The 2021 faculty football coaching cycle had a couple of oddities underlying a lot of the motion. On one finish, there was the truth that the sitting coaches of each Notre Dame and Oklahoma left for brand spanking new jobs of their very own volition without being fired. There have been additionally the jobs that opened and stuffed earlier than the season ended (Texas Tech, UConn and Georgia Southern), largely to provide their packages a leap on roster-building as a result of switch portal. All three coaches have been gettable hires, too (Joey McGuire was an assistant coach; Jim Mora and Clay Helton didn’t have coaching jobs on the time), which is one thing to notice in the case of whether or not that pattern may proceed this yr.
For September openings, there’s a perceived first-mover benefit to survey your entire panorama (UConn and Southern each opened in September, whereas Tech didn’t open till close to the top of October). The first two packages have been in a position to make use of it to their benefit, nevertheless it didn’t occur in a single day. Helton wasn’t employed till Nov. 2, adopted by Mora on the eleventh. Tech moved comparatively quickly, hiring McGuire on Nov. 8 after firing Matt Wells on Oct. 25. So may any of the at present open Power 5 jobs do the identical?
We have 5 technically open proper now, however in several conditions than what we noticed final yr.
Leipold could possibly be a candidate at a number of Big Ten colleges.
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At Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets don’t have an athletic director but as a result of they fired Todd Stansbury on the identical day they fired Geoff Collins. It stays extensively anticipated that GT will rent an AD earlier than changing Collins. Sources say the AD search stays in progress and will nonetheless take so long as a couple of weeks to finish. As far as a coaching search, the executive flux is why one supply described the Jackets as considered one of two open jobs that “aren’t even on first base.”
That’s comprehensible at Tech as a result of AD search, however much less so at Arizona State—the opposite college the supply described that method—the place Ray Anderson has been athletic director since 2014. It stays unclear how this hiring course of will go. After ASU parted with Herm Edwards, Anderson stated he wasn’t certain what the construction of the search course of could be, and the Sun Devils stay working by way of that a part of the method, in keeping with a supply. Of course, time is on their aspect on condition that it’s nonetheless mid-October. A supply anticipated the Devils to rent a search agency, which is able to get them at the least on the basepaths.
Out of the opposite open jobs, two are within the Big Ten. Nebraska has interim coach Mickey Joseph, a former participant whose contract requires he both be retained or paid out the rest of his owed wage if a brand new coach is employed (the Huskers are 2–1 beneath Joseph).
Candidates embrace Iowa State’s Matt Campbell (though a supply cautioned he is likely to be much less movable than in yr’s previous), Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien (whom sources say has a earlier relationship with athletic director Trev Alberts), NC State coach Dave Doeren and Kansas coach Lance Leipold.
Doeren was requested by reporters about his curiosity shortly after the job opened, and he pointed to how early it still was in the process.
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Leipold’s title has additionally been linked to Wisconsin. While it’s clear the Badgers need interim coach Jim Leonhard to work out, there’s a motive he has an interim tag and wasn’t given a everlasting one when Paul Chryst was surprisingly let go. Sources say AD Chris McIntosh and Badgers management received’t be caught flat-footed if the season craters and so they miss a bowl recreation.
As far as Leipold is anxious, the 58-year-old has constructed packages at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater (the place he was a six-time nationwide champion) and Buffalo (the place he received two division titles and two Coach of the Year honors). He has deep ties to the state of Wisconsin, the place he was born, and was a Badgers graduate assistant within the early Nineties earlier than happening to be an assistant at Nebraska-Omaha and Nebraska. It’s why tying him to both the Huskers or the Badgers isn’t any shock. When requested how he handles being linked to jobs on the eve of final Saturday’s recreation in opposition to TCU, Leipold advised Sports Illustrated:
“I don’t speak to [the players] a lot about it as a result of dang, it’s early within the yr to attempt to try this. We’re actually glad right here. At my age, different individuals may see this as a stepping stone right now; that’s by no means the plan.
“We’re extraordinarily glad being targeted on that, identical to we would like them to be targeted and eliminating distractions, I believe we do as effectively. There’s nothing to [distractions], so why spend time on them right now? And if it must get into an additional dialog down the highway, you cope with it then. It simply so occurs that two jobs opened the place I’ve lived the vast majority of my life, sadly. Nobody’s mentioning Colorado or Arizona State, or one thing like that, or Georgia Tech. That’s the place to me, let’s let the youngsters get pleasure from what they’re doing.”
Jayhawks directors are working to place an attractive bundle on the desk to get Leipold to stay in Lawrence and capitalized on final weekend’s College GameDay highlight by saying facility upgrades.
All eyes stay on Harsin’s job standing at Auburn.
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Elsewhere on the coaching carousel:
- There are excessive requirements at UAB, the place Bill Clark constructed a dependable convention title contender out of nothing when this system was revived in 2017. The expectation for interim coach Bryant Vincent is to at the least attain the convention title recreation (they’re at present 1–1 in early league play).
- Colorado is the opposite Pac-12 job open. Coaches jockeying for will probably be very curious about what the varsity will pay, not only for coordinators and the top coach however the entire wage pool. Cost-of-living considerations in Boulder may make it a troublesome place to rent and retain assistant coaches.
- Virtually from the second he arrived at Auburn, Bryan Harsin has gave the impression to be on the recent seat. That definitely didn’t get cooler after the fiasco in February when it was clear at the least some individuals with affect at Auburn have been pushing laborious to oust him. Auburn has now misplaced two straight, to LSU and Georgia. If the Tigers fall to Ole Miss heading right into a bye week, it’s going to proceed the now weekly questioning of how lengthy he’ll stay within the job.
- Auburn could possibly be considered one of a number of locations with curiosity in former Baylor and Temple coach Matt Rhule, who turned the primary coach fired throughout this NFL cycle. He does have more than 40 million reasons to be selective about his subsequent cease, if he even desires to return again to varsity coaching in any respect. One occasion that will be thrilled to see him get a brand new job is his former employer, the Carolina Panthers. Every greenback a brand new head coaching position would pay Rhule offsets what the franchise owes him. The clause isn’t a rarity, however the size of Rhule’s deal is a big motive why NFL decision-makers have been very cautious about his rent.
- The Big 12 has vital parity this season, however West Virginia is off to an 0–2 begin within the league. Neal Brown’s buyout can also be vital (over $16 million), however so is the WVU administration’s perception in him.
- Louisville beat Virginia final Saturday, and the analysis of Scott Satterfield continues. The Cardinals are in a bye week earlier than a again half of the schedule that features Wake Forest, undefeated James Madison and Clemson.
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