Much to the surprise of no one, Stanford fired Walt Harris earlier this week. So who will be Tedford's new whipping boy in the Big Game. Here is a list of candidates being mentioned.
Norm Chow, Tenn Titans
The former USC offensive coordinator was actually passed over for Harris. Everyone knows he really wants to be a head coach but rumor has it he does not have a head coaching make up (read: gets walked all over).
Mike Leach, Texas Tech
There was a rumor going around the Leach was taking the Miami job but have not heard anything since. This is the same man that led his team over Cal in the 2004 Holiday Bowl. I would prefer he go to Miami.
Steve Kragthorpe, Tusla
Though the average fan may not know Kragthorpe, he is actually one of the hottest names in college coaching right now. I think Kragthorpe waits to see what happens with some of the larger vacancies (Miami, Alabama, BC), wait for the shuffling to start (Rich Rodriguez to Alabama?) and then find a place better suited for him than Stanford.
DeWayne Walker, UCLA
UCLA defensive coordinator just saw his stock shoot up after the USC game. He is riding a high wave right now and he should be ready to jump. I don't mind him moving to Stanford. Tedford has a good bead on Walker and should continue to light him up even across the Bay.
Jim Harbaugh, San Diego (University)
Captain Comeback is now coaching down in the land of SD. His father was an assistant at Stanford and he is a rising star. But with little experience, I would have no problem with him taking the job at Stanford.
And last but not least, Al Borges, Aurburn
If you recall, Al Borges was the vaunted UCLA OC that came to Cal for the 2001 season. His West Coast offense was suppose to take Kyle Boller to new heights. Well... Cal finished that season 1-10 and Borges moved on to another school. Under Borges, Cal average just over 18 points per game. The next year under Tedford, with essentially the same team, Cal average over 35 points per game. Please Al Borges, sign with Stanford, fulfill your dream to be a head coach and make that team even worse.
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3 comments:
Please not Harbaugh! Don't let Stanford be the training ground for his "next" D-I job!
Here are some that wouldn't be terrible, but may fly in the face of Conventional Wisdom:
Larry Coker - yes, he let a rogue school go rogue all over again, but he's not a rogue, and his worst year so far has still been better than Stanford's best in five years!
Mike Shula - Probably a little to "footbally" for Stanford, but he got a probation team to the Cotton Bowl and a 10-3 record. I think Stanford could get used to seeing 3's at the end of the record instead of having them as distant goals for the front part of same.
Dan McCarney - I know, ties to Bowlsby and a .500 record since 2000 don't exactly endear him to the typical fan, but consider where he was: Iowa State - whose budgetary restrictions (12th place in the Big 12) make Stanford's academic restrictions on student athletes look like a Pass-Fail basketweaving class. 5 bowl games isn't bad, and he's beaten good programs like Nebraska, Iowa, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, etc. He also has a successful track record of resurrecting a dead program. Outside of Tulsa, none of the other guys you are talking about really do.
Frank Solich - See, here's the thing about the head coach at Ohio - he wins with a rarely-used, run-oriented option system that levels the playing field for schools that are limited in their ability to get a huge number of blue-chip athletes. He's one of the nations' leading coaches in terms of winning percentage, and he's taken two different teams in two different conferences to their respective conference title games. Can the Cardinal tolerate the option? The bigger question is how long can they tolerate losing?
Wow, you really looked far and wide for those. I just pulled mine off of an AP story.
I think Stanford will stay away from the recently fired. Based on how much they can pay a coach, I think they are looking at hiring a rising star who has not yet reached the big time. It is like being the offensive coordinator at a real school. A stepping stone to a real head coaching job.
Ha! That's pretty good analysis: a head coaching position as a stepping stone to a real head coaching position.
I can see that...
How about Jay Norvell, offensive coordinator at Nebraska? Except that their offense sucked in the conference title game, but at least they got there...
Or what about one of Boise State's coordinators? B.S. and The Cardinal are comparable programs, except that Stanford never wins and Boise State does often.
(Hee hee. Just trying to get under the skin of that one Stanford football fan.)
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