BREAKING: Arizona Has Fired Head Football Coach Rich Rodriguez Following Sexual Harassment Claim
UPDATE: 11:54 ET: Rodriguez Viciously Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations, Admits To Extramarital Affair
All the details of this breaking story can be found in the links above.
Below, here are the top 5 candidates to replace him as Arizona's new football coach. More on this story to come in the #1 podcast for College Football, click to subscribe for free
5) Jim Leavitt, Oregon defensive coordinator
The 60-year-old Leavitt was instrumental at South Florida, literally building the team from the ground up and posting a 95-57 overall record from 1997 to 2009. It was highlighted by ranking No. 2 in the polls, but it all came crashing down when Leavitt was fired in Jan. 2010 for hitting a player.
He then coached in the NFL with the 49ers under Jim Harbaugh before getting back in the college game as the Colorado's defensive coordinator in 2016. He was hired to be Oregon's DC in 2017 and was retained by new coach Mario Cristobal as DC of the Ducks.
Leavitt's past will turn programs away and draw negative press, potentially something that Arizona would avoid given the multiple issues surrounding the football and basketball programs. Leavitt was rumored recently to have been a coach-in-waiting candidate at Kansas State.
More on this story to come in the official College Football Daily Podcast from Chat Sports <---- click to get it.
4) Dave Aranda, LSU defensive coordinator
At only 41 years old, there might not be a better defensive coordinator in college football than Dave Aranda. The former roommate of Tom Herman (no, seriously), Aranda has had success as a DC at Utah State, Wisconsin and LSU. If a program is looking for a young defensive mind to take over, they can do no better than Aranda. Arizona is one of those teams.
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3) Lane Kiffin, FAU head coach
Kiffin rehabbed his image enough while serving as the offensive coordinator at Alabama to get a head coaching chance. He was a candidate for several Power 5 head jobs last year before going to Florida Atlantic, which he led to a very impressive 11-3 record. Kiffin has previously been a head coach with the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Vols, and USC Trojans.
More on this story to come in the official College Football Daily Podcast from Chat Sports <---- click to get it.
2. Kevin Sumlin, former Texas A&M Head Coach
Despite being fired at Texas A&M, Sumlin is considered one of the brightest offensive minds in football, and would run a very similar scheme to Rodriguez, giving QB Khalil Tate the ability to thrive in a similar fashion to Johnny Manziel under Sumlin's tutelage.
Sumlin is a two-time C-USA Coach of the Year (2009, 2011) and was SEC Coach of the Year in 2012.
1. Jeff Tedford. Fresno State Head Coach
Tedford had a remarkable turnaround in his first year in Fresno, leading the Bulldogs to 10 wins, more than the prior 3 years combined. He has some ties to Arizona AD Dave Heeke, as they were both in different roles together at Oregon over 15 years ago.
Tedford is known to be a QB guru, and was 2× Pac-10 Coach of the Year (2002, 2004) and Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2017.
More on this story to come in the official College Football Daily Podcast from Chat Sports <---- click to get it.
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