((HT: Dirty South Sports Report))
James Franklin is gone. Now, Vanderbilt Athletic Director David Williams must scramble to find a new head coach in time to salvage what remains of the 2014 recruiting class. Fortunately, Franklin left the program in much better shape than when he arrived and Williams has a plethora of viable, interested candidates to choose from.
We never actually know what’s going on in a coaching search until an offer is made, but let’s go ahead and examine the candidates anyways:
The Top Two:
We know, via various reports and sources, that these two coaches have been contacted and are being pursued by Vanderbilt for the opening. Both are likely to interview this week and will be the top choices for David Williams.
Chad Morris- Clemson Offensive Coordinator
Morris is a rising star in the coaching ranks, having been named Rivals.com Offensive Coordinator of the Year in 2011 and leading Clemson to the ninth-best scoring offense in the country this season. He is only 45, but is already the highest paid assistant coach in the country. Morris was formerly the offensive coordinator at Tulsa (following co-offensive coordinators Herb Hand and Gus Malzahn) and has put up points in all of his seasons as an OC. If you’re looking for a comparison to a current head coach, Morris reminds many of Gus Malzahn — who was offered the Vanderbilt head job in 2010 and reportedly accepted before changing his mind.
Morris has recruited the South extensively and is an offensive genius, making him an excellent fit for the head job in Nashville. He’s also a personal favorite of mine because he wears visors and speaks exactly like Steve Spurrier:
((HT: tigernetdotcom))
The concern with Morris is that he’ll leave again in a few years to take a bigger job. Given the way Franklin just exited that’s a realistic fear, but my thoughts are that if the new coach does a good enough job to leave for a bigger job then the Vanderbilt program will again be in a better place. Maybe ten jobs in the country are “destination jobs” and Vanderbilt likely never will be one. Almost any coach who views Vanderbilt as a destination job is one who will settle and that’s not who the Commodores want.
Morris is my top choice for the job because the Commodores have proven that you can build a good defense with a solid coordinator hire, but Vanderbilt needs an explosive offense to “take the next step” and become truly competitive in the SEC. Morris, like if Malzahn had been hired three years ago, will certainly bring that to Nashville. My ideal scenario would have Morris as the head coach, Herb hand promoted to offensive coordinator, and former Vanderbilt head coach Robbie Caldwell coming with Morris from Clemson as the new offensive line coach.
Derek Mason- Stanford Defensive Coordinator
No, not the former Titans/Ravens wide receiver. Mason is another coordinator on the rise as the architect of a stout Stanford defense since 2011. He has plenty of experience recruiting to an academically excellent school and could easily salvage, if not improve, Vanderbilt’s current recruiting class like Franklin did in 2010 and early 2011. Rightly or not, Mason will draw a lot of comparisons to Franklin as a young, energetic, African-American coordinator from an FBS school.
Like Franklin, Mason is a bit of a coaching nomad who has only recently stabilized at one school (this isn’t uncommon with position coaches and assistants). Before Stanford he coached at Mesa Community College, Weber State, Idaho, Bucknell, Utah, St. Mary’s, New Mexico State, Ohio and the Minnesota Vikings. His time at Stanford has been excellent, with the Cardinal having the tenth-ranked scoring defense in FBS this year by giving up just 19 points per game. Mason had plenty of Talent in Palo Alto, but just imagine what he could do with the young depth in Nashville.
Joe Schad, among others, has reported that Mason is locked in for an interview sometime this week.
The Insider
With Bob Shoop reportedly gone to State College, only one in-house candidate remains. He has been granted an interview for the head job, but remains a long shot.
Herb Hand
If you have ever walked past the Vanderbilt practice field on Natchez Trace, then you have heard Herb Hand’s voice. The current offensive line coach is one of the chief motivators in Nashville, and predates the Franklin era having been brought in by Bobby Johnson in 2009. Hand has stayed active on Twitter, interacting with Vanderbilt fans and staff, leading many to believe that he plans on staying in Nashville.
On the note of social media, Hand has become a favorite of both Vanderbilt fans and national football media by showcasing his gregarious personality on the interwebs. He regularly interacts with fans, athletes and writers, giving an insight into the coaching profession unseen elsewhere. If you haven’t read Spencer Hall’s profile of Hand from August, then stop looking at my website and read this right now.
Hand is my favorite college football coach not named Steve Spurrier, so I would love to see him promoted to the top job in Nashville. I was lucky enough to profile him in 2012 for The Vanderbilt Hustler, and it remains my favorite interview I’ve had with anyone in Vanderbilt Athletics. Questions remain about whether he can be the top man at a program, but Hand is certainly uniquely equipped to handle the challenge. If he were to get the promotion, it’s likely that Hand could keep at least some of the coaching staff together in Nashville, and maintain relationships with current recruits.
Oh yeah, he’s also an incredible chef.
The Small-School Longshot
Many coaches have reached out to David Williams about the opening in Nashville (20-25, by his own estimation) but with the big names already out and scheduled for interviews it seems unlikely many will be considered. One stands out, however, and could get a shot if the top choices decide not to come to Nashville.
Mark Hudspeth
The current head coach of Louisiana-Lafayette, Mark Hudspeth is a small-school coach that will get a big job sooner rather than later. He was the head coach at Division II North Alabama for seven years, going 66-21, before going to Mississippi State as a position coach then taking the head job of the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2011. Since starting in Lafayette, Hudspeth has gone 9-4 and won the New Orleans Bowl in all three of his seasons.
Though a long shot, Hudspeth will be a consideration for the top job. If Morris and Mason decide not to move to Nashville, Hudspeth will be thrust to the top of the pile of outside candidates. He’s been mentioned to fill several head coaching vacancies already this season, and will likely get a big job either this offseason or next. Hudspeth can win, the question is if he can recruit at the high level needed to compete in the SEC.
Just Now Heard This Name And It Won’t Happen But It Would Be Awesome
This was brought up on a sports talk radio show as I was writing this article and I loved it so I’m going to profile him even though it won’t happen.
David Culley
The wide receivers and assistant head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Culley played quarterback for Vanderbilt in the early 1970s. He was recruited to Nashville by then-linebackers coach Bill Parcells (yes, that Bill Parcells). While his playing career in Nashville was uneventful, he immediately turned to coaching and was back on West End as a wide receivers coach from 1979-1981.
Culley has been in the NFl since 1994, serving essentially as Andy Reid’s right-hand man since he was hired as the Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers coach in 1999. Culley is likely a non-candidate for this job, but it’s an interesting name with plenty of experience.
The Dark Horse No One is Talking About
Giggity.
Houston Nutt
Just kidding.
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