The coaching carousel began to turn late Monday when Rich Rodriguez accepted the head coaching vacancy at Arizona.
It was potentially huge news for Ole Miss, and not because Rodriguez was on the Rebels’ radar. From all indications, he never really was, though he was a much more viable candidate than Mike Leach has been thus far.
According to sources, Arizona athletics director Greg Byrne had strong interest in Southern Mississippi coach Larry Fedora. However, Fedora would not interview with the Wildcats until after the Golden Eagles’ regular season, a period that will likely be extended until Dec. 3 when USM meets Houston for the Conference USA championship.
Fedora, we continue to hear, is very much a subject of major interest in Ole Miss’ search to replace Houston Nutt. Obviously, the Rebels would have to wait until at least the night of Dec. 3 to interview him and/or offer him a job. That could make next week an awfully long one.
Fedora could have options. ESPN.com’s Ted Miller, among others, has speculated this week that he expects Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson to retire/be fired/step down at the end of the season. Fedora’s name, a source said Tuesday afternoon, will “probably” be mentioned prominently in Tempe. Houston’s Kevin Sumlin, who will be on the opposite sideline in the CUSA game, is also believed to be a top target at Arizona State. Sumlin is also frequently discussed as an option at UCLA if Rick Neuheisel is relieved of his duties.
The job Fedora is believed to covet, Texas A&M, likely won’t come open. Jeff Tarpley, who covers the Aggies for Rivals.com and who was all over the Texas A&M-to-the SEC story for the past year, told me today he believes Mike Sherman will get another year in College Station. A second source agreed with Tarpley’s opinion, stating that Bob Byrne would likely be slow on the trigger finger at Texas A&M.
Ole Miss _ and everyone else with an opening _ would likely have strong interest in Miami coach Al Golden. However, it’s widely believed Golden will be Penn State’s choice to replace Joe Paterno and rebuild the scandal-plagued program. Golden has a buttoned-up Mr. Clean image, and the Nittany Lions are likely going to be willing and able to pay dearly to bring Golden to (Not So) Happy Valley. Harvard’s Tim Murphy, per published reports, is another strong candidate at Penn State.
Baylor’s Art Briles is also undoubtedly on Ole Miss’ hot list. However, there are plenty of reasons to believe Briles might hang tight in Waco for one more year. One, quarterback Robert Griffin III, he of the 3,572 yards passing and 33 touchdowns so far this season, is just a junior and might return for his senior season. Two, there is a possibility _ if not a likelihood _ that both Texas A&M and Texas Tech will have openings next season. Briles, a Rule, Texas, native who attended Texas Tech and has spent his entire coaching career in the Lone Star State, would very likely be a leading candidate in both College Station and Lubbock. Finally, there is speculation in the coaching/agent community that Briles could be close to a contract extension at Baylor that would reward him handsomely for the job he’s done with the Bears’ program since taking over in 2008.
Sources in the coaching/agent community have insisted for more than a week that Ole Miss is focused on attracting a sitting head coach. Louisiana-Lafayette’s Mark Hudspeth and Arkansas State’s Hugh Freeze are also believed to be targets of the Rebels’ interest. While there have been Internet reports/tweets regarding Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s supposed interest in the Ole Miss job, multiple sources have told RebelGrove.com head coaching experience is preferred.
That said, Archie Manning recently told the (Memphis) Commercial-Appeal he wasn’t ruling out anyone, so Malzahn, Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and Alabama’s Kirby Smart remain names to keep an eye on. The Birmingham News mentioned Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians as a possible candidate, and CoachingSearch.com said Ole Miss might have interest in Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Monken is also a candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Tulane.
It was potentially huge news for Ole Miss, and not because Rodriguez was on the Rebels’ radar. From all indications, he never really was, though he was a much more viable candidate than Mike Leach has been thus far.
According to sources, Arizona athletics director Greg Byrne had strong interest in Southern Mississippi coach Larry Fedora. However, Fedora would not interview with the Wildcats until after the Golden Eagles’ regular season, a period that will likely be extended until Dec. 3 when USM meets Houston for the Conference USA championship.
Fedora, we continue to hear, is very much a subject of major interest in Ole Miss’ search to replace Houston Nutt. Obviously, the Rebels would have to wait until at least the night of Dec. 3 to interview him and/or offer him a job. That could make next week an awfully long one.
Fedora could have options. ESPN.com’s Ted Miller, among others, has speculated this week that he expects Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson to retire/be fired/step down at the end of the season. Fedora’s name, a source said Tuesday afternoon, will “probably” be mentioned prominently in Tempe. Houston’s Kevin Sumlin, who will be on the opposite sideline in the CUSA game, is also believed to be a top target at Arizona State. Sumlin is also frequently discussed as an option at UCLA if Rick Neuheisel is relieved of his duties.
The job Fedora is believed to covet, Texas A&M, likely won’t come open. Jeff Tarpley, who covers the Aggies for Rivals.com and who was all over the Texas A&M-to-the SEC story for the past year, told me today he believes Mike Sherman will get another year in College Station. A second source agreed with Tarpley’s opinion, stating that Bob Byrne would likely be slow on the trigger finger at Texas A&M.
Ole Miss _ and everyone else with an opening _ would likely have strong interest in Miami coach Al Golden. However, it’s widely believed Golden will be Penn State’s choice to replace Joe Paterno and rebuild the scandal-plagued program. Golden has a buttoned-up Mr. Clean image, and the Nittany Lions are likely going to be willing and able to pay dearly to bring Golden to (Not So) Happy Valley. Harvard’s Tim Murphy, per published reports, is another strong candidate at Penn State.
Baylor’s Art Briles is also undoubtedly on Ole Miss’ hot list. However, there are plenty of reasons to believe Briles might hang tight in Waco for one more year. One, quarterback Robert Griffin III, he of the 3,572 yards passing and 33 touchdowns so far this season, is just a junior and might return for his senior season. Two, there is a possibility _ if not a likelihood _ that both Texas A&M and Texas Tech will have openings next season. Briles, a Rule, Texas, native who attended Texas Tech and has spent his entire coaching career in the Lone Star State, would very likely be a leading candidate in both College Station and Lubbock. Finally, there is speculation in the coaching/agent community that Briles could be close to a contract extension at Baylor that would reward him handsomely for the job he’s done with the Bears’ program since taking over in 2008.
Sources in the coaching/agent community have insisted for more than a week that Ole Miss is focused on attracting a sitting head coach. Louisiana-Lafayette’s Mark Hudspeth and Arkansas State’s Hugh Freeze are also believed to be targets of the Rebels’ interest. While there have been Internet reports/tweets regarding Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s supposed interest in the Ole Miss job, multiple sources have told RebelGrove.com head coaching experience is preferred.
That said, Archie Manning recently told the (Memphis) Commercial-Appeal he wasn’t ruling out anyone, so Malzahn, Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and Alabama’s Kirby Smart remain names to keep an eye on. The Birmingham News mentioned Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians as a possible candidate, and CoachingSearch.com said Ole Miss might have interest in Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Monken is also a candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Tulane.
