The Texas coaching search continues to narrow, and two more top candidates removed themselves from consideration since yesterday's hot board went up. Texas AD Steve Patterson has his work cut out for him at this point, and these are the latest developments in the search for Mack Brown's replacement:
- UCLA's Jim Mora became a major candidate almost out of the blue, but moved quickly to take himself out of the running after the rumors were picked up by national media outlets.
- Art Briles, a hot board staple in recent weeks, removed himself from the running Friday morning with a statement released by Baylor University. "I'm a Baylor Bear. I have no desire to pursue other coaching positions". Well, that settles that.
- Prominent Texas booster Red McCombs is making a serious push for one candidate, a former NFL head coach most of you know pretty well by now...
5. Gus Malzahn, Auburn Head Coach
Malzahn fell out of the running last week, but no one was sure why (we've heard drastically different reports from all over, so it's safe to say most people are just guessing). We've started hearing his name mentioned again as a possible reach candidate, and with the search committee taking their sweet time, waiting until after the National Championship game to talk to Malzahn doesn't seem like a big deal anymore.
4. Charlie Strong, Louisville Head Coach
Strong is one of the confirmed candidates, and he's already interviewed once with Steve Patterson. While Strong is almost universally regarded as a strong character guy who connects well with players, his coaching resume is a little sparse compared to his competition. He's done well at Louisville (35-18 in four seasons), but the Cardinals are his first head coaching job.
3. James Franklin, Vanderbilt Head Coach
Like Strong, Franklin is a player's coach with a number of admirers in athletic departments around the country. He also interviewed with Steve Patterson in December, and while Vanderbilt isn't a powerhouse, they've managed to stay afloat in a conference loaded with elite football programs. Franklin is also seen as the leading candidate for the vacant Penn State job, so Texas will need to move quickly if Franklin is their top target.
2. Jon Gruden, ESPN analyst, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach
Gruden privately entered the running two weeks ago, but we've heard very little linking him to the job since then. Earlier this week, that changed when influential Texas booster Red McCombs publicly (and privately) pushed for the Longhorns to hire Gruden. McCombs has a lot of clout in the Texas administration (UT named their business school for him, after all), and if he says they should go after Gruden...they'll go after Gruden.
1. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State Head Coach
Fisher's new contract with FSU made a lot of people think he was out of the running for the Texas job, but they forgot to check the fine print - the contract Fisher signed didn't include a buyout, opening the door for him to jump ship if he so chooses. While it would reportedly take a huge offer to get Fisher to leave Tallahassee, we're talking about Texas here - the school that was willing to offer Nick Saban $10 million per year. Fisher is definitely still in play.
Wild Card: John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach
Texas is keeping their interest in Harbaugh extremely quiet, and while we're 100% confident that he's their top reach candidate, there's been no news on the Harbaugh front for a few days now. If Harbaugh's interest in the Texas job is cooling off (which is highly possible), he comes off the hot board and settles back into wild card territory.
Also in the running: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State HC; Mark Dantonio, Michigan State HC, Les Miles, LSU HC
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