Maybe he could be worth considering, but rest assured there would be a lot of skeptics. February 26, 2023 4:11 pm ET. All eyes will be on his performance as the interim coach. He knows how to recruit. Closing Comment: Its a huge if whether he leaves an NFL coaching gig in his prime when the Bengals have finally achieved liftoff. Why It Might Work: Strong was a top candidate at Texas for a reason. He went 11-2 at Army in 2018. Nothing against Stoops, but no one is beating Georgia anytime soon. But isnt that what Nebraska tried with Mike Riley? He already knows the Big Ten and will likely be more prepared on what to expect given his time at Wisconsin. Why It Might Not: NC State still hasnt had the type of special season you would expect from someone who could be a great head coach. Plus he got axed from the Raiders on his second stint because of controversial emails sent a decade ago. KSU hasnt had a breakthrough season yet. Why It Might Work: He has head coaching experience from his time at Indiana and is at least familiar with the challenges of running a Big Ten program. And would he stick around, even if things go well? Here are some coaches who could be a fit at Nebraska, listed in alphabetical order. The Redhawks were a complete tire fire when he took over, and hes made them relatively competitive in the MAC, which always seems like auditioning grounds for Big Ten jobs. Experience in training, coaching, and/or mentoring experience. He is 1-5 in the Cy-Hawk trophy game, leading many to question his ability to handle the defense-heavy Big Ten. Okay, okay, in all seriousness, Grudens name gets floated only because hes so damn fun to watch. Hes been under the big lights of a major college football program, and may be looking for another chance to be on that kind of stage again. His record at Washington is a somewhat less stellar 55-26, but he finished (or tied) first in the Pac-12 north division for three straight years, and won the conference championship twice. He served as Marylands interim coach after they fired DJ Durkin. Auburn is not an easy place to win but Malzahn might be itching to get back into the SEC like Lane Kiffin before him. Why It Might Not: But didnt Scott Frost supposedly understand a winning culture too? And hes still young at 47. Why It Might Not: There are so many reasons. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? His unique motion-heavy style is sometimes difficult for quarterbacks to grasp, and there were times, as with all OCs, where the play-calling was suspect. It could be fun. Maybe hes learned a lot and would want to take a crack at it again, in the Big Ten? Patterson knows Nebraska and its culture; he would come out of the box blazing on the recruiting trail. Seven candidates ran in the Democratic primary. Why It Might Work: Hes still young at 47, and its not like his career has been a complete failure. Come on. He has Big Ten bona fides from his days as Ohio States DC and would bring serious credibility to a Nebraska program looking to get competitive in the conference. Absolutely. And unlike Frost, he has no Nebraska ties to save him if he starts losing early. Closing Comment: So Im skeptical about this. The decline in his fourth season was truly stunning. He might be the defensive version of Scott Frost. Johnsons lack of experience in that area means every aspect of how hed run the program would be unknown until we see it. And dont forget, hes built a program from scratch. The Wisconsin stint in particular gives him Big Ten cred. It took some convincing to get Kentuckys athletic dept. After taking over the sturdy foundation built by Jerry Kill, P.J. FCS champion coaches havent always done great with the jump to FBS, and Bohls time at Wyoming isnt anything to write home about (other than a certain quarterback). As soon as Matt Rhule was fired from the Carolina -Lance Meyer didn't even make it through a full season in 2021 with the Jags. That kind of price tag in hindsight is laughable. Anytime you nab a successful head coach from the SEC, its going to create buzz. Fleck, and hes one of the reasons Mel Tucker has found success at Colorado and MSU. Why It Might Not: Obligatory NDSU caveats. His two turnarounds at Ball State and San Diego State (in his first stint) were impressive, considering what they were before he arrived. Seven Nebraska coaching candidates to replace Mike Riley. Chadwell racked up numerous Coach of the Year Honors for the job he's done recently. At 63 with not much upside he is unlikely to be in high demand. Some argue that he was the one who built that program into what it is todaywinning 3 FCS national championships while he was there, and posting a record of 104-32. Everyone hopes to nab someone who creates the success of Jim Tressel. Hes now back at San Diego State for a second stint. And hes kind of an oddball. Dont sleep on his football knowledge, either. Closing Comment: Only the most butthurt Iowa-hating Husker fans would be against this. So putting him in that position as the full-time Nebraska head coach, barring an Ed Orgeron-like interim season, would be a total crapshoot. An understated, under-the-radar coach who seems to do more with less? And it begs the question, why has no one given him a serious look before now? Theres no question he knows how to coach and recruit. At 41, Fleck is still a very young head coach, and although his full potential is still somewhat unproven, all the signs are there that this is a guy who could be next-level great. Why It Might Not: It felt incestuous when Muschamp fell into the job at South Carolina, but such things are common in the SEC. And even though hes now saddled with one of college footballs toughest projects at Kansas, many believe he has the Jayhawks headed in the right direction. Creighton has taken his programs as far as they realistically could go, so he could be worth a look. Hes quietly leading one of the most competitive programs in the country, causing a ton of trouble for their opponents in the Mountain West. Closing Comment: This would be intriguing but Taggarts status and resume isnt as hot as it was seven years ago. Why It Might Work: Arandas Bears came out of nowhere to win the Big 12 in 2021 and beat Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Hes still fairly young at 46. At both places he was ultimately a disappointment. He seems like a solid head coach, but its hard to project him being either wildly successful or a disappointing failure. A longer track record of head coaching success would make him a slam dunk. He was a part of the Minnesota breakthrough in 2016 that set the runway for P.J. NC States current head coach was formerly Wisconsins DC and crashed the BCS party in his second year as a head coach at Northern Illinois in 2012, when they went 12-2. Plus, he discovered Josh Allen. Why It Might Work: Doeren runs the ball Big Ten style at NC State, and theyre very good at it. Kentucky had no expectations when they hired him. As one of the SECs historical have-nots, the Bulldogs were a bottom feeder who Mullen steadily transformed into a team that came close to beating Alabama. Why It Might Work: I think people are more excited by the work hes done at Kansas State, which is to essentially make the program feel like moving on from Bill Snyder is possible. Why It Might Not: Everything went south in the second half of the 2021 season and Mullen got the ol ax from the Florida boosters. Why It Might Work: Its Jon Gruden. Why It Might Work: Campbell is 42 with a record of 77-49 as a head coach, as of this writing. 2 Related. And how motivated would he be? Ideal candidates will have a Master's degree in Social work, psychology, sociology, counseling, human development, or a closely related field. Coaches have gone to different regions and have done wellNick Saban was a consummate Midwest guy before LSUbut I have a hard time seeing Muschamp and Nebraska finding their way to each other. Aside from 2021, hes had an impressive coaching career and Nebraska should definitely consider him. He produced Dak Prescott for the Dallas Cowboys and his first three seasons at Florida were very good. Sep 11, 2022. How much support would he get? Thats impressive for a guy with no guarantee of longevity beyond a single season. Being a true triple-option team in the Big Ten would be fascinating. For this list Im mostly focusing on guys with at least some head coaching experiencemany current, some former. Assuming everyone could get past the controversy, it would be utterly fascinating to see Gruden coach on the sidelines in the Big Ten west. Why It Might Not: Was Fickells rejection of MSU a signal he wants to stay put long term, or is he leery of Big Ten competition and high expectations which he knows all too well? You may think Nebraska needs to hire him immediately, or you may think that Nebraska should not touch him with a ten thousand foot pole. Why It Might Not: Its a roller coaster ride with Fleck. There is some question whether he has the temperament to lead a program. If Trev Alberts were to poach him from Lawrence, Leipold would suddenly be under a lot more pressure. Almost all of his coaching career has been in the state of Ohio. His stints at Toledo (where he succeeded Tim Beckman) and Iowa State have been impressive relative to their place in the college football pecking order. Mickey Joseph, Nebraska interim coach:Joseph has a lot of support as Frost's associate head coach and a fellow former Huskers quarterback under Osborne. For many, the shine has certainly worn off. These are the head-explode, spit-take hires that the college football world would probably lose its mind over if Nebraska pulled it off. But the legal tampering window opens two days before that on March 13, where teams will be able to negotiate with free agents before the official start of the 2023 season. I try to make the case for each one. Entz could be riding on the coattails of North Dakota State, which finds it rare to not win the FCS national title. The coaching carousel is always fun. His time in Ann Arbor was one catastrophe after another, and the mistakes he made set the program back significantly. Why It Might Work: He's got an impressive record, and to have the country talking about Coastal Carolina when most people have never even heard of them is quite an accomplishment. Closing Comment: This would be a bizarre marriage if it happened. If you wanted to replicate Wisconsin at Nebraska, you couldnt do much better than this guy. But lets be honest, Gruden was really overrated. Hed be an obvious bridge coach who would have to do a lot to win over the skeptics. His recruiting ties to the Midwest (Ohio) make him a good fit for the Big Ten. Why It Might Not: Well, for starters, hes in his late sixties. Some people are pounding the table for this guy, but to me, this is a fairly un-sexy pick. And yeah, Im ranking thesebased on how appealing I think they are, the kind of fit theyd be, and how much energy or excitement their arrival would inject into the program. He has decent ties to the state and the Midwest which make him familiar with the local recruiting grounds. Gruden hasnt even sniffed, let alone showed interest, in a college head coaching job in his entire career, but that wont stop people from pounding the table for him. FCS coaches, even the ones with championships, are always a gamble. Hes got a history in the Big Ten, which he matches in terms of style. The former was a perennial bottom feeder which he transformed into a conference champion, and the latter was reeling from the Art Briles scandal. The general thinking is if he can go to a conference championship with practically nothing at Iowa State, imagine what he could do at Nebraska. After Mike Riley was fired in 2017, Bill Moos had one target that lined up with the consensus and all he had to do was get him. And to be fair, though there is potential, his head coaching tenures with both the Nittany Lions and the Texans were not exactly spectacular. A steady program builder with no flash means that hed be a complete unknown when it comes to recruiting. He did the obligatory rehab-at-Alabama thing. All Rights Reserved. Scott Frost, offensive coordinator, Oregon. Taylor is a young coach who caught fire in one season (sound familiar? ET on March 15. Closing Comment: Bringing Rich Rod back to the Big Ten would certainly create serious buzz. Hes had other stops including LSU and is now the OC for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Needless to say, from top to bottom, hed be a massive upgrade over Scott Frost, and has a better resume than either Mike Riley or Bo Pelini when they were each hired. would be inclined to hire him. Meyer, a three-time national championship coach at Florida and Ohio State, was responsible for hiring OSU assistantZach Smith, whose wife accused him of abuse. He also beat Michigan in the Alamo Bowl. He also refuses to wear red. Why It Might Work: Monkens teams practice great fundamentals and rarely if ever beat themselves, which would be a welcome change from the Scott Frost era. He also has a fiery disposition like a certain former coach and Husker fans find that generally off-putting. Why It Might Not: OBrien bolted for the NFL at the earliest opportunity. Closing Comment: Mullen isnt coaching anywhere right now, so hed be available. Finally, aside from Bowling Green and Utah, hes mostly been at places with an advantage for success thats practically built-in. Five Heart Podcast 318: Nebraska Basketball, Spring Game Attendance and a new Memorial Stadium? But as caveats go, thats fairly small. So without further ado, lets get into it. It typically doesnt go that way, but Entzs ties to the state of Nebraska, if nothing else, make him mildly interesting. An Air Force grad who is coaching Air Force, Calhoun is in his 16th season there and has a record of 111-75 after 15 of them. Closing Comment: It seems like it would take a lot to talk Petersen into coming to Lincoln. Moving within the division to suddenly chase his old boss, Paul Chryst, and alma mater doesn't seem like an ideal move. The break from Virginia was equally confusing, and Mendenhall gave the now-typical "spend time with family" line as the reason. He was very successful as Louisvilles head coach, having discovered Teddy Bridgewater. He regularly punches above his weight and has out-schemed and out-coached Nebraska on multiple occasions. Both are filled at the moment. All eyes across the country would be tuning in to watch how he does with the Huskersand it could work. After going 32-18, way below the Longhorns standards, he got the boot. The current head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, Leipold had a stellar record at Wisconsin-Whitewater and built the Buffalo Bulls into a contender in the MAC. There were a number of missteps, including a radical change in offensive philosophy and a lack of attention to the offensive line, which fell apart in a hurry. It didnt happen. Hes now being talked about for bigger jobs, but was he a one-hit wonder? Four candidates are vying for each of the other two district seats. 7, quickly became a disappointment and they finished 7-6 with a loss in the bowl game. Oh, look, another former North Dakota State head coach. Corn Nation, a Nebraska Cornhuskers community, By Silantro Why It Might Work: Hes 42 and is clearly seen as one of college football up-and-comers, as Campbell was before him. He would have to go a long way to earn the trust of the players, fans, and boosters. The 11 games that explain the downfall of Nebraska football. Does Nebraska really want to take a chance on someone with that kind of baggage? Some of these names are crazy, some are not even remotely realistic, and some are legitimate targets. Hes got a national championship ring as a head coach. He would be a top candidate at any program. He might not want to take the risk himself. The fact that he was scooped up almost immediately by UCF shows that he was and will continue to be a hot commodity. Closing Comment: This is a classic swing-for-the-fences, boom-or-bust type. Almost a year to the day, he had a hand in beating Nebraska and ousting Frost. could be open soon, and in my opinion Chadwell would probably prefer to wait for one of those to come calling than any Big Ten offer. Trev Alberts has the rest of 2022 to find the right guy. He went an unexpected 5-7, including 3 conference wins, and nearly beat Urban Meyers Buckeyes in overtime. A steady decline in play resulted in losses piling up and he got the boot. It would be like bringing in a far less successful Dabo Swinney. Both BYU and Virginia had overall low expectations relative to Nebraska's, but at the same time he'd be taking over the program when those expectations are at their lowest in nearly half a century. Closing Comment: Its a think-outside-the-box hire like Monken if it happens. The Black Knights havent been this good since the 1940s. Why It Might Not: Its Jon Gruden. There may be a candidate who emerges who is not on this list, something thats very likely to happen. The 58-year-old coach has deep roots in the state of Nebraska as a former analyst at Nebraska-Omaha and assistant under Frank Solich with the Huskers. Why It Might Not: The pressure he felt at Boise was nothing compared to Washingtonwhich is not even one of college footballs biggest blue bloodsand it clearly weighed on him. Mickey Joseph, Nebraska interim football coach Joseph, 54, was named Nebraska's interim coach Sunday. This could be the best time in his career to go after him. You cant find a more aggressive, out-of-his-mind competitor beyond him other than possibly Jim Harbaugh. If Im being honest I cant see Calhoun leaving his alma mater, but if Nebraska wants to do something different and go for a triple-option head coach, hes the next best choice after Jeff Monken. It's certainly more highly resourced than Iowa State, especially with the Big 12 moving down in the pecking order with the forthcoming departures of Texas and Oklahoma. Hes probably not going to win immediately, and how many more struggling seasons can Husker fans take? North Carolina or South Carolina (or even Clemson?) The move ended weeks of speculation about Ventrones status with the organization and left a significant void to fill both on the field and in the locker room. OBriens experience coaching quarterbacks both in college and the pros make him very appealing as a developer of talent. Now hes Miami of Floridas DC. Hell soon be looking for another chance to lead a program. The first is the Big Names. He was one of the Big Tens most underrated offensive coordinators, running a unique pro-style system that confused defenses with several motions. It also worked out pretty well the last time the Huskers hired a Buckeye. He may have bitten off more than he could chew with the FSU job, but he was also succeeding Jimbo Fisher, one of the programs most successful coaches. When he was there, he managed to recruit some NFL talentnot easy to do, given the football programs history and Indianas reputation as a basketball school. If youre looking for a Husker with head coaching experience who is likely to take the job and do at least moderately well, this is it. Then he became Houstons head coach and kicked butt in year one. Frost tried everything: changing coaches, changing approaches. Closing Comment: This seems like the safest pick. He losta lot. Closing Comment: It would be interesting to see Hoke roam the sidelines in Lincoln, and he would almost certainly do a better job than Scott Frost, but there isnt much he can provide in the long term. Why It Might Not: Hokes failure at Michigan was widely publicized, and though he generally seemed to run a tight ship, theres been a fair amount of off-the-field controversy, which he is also dealing with now at San Diego State. This is probably the name every sports writer and your mom is going to mention for Nebraska or any major head coaching vacancy, because Matt Campbell seems to be the up-and-coming head coach du jour. Were less than two weeks away from the start of NFL free agency, which begins at 4 p.m. Some argue that he left BYU for Virginia to prove he could coach and win outside the Mormon comfort of Provo, but even at the time it felt odd. Everyone has their favorites. He's 45 and very much seems primed for a jump. His record as a head coach is simply too good to ignore. Hes a household name and hes crazy. He might be better suited for a rebuild situation where he has time to work out the kinks. Nebraska would certainly expect more from him than what he did in Starkville. Why It Might Work: It only took Urban Meyer two seasons to coach Utah to an undefeated season. Nebraska coaching candidates Mark Stoops, Kentucky coach: Stoops has spent a decade methodically developing the Wildcats into an above-average, competent Look at the teams against which they have lost. What gives? Would he be able to get the talent needed to win at a high level? Why It Might Work: Muschamp, now 51, was once one of the most sought-after coaching candidates, briefly considered the head-coach-in-waiting to Mack Brown at Texas before he took the Florida job to replace Urban Meyer. Scott Frost is out at Nebraska. Nebraska football has a new head coach and heading into the 2023 season, here are three breakout candidates for the Huskers. His time at Ohio State gives him an edge in recruiting knowledge, and at Texas he had no problem pulling in top classes. His recruiting classes at Michigan were all very good, and he completely transformed the Wolverines defense, which had become a joke under Rich Rodriguez. Closing Comment: Okay, full disclosure: Jeff Monken is my favorite of this whole bunch. He retired from both Florida and Ohio State for nebulous reasons. And hes bred for the South. Doerens time in Raleigh has been good but not great, and he hasnt lived up to the hype that came when he arrived after shocking everyone by going 12-2 at NIU. Kill has decades of experience as a head Instead he kept the team competitive when it could have easily imploded. Trev Alberts would probably prefer someone who knows what hes doing. Can the Huskers rebound? Even if there are some benefits, the hire would reek of nepotism. Why It Might Work: Johnson has quietly built up an impressive resume as a coordinator. Lindsay Whalen, Ben Johnson and the emotional toll of coaching A week ago, Whalen was sounding optimistic about the future while Johnson was about as low as he could get. He was a bad fit in Austin, but his messaging was sound and seems like the perfect thing Big Ten programs would want.