First of all, Mack Rhoades will meet with the media at 3:30 this afternoon to talk about the coaching search. This will largely be a process meeting. In other words, will you use a search firm, what kind of things are you looking for in a coach, what's your timetable, who will you consult with, etc. He's not going to tell us who is or is not a candidate.
There was mention on the board last night of a flight that left Columbia and went to Memphis, stopped for an hour, then went to Houston. It stayed in Houston for a little over an hour and then went to Seattle. According to what I've been able to figure out, I don't believe Rhoades was on that flight. I can't say that with 100% certainty, but honestly, it doesn't really matter either way. Justin Fuente and Tom Herman are almost certainly on Mizzou's list of candidates to explore. No breaking news there. So whether Rhoades was actually flying to visit with them yesterday (and I doubt that he was) isn't really a major deal right now. Missouri's not going to announce a coach for a minimum of about two weeks so I don't think it's flight-stalking time just yet.
Throughout this process, you're going to hear 100 names. You've already heard names like Paul Rhoads and Doc Holliday (neither of which I put much stock in). I'm not going to fan the flames or attempt to put out every cyberfire that comes up here. The information I pass on to you will come from sources that I tend to believe or at least are in a position to have some knowledge. That certainly doesn't mean it's all going to be the gospel truth because that's not how coaching searches work, but know that if I'm passing on information, I'm getting it from somewhere I think might be a little more reliable than a random Reddit poster (who, I will admit, sometimes are right).
With that said, a new name I'm hearing that Missouri is likely to at least look in to is Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. Calhoun has been in Colorado Springs since 2007. He is 68-47 there overall, including 7-3 this season and leading the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. Calhoun has had one really bad year, when he went 2-10 in 2013. Since then, the Falcons are 17-6. He started his coaching career at Air Force as an assistant in the early 1990's, then went to Wake Forest. From there, he went to the NFL for six seasons, the last of which was the QB coach and offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans in 2006. He got the Air Force job the next year.
Perhaps Calhoun's most memorable moment is being on the receiving end of this epic Dave Christensen meltdown (the highlight of which is certainly Coach C calling him "Mr. F---ing Howdy Doody). If you want to watch it, click the link, but be aware the language is far from family friendly: http://deadspin.com/5953372/look-at...oes-on-hilarious-rant-after-loss-to-air-force
Beyond that, I checked on the talk of Houston trying to get an extension done for Tom Herman. At this point, basically, the president has been given approval to start negotiating an extension. That's it. The person I checked with said he certainly expects Houston to do its best to put something on the table for Herman, but with the timing and the fact that the Cougars aren't likely to be able to go anywhere north of 3 million per year, which may not be enough to keep him with some of the other suitors he's likely to have.
Here we'll get into some rumors. They're not directly related to Mizzou, but could certainly have an impact
*The Daily Advocate reports that Les Miles may be coaching for his job in the next two weeks. The impact of this is two-fold. First, another job is open that is clearly a better job than Missouri's if Miles gets the axe. Second, there's a coach on the market who has won 78% of his games, won two SEC titles, won a national championship and played for another. Everybody would have to look at that guy, right? I know there is a variance of opinions on how good Miles is or whether he's simply a product of having really good talent, but if Les Miles is on the market, you have to think about it in my opinion.
*The other interesting piece is chatter that Charlie Strong is interested in leaving Texas for Miami. Bruce Feldman isn't one to just throw stuff up against a wall to see if it sticks, so I tend to believe it. Plus, when Strong was hired, many felt he wouldn't work in Austin because that job is so political, so built on shaking hands and smiling for boosters and that just isn't Strong's personality. Add that to his roots in Florida and it makes a lot of sense. On the flip side, there is this report that Strong is irritated by the rumors. But what's he going to say? "Yeah, I'd be interested in coaching at Miami. I mean I know I have a job, but I like that one better." Of course not.
So what you could be looking at is a situation where the following schools could have openings: Virginia Tech, USC, Georgia, Texas, LSU. Gulp. That would be bad news for Mizzou overall (no sane person is going to argue that Mizzou is a better job than any of those), but probably really good news for Barry Odom, in my opinion. Because the more proven coaches or hotter commodities are probably going to those places over Mizzou.
Herman's name will be mentioned if Strong bolts Austin. So will Gary Patterson's. Couple of people I talked to didn't really have a great feel for what the Horns would do.
On a side note, my guest on the podcast this week will be Scott Roussel, who runs the site FootballScoop.com. It is absolutely the best place to follow the coaching carousel every offseason and a must-read for people who like that aspect of it. We'll talk with Scott about his site, his approach to covering coaching moves and his thoughts on Mizzou specifically.
There was mention on the board last night of a flight that left Columbia and went to Memphis, stopped for an hour, then went to Houston. It stayed in Houston for a little over an hour and then went to Seattle. According to what I've been able to figure out, I don't believe Rhoades was on that flight. I can't say that with 100% certainty, but honestly, it doesn't really matter either way. Justin Fuente and Tom Herman are almost certainly on Mizzou's list of candidates to explore. No breaking news there. So whether Rhoades was actually flying to visit with them yesterday (and I doubt that he was) isn't really a major deal right now. Missouri's not going to announce a coach for a minimum of about two weeks so I don't think it's flight-stalking time just yet.
Throughout this process, you're going to hear 100 names. You've already heard names like Paul Rhoads and Doc Holliday (neither of which I put much stock in). I'm not going to fan the flames or attempt to put out every cyberfire that comes up here. The information I pass on to you will come from sources that I tend to believe or at least are in a position to have some knowledge. That certainly doesn't mean it's all going to be the gospel truth because that's not how coaching searches work, but know that if I'm passing on information, I'm getting it from somewhere I think might be a little more reliable than a random Reddit poster (who, I will admit, sometimes are right).
With that said, a new name I'm hearing that Missouri is likely to at least look in to is Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. Calhoun has been in Colorado Springs since 2007. He is 68-47 there overall, including 7-3 this season and leading the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. Calhoun has had one really bad year, when he went 2-10 in 2013. Since then, the Falcons are 17-6. He started his coaching career at Air Force as an assistant in the early 1990's, then went to Wake Forest. From there, he went to the NFL for six seasons, the last of which was the QB coach and offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans in 2006. He got the Air Force job the next year.
Perhaps Calhoun's most memorable moment is being on the receiving end of this epic Dave Christensen meltdown (the highlight of which is certainly Coach C calling him "Mr. F---ing Howdy Doody). If you want to watch it, click the link, but be aware the language is far from family friendly: http://deadspin.com/5953372/look-at...oes-on-hilarious-rant-after-loss-to-air-force
Beyond that, I checked on the talk of Houston trying to get an extension done for Tom Herman. At this point, basically, the president has been given approval to start negotiating an extension. That's it. The person I checked with said he certainly expects Houston to do its best to put something on the table for Herman, but with the timing and the fact that the Cougars aren't likely to be able to go anywhere north of 3 million per year, which may not be enough to keep him with some of the other suitors he's likely to have.
Here we'll get into some rumors. They're not directly related to Mizzou, but could certainly have an impact
*The Daily Advocate reports that Les Miles may be coaching for his job in the next two weeks. The impact of this is two-fold. First, another job is open that is clearly a better job than Missouri's if Miles gets the axe. Second, there's a coach on the market who has won 78% of his games, won two SEC titles, won a national championship and played for another. Everybody would have to look at that guy, right? I know there is a variance of opinions on how good Miles is or whether he's simply a product of having really good talent, but if Les Miles is on the market, you have to think about it in my opinion.
*The other interesting piece is chatter that Charlie Strong is interested in leaving Texas for Miami. Bruce Feldman isn't one to just throw stuff up against a wall to see if it sticks, so I tend to believe it. Plus, when Strong was hired, many felt he wouldn't work in Austin because that job is so political, so built on shaking hands and smiling for boosters and that just isn't Strong's personality. Add that to his roots in Florida and it makes a lot of sense. On the flip side, there is this report that Strong is irritated by the rumors. But what's he going to say? "Yeah, I'd be interested in coaching at Miami. I mean I know I have a job, but I like that one better." Of course not.
So what you could be looking at is a situation where the following schools could have openings: Virginia Tech, USC, Georgia, Texas, LSU. Gulp. That would be bad news for Mizzou overall (no sane person is going to argue that Mizzou is a better job than any of those), but probably really good news for Barry Odom, in my opinion. Because the more proven coaches or hotter commodities are probably going to those places over Mizzou.
Herman's name will be mentioned if Strong bolts Austin. So will Gary Patterson's. Couple of people I talked to didn't really have a great feel for what the Horns would do.
On a side note, my guest on the podcast this week will be Scott Roussel, who runs the site FootballScoop.com. It is absolutely the best place to follow the coaching carousel every offseason and a must-read for people who like that aspect of it. We'll talk with Scott about his site, his approach to covering coaching moves and his thoughts on Mizzou specifically.
