I spent some time trying to put a hot board together tonight. I was looking for candidates with regional ties that I thought could be a good fit. We don't have an opening, but we do have an aging coach that was diagnosed with cancer this spring and a team that is not living up to expectations this fall. The list is sorted based on age from youngest to oldest (not based on my preference).
Mike Norvell, 36, Head Coach at Memphis
The Tigers are currently 7-1 and ranked #22 in the AP Top 25. As long as they don't crater down the stretch they will win the American Conference Western Division and play in the AAC Championship Game. He inherited a good situation, and has only been a HC for two seasons. Overall record as a HC is 15-6. He is from the Todd Graham coaching tree (spent 9 years with him at Tulsa, Pitt, and ASU as his Passing Game & Offensive Coordinator). Memphis is currently ranked #8 in the nation in scoring offense and #11 in total offense. Norvell has solid ties to the region: Born in TX, went to college in Arkansas, and spent 4 years as an Asst. at Tulsa. Interesting Note: Former KSU QB Darrell Dickey is the current OC at Memphis.
Seth Littrell, 39, Head Coach at North Texas
North Texas football was in pretty poor shape when Littrell arrived in Denton. In the 10 years prior to his arrival they had one bowl appearance. The season before he arrived they finished the year 1-11. He has quickly rejuvenated the program. They were 5-8 last season, but made a bowl game. This season they are already 5-3 and in good shape to win the CUSA Western Division. Littrell is an offensive coach that learned under Mike Leach, Kevin Wilson, and Larry Fedora. The Mean Green are currently #21 in the nation in scoring offense and #16 in total offense. He has deep ties to the Big 12 region: Born in Oklahoma, won a NC as a player at OU, started coaching as a GA at KU and then went to Tx Tech as the RB Coach.
Bryan Harsin, 40, Head Coach at Boise State
Boise State has been a Group of 5 power house program for almost 20 years. Harsin does not have them running at Chris Peterson level performance but they are still damn good. The Broncos are currently 6-2 and receiving votes in both polls. They are the favorites to win their division again this year (3rd time in 4 years under Harsin) and play for Harsin's 2nd MWC Championship. He does not have deep ties to the region, but he did spend a couple of years in Texas as the Longhorns OC and one year as the HC at Arkansas State (where he won a Sunbelt title).
Scott Frost, 42, Head Coach at UCF
Scott Frost is probably the hottest G5 Head Coach in the game right now. The Knights are undefeated and ranked at #15 in the most recent AP poll. Quite a change from the 0-12 team that he inherited. Despite that one dumpster fire of the season, UCF is a pretty good G5 program with a strong recent history, large campus, and excellent recruiting footprint. Three years before Frost arrived they finished the season with a Fiesta Bowl win and a Top 10 ranking. Frost has done a phenomenal job at UCF. Prior to that he spent 7 years at Oregon, getting chummy with Phil Knight of Nike, and learning offense from Chip Kelly and Mark Helfritch. UCF is #1 in the nation in scoring offense and #5 in total offense. Frost seems like a lock to land a major job. I don't think we will be able to grab him, but it would be a major coup if we did. He is from Nebraska and spent one year as a GA at KSU under Ron Prince.
Brent Venables, 46, Defensive Coordinator at Clemson
If Brent Venables is not the top defensive coordinator in the NCAA, he is certainly among the top two or three. He won the 2016 Broyles Award which is given to the best assistant coach in college football and his defense helped Clemson win a National Championship last season. That was his second National Championship as a defensive coordinator (won another one at OU).Clemson is pretty solid defensively again this season: #7 in the nation in yards allowed per game and #6 in scoring defense. He is a Kansas native. He is a K-State Alum. He played and coached under Snyder. He spent 13 years at OU as a DC/co-DC for Bob Stoops.
Brett Bielema, 47, Head Coach at Arkansas
Bielema currently has a good HC job at Arkansas, but it looks like he is on the path to being fired this season. The Razorbacks are currently 3-5 and the fans in Fayetteville are restless after 5 seasons and no major accomplishments. He is likely to finish the season with a sub .500 overall record at Arkansas, with 3 bowl appearances but only one winning SEC record in 5 years. His overall record is still pretty good due to his time at Wisconsin. He has completed 11 seasons as a P5 HC and he has been to 10 bowl games, won 3 P5 championships, and finished the season ranked 5 times. He was the co-DC for Snyder in 2012 & 2013.
Blake Anderson, 48, Head Coach at Arkansas St.
Is Arkansas State turning into the cradle for coaches? They have had some good ones recently: Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn, Bryan Harsin, and now Blake Anderson. Blake is in his 4th season at Arkansas State and he has the Red Wolves at 5-2 and undefeated in Sun Belt play. If they win the conference again this season, and it looks like they have a good shot, it will be their third consecutive conference title. Anderson is an offensive coach that was groomed under Larry Fedora. He spent 4 years as his OC at S.Miss and UNC. Arkansas State is #13 in the nation this season in scoring offense and #23 in total offense. Something I liked about Anderson was that last season their offense struggled, but he changed his game plan and let his defense carry the team. They finished that season ranked in the Top 20 in scoring defense (not typical for teams cached by light'em up spread based coaches). Anderson has deep ties to the area and a long coaching resume in and around the state of Texas. He also has a top recruiter on his staff at Arkansas St in Trooper Taylor.
Charlie Strong, 57, Head Coach at South Florida
I see his name brought up often, so I decided to include him. I think Strong is a good football coach. He had success as a HC at Louisville and is now having success at South Florida. The Bulls are currently 7-1 and ranked at #23 in the coaches poll. They suffered a loss this past week, but still have a shot at winning the American Conference if they can knock off UCF. Strong does not have much experience in the region. He spent one year as a GA at Texas A&M in the early 80s and 3 years recently as the HC at Texas. His time at Texas did not go well (16-21 and 12-15 in Big 12 play) and that makes me question his fit for another school in the same conference and in the same region.
Craig Bohl, 59, Head Coach at Wyoming
Most KSU fans remember Craig Bohl because he brought his FCS Champion North Dakota State Bizon into Bill Snyder Family Stadium and walked out with a win. He is also a name of interest because our current Athletic Director, Gene Taylor, was Bohl's former AD at NDSU. He is now the HC at Wyoming and his performance there has been solid, but not spectacular. He took over a team that was 9-15 in the last two years under Dave Christiansen. It took Bohl a couple of years to get his system implemented (6-18 in first two years) but now has things rolling better. The Cowboys won their division last season (finished 8-6) and are 5-3 this year. Prior to his time at Wyoming, Bohl won 3 consecutive FCS championships at North Dakota State. Bohl's brand of blue collar football would be an easy transition for many KSU fans, but would not generate much excitement. Bohl has spent most of his 35+ year coaching career in the Big 12 region or close to it.
Jim Leavitt, 60, Defensive Coordinator at Oregon
Leavitt is a familiar name for Wildcat fans because he was one of Snyder's early assistants. He was the LB Coach at KSU from 90-91 and our DC from 92-95. He left KSU to start the football program at the University of South Florida. He did a good job of getting the program off of the ground. The program started as a 1-AA independent and within 9 years they were playing Major Conference D-1 football. Once the program was established his results were acceptable, but not exceptional. In 5 years in Big East Play he took them to 5 bowls games but had a 25-26 record within the conference. He was fired from USF in January of 2010 due to a scandal involving player abuse and lying to school administrator's investigating the situation. Since then he has worked as a LB coach for the San Francisco 49ers, the DC for 2 seasons at CU, and is currently the DC at Oregon. The Oregon defense currently ranks 85th in points allowed and 48th in yards allowed. Not overly impressive, but it is his first year there and it is a MAJOR improvement from last season.
Mike Norvell, 36, Head Coach at Memphis
The Tigers are currently 7-1 and ranked #22 in the AP Top 25. As long as they don't crater down the stretch they will win the American Conference Western Division and play in the AAC Championship Game. He inherited a good situation, and has only been a HC for two seasons. Overall record as a HC is 15-6. He is from the Todd Graham coaching tree (spent 9 years with him at Tulsa, Pitt, and ASU as his Passing Game & Offensive Coordinator). Memphis is currently ranked #8 in the nation in scoring offense and #11 in total offense. Norvell has solid ties to the region: Born in TX, went to college in Arkansas, and spent 4 years as an Asst. at Tulsa. Interesting Note: Former KSU QB Darrell Dickey is the current OC at Memphis.
Seth Littrell, 39, Head Coach at North Texas
North Texas football was in pretty poor shape when Littrell arrived in Denton. In the 10 years prior to his arrival they had one bowl appearance. The season before he arrived they finished the year 1-11. He has quickly rejuvenated the program. They were 5-8 last season, but made a bowl game. This season they are already 5-3 and in good shape to win the CUSA Western Division. Littrell is an offensive coach that learned under Mike Leach, Kevin Wilson, and Larry Fedora. The Mean Green are currently #21 in the nation in scoring offense and #16 in total offense. He has deep ties to the Big 12 region: Born in Oklahoma, won a NC as a player at OU, started coaching as a GA at KU and then went to Tx Tech as the RB Coach.
Bryan Harsin, 40, Head Coach at Boise State
Boise State has been a Group of 5 power house program for almost 20 years. Harsin does not have them running at Chris Peterson level performance but they are still damn good. The Broncos are currently 6-2 and receiving votes in both polls. They are the favorites to win their division again this year (3rd time in 4 years under Harsin) and play for Harsin's 2nd MWC Championship. He does not have deep ties to the region, but he did spend a couple of years in Texas as the Longhorns OC and one year as the HC at Arkansas State (where he won a Sunbelt title).
Scott Frost, 42, Head Coach at UCF
Scott Frost is probably the hottest G5 Head Coach in the game right now. The Knights are undefeated and ranked at #15 in the most recent AP poll. Quite a change from the 0-12 team that he inherited. Despite that one dumpster fire of the season, UCF is a pretty good G5 program with a strong recent history, large campus, and excellent recruiting footprint. Three years before Frost arrived they finished the season with a Fiesta Bowl win and a Top 10 ranking. Frost has done a phenomenal job at UCF. Prior to that he spent 7 years at Oregon, getting chummy with Phil Knight of Nike, and learning offense from Chip Kelly and Mark Helfritch. UCF is #1 in the nation in scoring offense and #5 in total offense. Frost seems like a lock to land a major job. I don't think we will be able to grab him, but it would be a major coup if we did. He is from Nebraska and spent one year as a GA at KSU under Ron Prince.
Brent Venables, 46, Defensive Coordinator at Clemson
If Brent Venables is not the top defensive coordinator in the NCAA, he is certainly among the top two or three. He won the 2016 Broyles Award which is given to the best assistant coach in college football and his defense helped Clemson win a National Championship last season. That was his second National Championship as a defensive coordinator (won another one at OU).Clemson is pretty solid defensively again this season: #7 in the nation in yards allowed per game and #6 in scoring defense. He is a Kansas native. He is a K-State Alum. He played and coached under Snyder. He spent 13 years at OU as a DC/co-DC for Bob Stoops.
Brett Bielema, 47, Head Coach at Arkansas
Bielema currently has a good HC job at Arkansas, but it looks like he is on the path to being fired this season. The Razorbacks are currently 3-5 and the fans in Fayetteville are restless after 5 seasons and no major accomplishments. He is likely to finish the season with a sub .500 overall record at Arkansas, with 3 bowl appearances but only one winning SEC record in 5 years. His overall record is still pretty good due to his time at Wisconsin. He has completed 11 seasons as a P5 HC and he has been to 10 bowl games, won 3 P5 championships, and finished the season ranked 5 times. He was the co-DC for Snyder in 2012 & 2013.
Blake Anderson, 48, Head Coach at Arkansas St.
Is Arkansas State turning into the cradle for coaches? They have had some good ones recently: Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn, Bryan Harsin, and now Blake Anderson. Blake is in his 4th season at Arkansas State and he has the Red Wolves at 5-2 and undefeated in Sun Belt play. If they win the conference again this season, and it looks like they have a good shot, it will be their third consecutive conference title. Anderson is an offensive coach that was groomed under Larry Fedora. He spent 4 years as his OC at S.Miss and UNC. Arkansas State is #13 in the nation this season in scoring offense and #23 in total offense. Something I liked about Anderson was that last season their offense struggled, but he changed his game plan and let his defense carry the team. They finished that season ranked in the Top 20 in scoring defense (not typical for teams cached by light'em up spread based coaches). Anderson has deep ties to the area and a long coaching resume in and around the state of Texas. He also has a top recruiter on his staff at Arkansas St in Trooper Taylor.
Charlie Strong, 57, Head Coach at South Florida
I see his name brought up often, so I decided to include him. I think Strong is a good football coach. He had success as a HC at Louisville and is now having success at South Florida. The Bulls are currently 7-1 and ranked at #23 in the coaches poll. They suffered a loss this past week, but still have a shot at winning the American Conference if they can knock off UCF. Strong does not have much experience in the region. He spent one year as a GA at Texas A&M in the early 80s and 3 years recently as the HC at Texas. His time at Texas did not go well (16-21 and 12-15 in Big 12 play) and that makes me question his fit for another school in the same conference and in the same region.
Craig Bohl, 59, Head Coach at Wyoming
Most KSU fans remember Craig Bohl because he brought his FCS Champion North Dakota State Bizon into Bill Snyder Family Stadium and walked out with a win. He is also a name of interest because our current Athletic Director, Gene Taylor, was Bohl's former AD at NDSU. He is now the HC at Wyoming and his performance there has been solid, but not spectacular. He took over a team that was 9-15 in the last two years under Dave Christiansen. It took Bohl a couple of years to get his system implemented (6-18 in first two years) but now has things rolling better. The Cowboys won their division last season (finished 8-6) and are 5-3 this year. Prior to his time at Wyoming, Bohl won 3 consecutive FCS championships at North Dakota State. Bohl's brand of blue collar football would be an easy transition for many KSU fans, but would not generate much excitement. Bohl has spent most of his 35+ year coaching career in the Big 12 region or close to it.
Jim Leavitt, 60, Defensive Coordinator at Oregon
Leavitt is a familiar name for Wildcat fans because he was one of Snyder's early assistants. He was the LB Coach at KSU from 90-91 and our DC from 92-95. He left KSU to start the football program at the University of South Florida. He did a good job of getting the program off of the ground. The program started as a 1-AA independent and within 9 years they were playing Major Conference D-1 football. Once the program was established his results were acceptable, but not exceptional. In 5 years in Big East Play he took them to 5 bowls games but had a 25-26 record within the conference. He was fired from USF in January of 2010 due to a scandal involving player abuse and lying to school administrator's investigating the situation. Since then he has worked as a LB coach for the San Francisco 49ers, the DC for 2 seasons at CU, and is currently the DC at Oregon. The Oregon defense currently ranks 85th in points allowed and 48th in yards allowed. Not overly impressive, but it is his first year there and it is a MAJOR improvement from last season.
