From Neal
Another day, another set of rumors, though today’s seem to have a little more support from sources we’ve spoken to.
First, it’s becoming obvious that people are getting bits and pieces of correct information and then filling in the gaps themselves, thereby providing a plethora of rumor mill gist to sort through.
Here’s what we know: Most of Ole Miss’ staff was told to turn in their cars, keys, etc., to UM personnel the day after the Egg Bowl, prompting speculation a new coach has been hired. That speculation, however, is clearly false.
Yes, Rich Rodriguez is putting together a staff, but Rodriguez is a candidate at more than one school and if he’s going to wow anyone in an interview, he’ll show his preparedness. From talking to sources familiar with multiple coaching searches, Rodriguez to Ole Miss doesn’t look likely. The same holds for Mike Leach, though, like Rodriguez, there’s likely some intrigue and interest in the former Texas Tech coach. It just seems unlikely that his candidacy will ever gain real traction at Ole Miss.
The hot name in Ole Miss circles this morning is USM coach Larry Fedora, and there’s simply no doubt he’s high on the Rebels’ list. If there is a top of the list today (we don’t think it’s gotten quite that far), he’s likely on it. However, Fedora is very much a candidate at Arizona and don’t be surprised if you begin to hear his name at North Carolina, either, though Gus Malzahn appears to be the clear favorite in Chapel Hill. Throw in the fact that the Golden Eagles are victories over UAB and Memphis away from a Dec. 3 Conference USA championship game date, and Fedora likely has time to sort things out and see if other attractive jobs become open (Arizona State, N.C. State, Illinois appear to be strong candidates today).
The sense we get today is Ole Miss is going to pursue an established current head coach first before delving into other options. Fedora meets that criteria. So do Houston’s Kevin Sumlin, Baylor’s Art Briles and Miami’s Al Golden. Those three will be coveted elsewhere, however, and it’s no certainty that Briles (a strong favorite for the Texas Tech job when it opens up) and Golden (likely to stay at Miami, coveted at Penn State) would have real interest in the Ole Miss job.
Finally, Kirby Smart is the one non-head coach whose name remains very high on what we believe is Ole Miss’ list of targets. There are no negatives on Smart, though one source said Ole Miss is “scared of Kirby,” implying that UM believes Smart will leave once he’s successful in Oxford. (Editorial note: If true, that’s so incredibly sad and pathetic). Smart is, however, a strong candidate, and if he were able to assuage that fear, his chances to ultimately land the Ole Miss job would likely be very high.
As for timing, nothing is happening until after the Egg Bowl, and it could take another week. For example, Fedora won’t do anything until the Golden Eagles’ regular season is over. The same applies for Golden. The week after the Egg Bowl could be full of plane watching and wild rumors, but the actual action could remain very much under the radar.
As long as there is time on the proverbial clock, there is a chance for a new name to emerge. And one source with strong Ole Miss connections has maintained from the beginning he expects the new UM coach to “come from left field.” (Editorial comment: I hope that means Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs would gladly let Ole Miss take him.)
This post was edited on 11/16 2:21 PM by Chase Parham
Another day, another set of rumors, though today’s seem to have a little more support from sources we’ve spoken to.
First, it’s becoming obvious that people are getting bits and pieces of correct information and then filling in the gaps themselves, thereby providing a plethora of rumor mill gist to sort through.
Here’s what we know: Most of Ole Miss’ staff was told to turn in their cars, keys, etc., to UM personnel the day after the Egg Bowl, prompting speculation a new coach has been hired. That speculation, however, is clearly false.
Yes, Rich Rodriguez is putting together a staff, but Rodriguez is a candidate at more than one school and if he’s going to wow anyone in an interview, he’ll show his preparedness. From talking to sources familiar with multiple coaching searches, Rodriguez to Ole Miss doesn’t look likely. The same holds for Mike Leach, though, like Rodriguez, there’s likely some intrigue and interest in the former Texas Tech coach. It just seems unlikely that his candidacy will ever gain real traction at Ole Miss.
The hot name in Ole Miss circles this morning is USM coach Larry Fedora, and there’s simply no doubt he’s high on the Rebels’ list. If there is a top of the list today (we don’t think it’s gotten quite that far), he’s likely on it. However, Fedora is very much a candidate at Arizona and don’t be surprised if you begin to hear his name at North Carolina, either, though Gus Malzahn appears to be the clear favorite in Chapel Hill. Throw in the fact that the Golden Eagles are victories over UAB and Memphis away from a Dec. 3 Conference USA championship game date, and Fedora likely has time to sort things out and see if other attractive jobs become open (Arizona State, N.C. State, Illinois appear to be strong candidates today).
The sense we get today is Ole Miss is going to pursue an established current head coach first before delving into other options. Fedora meets that criteria. So do Houston’s Kevin Sumlin, Baylor’s Art Briles and Miami’s Al Golden. Those three will be coveted elsewhere, however, and it’s no certainty that Briles (a strong favorite for the Texas Tech job when it opens up) and Golden (likely to stay at Miami, coveted at Penn State) would have real interest in the Ole Miss job.
Finally, Kirby Smart is the one non-head coach whose name remains very high on what we believe is Ole Miss’ list of targets. There are no negatives on Smart, though one source said Ole Miss is “scared of Kirby,” implying that UM believes Smart will leave once he’s successful in Oxford. (Editorial note: If true, that’s so incredibly sad and pathetic). Smart is, however, a strong candidate, and if he were able to assuage that fear, his chances to ultimately land the Ole Miss job would likely be very high.
As for timing, nothing is happening until after the Egg Bowl, and it could take another week. For example, Fedora won’t do anything until the Golden Eagles’ regular season is over. The same applies for Golden. The week after the Egg Bowl could be full of plane watching and wild rumors, but the actual action could remain very much under the radar.
As long as there is time on the proverbial clock, there is a chance for a new name to emerge. And one source with strong Ole Miss connections has maintained from the beginning he expects the new UM coach to “come from left field.” (Editorial comment: I hope that means Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs would gladly let Ole Miss take him.)
This post was edited on 11/16 2:21 PM by Chase Parham
