Each morning, I'll start a new thread. Throughout the day if there is any news that develops we'll add it in. Some days there will be more than others. Here's what we've got less than 24 hours into Missouri's coaching search.
7:04 PM UPDATE
The top group at Ole Miss is almost certainly going to include Lane Kiffin and Mike Norvell. The top group at Missouri almost certainly also includes those two. I'm going to write MUCH more about this in the morning, along with a revised hot board. The competition just ramped up. The price might have just gone up. Jim Sterk gonna earn his money this week. Let's see how good he is. Let's see if he went into this knowing exactly what he was doing. The answer is going to determine his future here.
1:00 PM UPDATE
I've picked up another name I'll be adding to the hot board: Lane Kiffin. I want to stress that I don't get the indication he's a clear No. 1 target or anything, but I have heard enough to merit adding him to the second iteration of the hot board tomorrow. Obviously things didn't go great at Tennessee and USC, but he did win 60% of his games over five years there before being fired at the airport. He is 25-13 with two CUSA east titles at Florida Atlantic and he largely hasn't made any crazy headlines while he's been there. Maybe he wasn't quite ready for the spotlight of the SEC when he first got the shot a decade ago, but people do grow up and get better over the course of ten years. You've got to think Kiffin would love another shot on the big stage and probably a chance to play Tennessee every year. He'd test the idea that there is a ceiling to recruiting at Missouri. You'd have to think if there's anyone who can get top 15-20ish classes at Mizzou consistently, it's Kiffin. Again, I don't know how high he is on the list or if he'll become a serious candidate, but I do believe he's at least a consideration.
We've talked about Army's Jeff Monken a bit, but I've gotten some indication that there may be more than one service academy coach on the list. My best guess at the second would be Air Force's Troy Calhoun, given Jim Sterk's roots out west. Calhoun was a consideration for Mizzou last time around. He is 97-69 in Colorado Springs. After back to back 5-7 seasons, he rebounded to 10-2 this year.
On the service academies note, one person told me to remember that "just because a coach plays one way at a service academy, that doesn't mean that's the only way he can play. A lot of times they play that way there because the have to." So if Monken or Calhoun (or I suppose Navy's Ken Niumatalolo could be the other academy guy on the list) ends up being the guy in CoMo, I'm not expecting him to run the triple option in the most athletic conference in the country. The question with any of these coaches would be how they would recruit at the Power Five level. We don't know because we've never seen them do it.
One other note of interest:
James Franklin gonna be on the list I would think. Not out of the question SC would look at Luke Fickell because the Cincinnati AD just took the job there last month. If it was Fickell, it wouldn't really impact Missouri, but if USC hires Franklin it would mean Florida State isn't and Florida State probably hires Mike Norvell.
We'll keep you posted if anything else pops up. And, no, we still don't know who Missouri is meeting with today. We'd like to find out, but we're not optimistic.
**********
We initially posted our hot board yesterday morning (which had obviously been prepared in advance). As it said, it was a mix of names we had heard and guys that we just thought made sense. There will be a revision of the hot board tomorrow that will be based much more on things we've actually heard than just guesses. Some of the information in this post will be a repeat from our post about what we were hearing yesterday. But here's where we stand on the first real day of the search:
*As I posted last night, we have reason to believe the interviews are starting today. We do not know who is getting the first interview, but we have had multiple sources tell us that Jim Sterk is going to have the first meeting of the process today. We have reason to believe Sterk is headed to Atlanta. Now, don't get all hot and bothered trying to figure out who coaches in or around Atlanta. It's pretty standard in coaching searches to have interviews in major metropolitan areas. They're easy for both parties to get to and tough for anyone to track. He could be meeting just about anybody in Atlanta. He could be meeting multiple people. We don't know.
*Since publishing the hot board, we've been informed that Matt Campbell isn't really a candidate for the job. So you can scratch him off.
*Updates on a couple guys on our board who are on the list:
Bryan Harsin: We believe he's on the short list of candidates. Did some checking and Harsin makes 1.7 million this year with a staff pool of only 2.2 million. Yes, he's a Boise guy, but Missouri can at least double his salary and more than double what he gets for a staff. And that's without even stretching. Harsin has lived and coached in Arkansas before. I exchanged messages with someone who covers Boise. He asked what Missouri would pay and I said Odom made 3.2 and I think they'll go higher. He responded "If Mizzou offers $4 million he'll be the head coach at Mizzou I'm fairly sure." Maybe it wouldn't take quite that much even. But once you're talking about doubling salaries, that changes a lot of minds.
Mike Norvell: Seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this. As was discussed in a couple of threads yesterday, every time Norvell's name comes up there are references to some skeletons in the closet. We can't verify the information is accurate, only that people mention it a lot. But as someone told us yesterday, "Eventually somebody's going to hire him." That somebody could be Florida State. He's definitely in the running in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are expected to be nearing the end of a search that also includes James Franklin and Matt Campbell. If Norvell is the choice there, obviously he'll be off the board for Missouri. It's a little difficult to see him taking the FSU job and being announced before the AAC title game next weekend, but who knows? If Mizzou is going to get a chance to talk to Norvell in person, you'd think it would have to wait until next week. One person told me yesterday "I don't think there's a chance (Mizzou) can get Norvell." Whether that's a money issue, a Florida State issue, some other issue or just someone misreading the situation, I don't know at this point.
*Here are some names that were not on our initial list, but that will be on Monday's hot board:
Kyle Whittingham, Utah: The chances are incredibly remote. He makes $4 million. He's 60. He's been at Utah forever. A person familiar with the coaching industry and landscape told me "No chance." But we're told he's on the list. So he'll be on our list.
Jeff Monken, Army: It wasn't a name we had really considered. The triple option thing seems weird. but again, from what we've learned he's on the list. We'll do some checking this week.
Jeff Scott, Clemson: Scott is the co-offensive coordinator for the Tigers. He is not the primary playcaller, but a colleague who covers Clemson told me he is the best recruiter on the staff. Scott currently makes $1 million. He's a name that has popped up as the next guy ready to make the jump from coordinator to head coach. I am told he wants to be a head coach but also wants to take the right job and go somewhere with a little bit of history and somewhere he can win. This is an interesting name. I still believe Missouri would prefer to go with someone with head coaching experience, but if Scott gets an interview and wows Sterk, you never know. His is the only coordinator name we've heard that we believe to be a serious candidate at this point. (A quick note here, it is possible that Tony Elliott is the target. We were told an OC from Clemson and our source believes it is Scott. It could also be Elliott, who is frequently mentioned as a possibility).
Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech: Holtz has been a head coach for 25 years, but has always been at mid-major programs. At UCONN, East Carolina, South Florida and now Louisiana Tech he's 143-107. He's a guy. Last night in our search Q&A I was asked, "Who's the 'we missed on everyone so we hired this guy' candidate?" To me, that's Skip Holtz. I actually told someone yesterday when the news broke about Odom "You don't fire Barry Odom to hire Skip Holtz." That was the exact name I used. I've heard his name enough I believe he's on the short list. I think it's the worst case scenario hire of the possibilities I've heard so far. Obviously that doesn't mean it definitely wouldn't work. But it would be the most negatively viewed of anything that seems to be possible as of today.
That's where we're at right now. If we get more during the day, we'll update this post. As I said, we'll start a new thread each day. Also, make sure you're keeping up with everything search-related at Coaching Search Central.
7:04 PM UPDATE
The top group at Ole Miss is almost certainly going to include Lane Kiffin and Mike Norvell. The top group at Missouri almost certainly also includes those two. I'm going to write MUCH more about this in the morning, along with a revised hot board. The competition just ramped up. The price might have just gone up. Jim Sterk gonna earn his money this week. Let's see how good he is. Let's see if he went into this knowing exactly what he was doing. The answer is going to determine his future here.
1:00 PM UPDATE
I've picked up another name I'll be adding to the hot board: Lane Kiffin. I want to stress that I don't get the indication he's a clear No. 1 target or anything, but I have heard enough to merit adding him to the second iteration of the hot board tomorrow. Obviously things didn't go great at Tennessee and USC, but he did win 60% of his games over five years there before being fired at the airport. He is 25-13 with two CUSA east titles at Florida Atlantic and he largely hasn't made any crazy headlines while he's been there. Maybe he wasn't quite ready for the spotlight of the SEC when he first got the shot a decade ago, but people do grow up and get better over the course of ten years. You've got to think Kiffin would love another shot on the big stage and probably a chance to play Tennessee every year. He'd test the idea that there is a ceiling to recruiting at Missouri. You'd have to think if there's anyone who can get top 15-20ish classes at Mizzou consistently, it's Kiffin. Again, I don't know how high he is on the list or if he'll become a serious candidate, but I do believe he's at least a consideration.
We've talked about Army's Jeff Monken a bit, but I've gotten some indication that there may be more than one service academy coach on the list. My best guess at the second would be Air Force's Troy Calhoun, given Jim Sterk's roots out west. Calhoun was a consideration for Mizzou last time around. He is 97-69 in Colorado Springs. After back to back 5-7 seasons, he rebounded to 10-2 this year.
On the service academies note, one person told me to remember that "just because a coach plays one way at a service academy, that doesn't mean that's the only way he can play. A lot of times they play that way there because the have to." So if Monken or Calhoun (or I suppose Navy's Ken Niumatalolo could be the other academy guy on the list) ends up being the guy in CoMo, I'm not expecting him to run the triple option in the most athletic conference in the country. The question with any of these coaches would be how they would recruit at the Power Five level. We don't know because we've never seen them do it.
One other note of interest:
James Franklin gonna be on the list I would think. Not out of the question SC would look at Luke Fickell because the Cincinnati AD just took the job there last month. If it was Fickell, it wouldn't really impact Missouri, but if USC hires Franklin it would mean Florida State isn't and Florida State probably hires Mike Norvell.
We'll keep you posted if anything else pops up. And, no, we still don't know who Missouri is meeting with today. We'd like to find out, but we're not optimistic.
**********
We initially posted our hot board yesterday morning (which had obviously been prepared in advance). As it said, it was a mix of names we had heard and guys that we just thought made sense. There will be a revision of the hot board tomorrow that will be based much more on things we've actually heard than just guesses. Some of the information in this post will be a repeat from our post about what we were hearing yesterday. But here's where we stand on the first real day of the search:
*As I posted last night, we have reason to believe the interviews are starting today. We do not know who is getting the first interview, but we have had multiple sources tell us that Jim Sterk is going to have the first meeting of the process today. We have reason to believe Sterk is headed to Atlanta. Now, don't get all hot and bothered trying to figure out who coaches in or around Atlanta. It's pretty standard in coaching searches to have interviews in major metropolitan areas. They're easy for both parties to get to and tough for anyone to track. He could be meeting just about anybody in Atlanta. He could be meeting multiple people. We don't know.
*Since publishing the hot board, we've been informed that Matt Campbell isn't really a candidate for the job. So you can scratch him off.
*Updates on a couple guys on our board who are on the list:
Bryan Harsin: We believe he's on the short list of candidates. Did some checking and Harsin makes 1.7 million this year with a staff pool of only 2.2 million. Yes, he's a Boise guy, but Missouri can at least double his salary and more than double what he gets for a staff. And that's without even stretching. Harsin has lived and coached in Arkansas before. I exchanged messages with someone who covers Boise. He asked what Missouri would pay and I said Odom made 3.2 and I think they'll go higher. He responded "If Mizzou offers $4 million he'll be the head coach at Mizzou I'm fairly sure." Maybe it wouldn't take quite that much even. But once you're talking about doubling salaries, that changes a lot of minds.
Mike Norvell: Seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this. As was discussed in a couple of threads yesterday, every time Norvell's name comes up there are references to some skeletons in the closet. We can't verify the information is accurate, only that people mention it a lot. But as someone told us yesterday, "Eventually somebody's going to hire him." That somebody could be Florida State. He's definitely in the running in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are expected to be nearing the end of a search that also includes James Franklin and Matt Campbell. If Norvell is the choice there, obviously he'll be off the board for Missouri. It's a little difficult to see him taking the FSU job and being announced before the AAC title game next weekend, but who knows? If Mizzou is going to get a chance to talk to Norvell in person, you'd think it would have to wait until next week. One person told me yesterday "I don't think there's a chance (Mizzou) can get Norvell." Whether that's a money issue, a Florida State issue, some other issue or just someone misreading the situation, I don't know at this point.
*Here are some names that were not on our initial list, but that will be on Monday's hot board:
Kyle Whittingham, Utah: The chances are incredibly remote. He makes $4 million. He's 60. He's been at Utah forever. A person familiar with the coaching industry and landscape told me "No chance." But we're told he's on the list. So he'll be on our list.
Jeff Monken, Army: It wasn't a name we had really considered. The triple option thing seems weird. but again, from what we've learned he's on the list. We'll do some checking this week.
Jeff Scott, Clemson: Scott is the co-offensive coordinator for the Tigers. He is not the primary playcaller, but a colleague who covers Clemson told me he is the best recruiter on the staff. Scott currently makes $1 million. He's a name that has popped up as the next guy ready to make the jump from coordinator to head coach. I am told he wants to be a head coach but also wants to take the right job and go somewhere with a little bit of history and somewhere he can win. This is an interesting name. I still believe Missouri would prefer to go with someone with head coaching experience, but if Scott gets an interview and wows Sterk, you never know. His is the only coordinator name we've heard that we believe to be a serious candidate at this point. (A quick note here, it is possible that Tony Elliott is the target. We were told an OC from Clemson and our source believes it is Scott. It could also be Elliott, who is frequently mentioned as a possibility).
Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech: Holtz has been a head coach for 25 years, but has always been at mid-major programs. At UCONN, East Carolina, South Florida and now Louisiana Tech he's 143-107. He's a guy. Last night in our search Q&A I was asked, "Who's the 'we missed on everyone so we hired this guy' candidate?" To me, that's Skip Holtz. I actually told someone yesterday when the news broke about Odom "You don't fire Barry Odom to hire Skip Holtz." That was the exact name I used. I've heard his name enough I believe he's on the short list. I think it's the worst case scenario hire of the possibilities I've heard so far. Obviously that doesn't mean it definitely wouldn't work. But it would be the most negatively viewed of anything that seems to be possible as of today.
That's where we're at right now. If we get more during the day, we'll update this post. As I said, we'll start a new thread each day. Also, make sure you're keeping up with everything search-related at Coaching Search Central.
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