The coaching carousel is about to spin at full speed. The open-job count has reached double figures, and November is only beginning.
‘Tis the season when every loss means the fan base is taking to social media after a few too many cold ones to voice how “disappointed” it is in a program it doen’t donate any money to and certainly doesn’t play for. Expectations will be assessed. Rash decisions will be made about the general competence of the head coach.
If the current coach is unsatisfying enough, projected names to take over for said head coach will germinate from the outer edges of the Internet, and if the folks with the big money are unsatisfied, changes will be made. We already have our requisite number of massive jobs open, specifically Southern California and Miami. Jobs like that usually have a ripple effect that hits multiple programs. Then, you’ve got the NFL, which is a long ways away from Black Monday.
That said, every single season, several names are attached to just about every opening of note.
Current working members of this Hall of Fame include the likes of Kirk Ferentz, Pat Fitzgerald, Gary Patterson, and though probably not anymore, Chris Petersen.
Here are five names you’re sure to hear tied to every major job, whether agent-manufactured or otherwise, and why he will or won’t go anywhere.
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5. Justin Fuente, Memphis
Before Fuente got there, Memphis was basically the last few swigs of a can of beer, five days after you opened it and forgot it in a poorly ventilated garage that reaches 95 degrees every day. His phone is probably getting more work than mid-90s Richard Simmons, but since he has mentioned wanting to be like his mentor, the aforementioned Patterson, it’s no lock he leaves. It’s no lock he should leave. However, his ears are constantly whistling — I can tell you that without needing “sources” to confirm it.
4. Tom Herman, Houston
Herman hasn’t lost as a head coach in college football, so that helps. He came from Ohio State, so pretty much every open gig in the Midwest will have his name associated with its program. Herman could have gone places in the past, but hand-picked Houston to try his craft as the head coach. It doesn’t make sense to leave after one year. Money talks, yes, but long term, so does winning and losing, and open jobs sure to be attached to Herman like Maryland and Illinois figure to do more of the latter.
3. Mark Richt, Georgia
If Richt leaves UGA, the Bulldogs will be lucky to not experience the ole moments of winning 3-5 games for a year or two, hanging out on the ex’s porch with flowers and a mea culpa to get things back to the way they were. At some point, though, Richt probably will get sore of having his work questioned or just figure — as people tend to do sometimes — it’s just time to chase a new rainbow.
2. Charlie Strong, Texas
The chasm between Strong and some boosters is a real thing, but Charlie isn’t the type to bail just because the deep pockets aren’t yet convinced he’s the guy, or didn’t want him in the first place. A lot was made of Strong’s non-hard denial when idiotically asked about the freshly open Miami job, but it doesn’t deserve a hard response. It’s like asking someone to work 10 hours overtime for free. Sure, there might be one soul who says “sure,” but it’s a question not worth really asking.
1. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
It’s hard to fully understand why his name keeps popping up for stuff, as though Arizona is not a good job and the weather isn’t completely fantastic year-round. There’s a reason people retire to live there. Rich Rod already tried his hand at a big-time pressure program like Michigan, and the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze on both sides. I’m guessing it’s the “Law of Birth,” where in coaching searches, if a job comes open in your state or region of birth and you work across the country, you automatically want it. There’s a kernel of truth to that theory, but it’s non-applicable in about 80 percent of situations.
Bonus Name: Nick Saban, Alabama
Note: NICK SABAN IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. HE IS RETIRING AT ALABAMA. That said, he has one of the best agents in college sports, and Jimmy Sexton isn’t going to miss a chance to convince someone dumb enough to leak it out that Nick really wouldn’t mind looking into the job if the price is right. Then, he gets a well-deserved raise, wins a bunch of games at Alabama, rinse and repeat. It’s brilliant, really.
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