had won at WKU while it competed in the old Division I-AA, and was deemed the right guy to lead the Tops into the land of upper-division football. Taking lumps was to be expected as WKU transitioned to the top level and full Sun Belt membership this season. Last year's 2-10 mark, which included a killer non-conference schedule at the likes of BCS-bound Alabama & Virginia Tech, plus trips to another bowl-bound entry, Kentucky, as well as Indiana, wasn't enough to prevent the school from giving Elson a 4-year extension last January. At the time, Athletic Director Wood Selig seemed to be a pretty sympathetic boss. The transition to FBS-level football is "a process you can't microwave," said the AD.
Forgive Elson for feeling like a nuked bag of Jiffy-Pop popcorn ten months later.
We have to wonder if Selig was the one who really made the call to jettison Elson earlier this week (this move smacks of higher-level administrative or booster-related shenanigans), based upon some of the AD's other comments back in January. Quoted at that time by AP, Selig said, "It's going to be 3-4 years before we're playing with fifth-year seniors, that's when it's going to be fair to assess our program." By our calculations, that would mean any referendum on Elson would probably be waiting until 2012 or 2013...certainly not November of 2009.
This week, Selig justified Elson's dismissal by claiming that the Tops were not as competitive vs. Sun Belt teams as they were two years ago, when upsetting Middle Tennessee State and nearly beating Troy and North Texas. Since that win over the Blue Raiders in '07, however, WKU is 0-12 vs. Belt opposition, including five straight losses this season. What Selig didn't mention, however, was how Elson had been reloading the program "the right way" (Selig's words), focusing upon high school recruits.
Elson began to refrain from recruiting jucos and filling the roster with transfers. Instead he focused upon high school recruits and redshirting most of his incoming classes. A few of the youngsters, such as playmaking frosh QB Kawaun Jakes, have flashed considerable upside this season. Only three seniors were seeing significant playing time in 2009. Elson had every reason to believe that this was not only the right way to build a solid foundation at WKU, but that he would have the support of administrators along the way.
Well, they did support him, alright, for about 10 months after that last contract extension. And they pulled the plug right after one of the more encouraging performances of the season, when WKU was trading blows with Belt heavyweight Troy well into the third quarter before bowing honorably by a 40-20 count last Saturday.
The administration's claims about the program losing money with slow ticket sales rings a bit hollow, too, considering that they're going to have to fork out about a $500K to buy out Elson's contract, no to mention paying more to find a successor. And the idea that the program would earn more prestige by moving up to the top division was undermined by this trigger-happy move to can Elson before the season was complete. Indeed, the only press the Hilltoppers are going to get from this knee-jerk move is negative.
We just hope Elson's successor knows what he's getting into. Apparently, even at Western Kentucky, there's pressure to win right now.
A few years ago, a recurring question would focus upon possible successors for the wildly successful manager of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson. Indeed, it was an evergreen topic for a few years, especially when Ferguson announced earlier in the decade that would be retiring from the sidelines in the near future. Speculation was rife throughout England in those days as to which manager would eventually fill Fergie's shoes at Old Trafford.
Well, eight years on, and Sir Alex still patrols the premises at Man United, postponing that earlier retirement, apparently indefinitely, and even gladly hanging around at Old Trafford after the controversial 2005 takeover of the team by the Glazer family, which also owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Bucs. Still, many English sports section continue to talk about the day when Ferguson finally calls it quits, and who might be up to the task of replacing him at Man United.
Similarly, the Notre Dame football coaching situation generates that sort of interest and speculation on this side of the pond. Future coaching prospects in South Bend are always being discussed by Domers, especially when they're dissatisfied with the current regime. Which, for over a decade has been a pretty constant theme for the Irish. Since Lou Holtz abruptly announced his retirement at the end of the 1996 season, Notre Dame has slogged along with Bob Davie, Ty Willingham, and now Charlie Weis. Only in Willingham's first season (2002), and for most of Weis' first two years (2005-06), have Domers been somewhat satisfied at the results. Eventually, Davie and Willingham did not prove up to the task and were sent packing with time remaining on their contracts. And now Weis, in his fifth season, is in increasingly hot water, and speculation about his successor is running rampant with the "Subway Alumni" all across the country.
We're not burying Weis quite yet, but we will beat the other publications and websites to the punch with our own list of possible Weis successors. Sorry about that Charlie...it just goes with the territory at Notre Dame.
Brian Kelly, Cincinnati HC...More and more, this is looking like the preferred choice of Domers to eventually succeed Weis. Kelly has all of the characteristics Notre Dame should want; he's not only Irish, but he's been a big winner everywhere, from lower-division Grand Valley State, to Central Michigan, and now to Cincinnati, on the verge of a second straight BCS appearance. Bearcat boosters know they'll have to up the ante to keep him around; some forward-thinking Cincy backers, like former Bearcat hoop star and local businessman Larry Shingleton, would like to see the school move its home football games to Paul Brown Stadium, and copy the template used by fellow Big East member Pittsburgh, which also moved its home schedule to an in-town NFL stadium (Heinz Field) a few years ago. The potential revenue stream would certainly increase. We doubt the Bearcats, however, will eventually be able to match the dollars Notre Dame would likely throw at Kelly. Some Big East observers, however, aren't so sure that Kelly would jump at the Notre Dame job, especially with the chance the Michigan job could also be opening up in the near future if Rich Rodriguez can't get the Wolverines heading in the right direction, and soon. Kelly would also be at the top of Ohio State's list whenever Jim Tressel decides to hang 'em up (which admittedly might be down the road a ways). Also, don't forget that more than a few Penn State people believe Kelly could be the man to eventually replace Joe Paterno at Penn State, whenever that day might come (Rutgers' Greg Schiano also being mentioned for the future by Nittany Lion backers). We hardly recall a coach in such a position of choice as Kelly.
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern HC...We know for a fact that Fitzgerald is very high on the list of many Domers, although we're not quite sure how they will react to Fitzgerald's recent bit of smack talk about comparing NU with Stanford and the Irish. "Even though we're (NU) similar academically," said coach Fitz, "we're in a little different boat as Stanford and Notre Dame. We've been consistently winning since 1995. They're still saying they can do it, but we're doing it." That ought to not discourage Domers who think they can pry Fitzgerald away from Evanston, but our Big Ten sources tell us that Fitzgerald's ties run deep at NU, where he was an All-American LB and star of that Cinderella '95 Rose Bowl team. They tell us it's unlikely Fitzgerald will be going anywhere, at least in the near future.
Urban Meyer, Florida...Dream on, Domers. Although if a change is made we can rest assured this name will pop up as it did five years ago when Willingham was sent packing and Weis eventually hired. Only the Irish were outflanked back then by Florida and school prexy Bernie Machen, who had Meyer all but signed, sealed and delivered by the time the Irish got involved. Meyer was said to have still listened to ND (where he was an assistant in Bob Davie's regime) in December of '04, but with the school unwilling to budge on the limited number of "special admits" it would accept, Meyer balked. On that front, not much has changed in the five years since, while Meyer has won a pair of national titles in Gainesville and looks to have a good shot at his third crown in January. Wishful Domers are thinking that Meyer would be more likely to leave Gainesville now that he has accomplished almost all he could with the Gators, but others wonder why Meyer would ever want to leave the wonderland of Gator football, with its unlimited resources and easy access to recruiting riches. After all, Florida is now arguably the best job in the country...not Notre Dame.
Jeff Tedford, Cal...Five years ago, Tedford's name was one of the hottest in college football, and he was reportedly one of those contacted by the Irish post-Willingham. Tedford was at the time wrapping up a glorious season with his Golden Bears, however, and stayed put in Berkeley, as he has done while rejecting other overtures in recent years. But with the Cal program appearing to stall a bit the past few seasons, and the promised facility upgrades dragging on interminably at Berkeley, we wonder if Tedford might be more receptive to a move these days. That is, if Tedford is still as attractive a candidate as he was in 2004.
Jim Harbaugh, Stanford...Pac-10 sources sense that Harbaugh might have the itch to leave Palo Alto, after he was apparently quite curious at a variety of openings (including, reportedly, with the NFL Raiders) the past two years. Some believe that Harbaugh is fascinated by the NFL, where he was a QB for 14 years and where brother John has had a pretty good time as coach of the Baltimore Ravens since last season. If so, it would figure he could also be intrigued by Notre Dame, although you'll find a few people who think Stanford could be a better job, for the right person, that is (Palo Alto is also a bit nicer place than South Bend). Remember, the most-succcesful coaches at Stanford over the last 40 years (John Ralston after 1971, Bill Walsh after 1978, Dennis Green after 1991, and Willingham after 2001) have all left The Farm for higher-profile destinations. And Harbaugh looks as if he is ready for a similar upgrade after reviving the Cardinal program during his three years in charge. Some Domers, however, might recoil a bit if they recall Harbaugh's expletive-laced comments caught on the NBC microphones after his Stanford team suffered a bitter loss at South Bend last season.
Stay tuned.
More rumors...We’ve mentioned several coaches in potential trouble, but one that flew under our radar last weekend was Central Florida's George O'Leary, apparently feeling some heat in Orlando. The Golden Knights could be en route to missing a bowl game for the second straight season, and administrators are apparently tiring of the program's inability to rise as a consistent force in C-USA. This is a program that has plenty of upside, being right in the middle of the Orlando area and often mentioned as a possible target of the ACC and Big East because of its access to that desirable Disney World market. To get more visible, however, UCF has to win more consistently, and the school didn't open that new stadium on campus two years ago for the team to continue missing out on bowl games.
Coaches to watch...Following are some mentors who might be in the frame for the Memphis or Western Kentucky jobs, or maybe UCF, Louisville, or others that some are suggesting could be opening.
Phil Fulmer...The former Tennessee coach has let it be known that he wants to coach again, but isn't desperate enough to take a situation where a can't realistically win big. Fulmer is comfortably set for the rest of his life if he never works another day. Memphis is reportedly going to make a run at Fulmer, but we're not sure the Tigers meet Fulmer's criteria. UCF, with its upside, might be a possibility if that one indeed opens. Louisville might fit as well.
Tommy Tuberville...Like Fulmer, Tuberville has said that he wants to coach again. Although Tuberville has been a bit more definitive than Fulmer, saying that he will be coaching somewhere in 2010. Already, some Louisville sources are indicating that Tuberville could be on the Cards' radar should Steve Kragthorpe get the boot. Tuberville might also warrant a hard look from Virginia if Al Groh gets the heave-ho as expected.
Tommy Bowden...On the market again after last year's midseason dismissal at Clemson. Sources in the south believe that Bowden could be an interesting, higher-profile option at Memphis if the Tigers can't get anywhere with Fulmer, and would be a very interesting possibility at UCF should the Knights job become open.
Gus Malzahn...Auburn's creative offensive coordinator has pumped life into the Tiger offense just as he did the past two seasons at Tulsa. Could be the most "in demand" assistant in the nation. Figures to be in the middle of at least the Memphis mix and perhaps a few others.
Jim McElwain...Alabama's offensive coordinator has gained plenty of notice the past few years, as well as previous impressive work at Fresno State.
Charlie Strong...Florida's defensive coordinator has been in the frame for a few head coaching jobs in recent years and will likely be in the frame this offseason as well. Another intriguing possibility should the UCF job open up.
Gunter Brewer...Oklahoma offensive coordinator who is the son of former longtime Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer. Would get back close to his roots if he secures the Memphis job.
Rick Stockstill...With Middle Tennessee perhaps en route to 9 wins and a bowl berth, Stockstill is going to make himself an attractive alternative for any non-Sun Belt openings. Doubtful he would make what is not much more than a lateral move to Memphis, however, especially after beating the Tigers this season and in 2007.
Joe DeForest...Oklahoma State assistant head coach has been credited a with a lot of the recruiting upgrades in Stillwater. Could be in the frame at Memphis and will definitely get a look if interested in WKU.
Jim Chaney...Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator who previously worked with Drew Brees' offenses at Purdue as well as a stint in the NFL with the Rams. WKU could prove a nice entry-level head coaching position.
Paul Petrino...Arkansas offensive coordinator and brother of Bobby. Wouldn't he be an interesting choice at Louisville if the Cards job opens up?
Chris Hatcher...Georgia Southern HC who led Valdosta State to a Division II national title in 2004. Disciple of Hal Mumme.
Tyrone Nix...Ole Miss defensive coordinator is well respected within the region and could certainly get in the mix at Memphis and WKU.
Mark Whipple...Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator credited with turning around the Cane offense and tutoring soph QB Jacory Harris, who has been a revelation. NFL background could also make him attractive for higher-profile openings that Memphis or WKU.
