While there haven't been any dramatic changes to the Texas coaching hot board since this morning, we've learned some interesting information regarding the wishlist Texas regents have drawn up to help narrow down the search for a new head coach.
While Nick Saban is out of the running, there are a number of big-name NFL coaches being pursued in hopes of making a similar splash. While Green Bay's Mike McCarthy (maybe the most ambitious name on the list) is out of the running, Texas is still in hot pursuit of two NFL coaches.
Who are these mysterious reach candidates? One of them is coaching on Monday Night Football this week, and the other isn't a real possibility unless his team crashes out of the playoff race despite sitting at 10-4 with two games to go. His name rhymes with Don Payton, and while the odds of him leaving for Texas this year are incredibly small, he's very much open to a move to the college game once he feels his work in the NFL is done.
Both of these guys should be classified as massive reaches, but Texas really wants them, and Texas has more money than they know what to do with...so nothing is ever completely off the table.
5. David Shaw, Stanford Head Coach
Shaw is doing his best to take his name out of the running, which could mean three things:
I: Shaw legitimately has no interest in leaving Stanford, regardless of the offers that come in.
II: Shaw thinks he isn't interested in leaving Stanford, but Texas regents haven't called and offered to shower him in money just yet.
III: Shaw is privately listening to offers but playing coy with the media.
Look, if Shaw was leaving for Texas, here's exactly what he wouldn't say: "Hey media. Yeah, I'm totally ditching Stanford for Texas after the Rose Bowl. No, I don't really care if admitting that before the game isn't very classy. Hook 'em, baby!"
4. Urban Meyer, Ohio State Head Coach
Meyer is unlikely to leave Columbus after such a short time in charge, but the money and prestige that comes with the Texas job may be too much for him to pass up. Meyer would be a reach, but if Texas regents think they can make it happen, they'll do everything they can to bring him to Austin.
3. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State Head Coach
Fisher has a good thing going at Florida State. The Seminoles are in the national title game. Jameis Winston is destroying everything in his path like a biblical touchdown monster. Why would Fisher ever want to leave Tallahassee? What's that? Literal mountains of cash? A contract that would make Jerry Jones blush? Oh. I guess that makes sense.
2. Art Briles, Baylor Head Coach
Briles might be the best pure offensive mind in the college game, and the idea of him at Texas with virtually unlimited resources and unmatched recruiting clout...well, it's making the rest of the Big XII a little nervous. His contract runs until approxamitely 2036, which is a problem (okay, it's 2023), but if that's yet another problem Texas can solve by throwing money at it until it goes away. Keep a very close eye on Briles as things progress over the next week.
1. Gus Malzahn, Auburn Head Coach
There's all kinds of confusion about the contract extension Malzahn signed (or didn't sign) earlier this month. The latest out of Auburn is that Malzahn signed an agreement to sign a six year, $26.85M deal, but the official contract (so, the thing that actually matters) hasn't actually been signed yet. As far as Texas is concerned, Malzahn is very much in play, and we can imagine Malzahn (and Auburn fans) will be pretty tired of hearing questions about the Longhorns job by the time the BCS title game rolls around.
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