Alas, another Ole Miss coaching search is upon us and, given the craptastic nature of the Ole Miss football season, as well as EVERYTHING surrounding Ole Miss, it could not have come at a better time. Throw in an side of athletic director search and the excitement jumps up another notch or ten. And as grizzled veterans of the coaching search process (our fourth experience since 1998), Ole Miss fans know how to get the most excitement out of one of these searches.
There are two great things about a coaching search. One, hope makes a temporary comeback. The old coach and his failures are gone, and the dream of the perfect coach who will lead us to monumental victories and establish us as a relevant program for years to come has arrived (though the dream is usually crushed by the third game of his career). And two, and by far the most fun part, the rumor mill.
Right now, in the beginning stages of this search, you could float just about any name out there and it would be fall somewhere between sort of believable and TOTALLY BELIEVABLE.
Terry Bowden?
“He’s done great things at Northern Alabama and he’s a winner!”
Tommy Tuberville?
“He’s always wanted to come back to the SEC!”
Urban Meyer?
“He’s been itching to get back into coaching!”
John Gruden?
“He knows how to coach and loves the college game!”
Tony Dungy?
“He’s visited Oxford before and just loves the town!”
Everyone knows a guy or has a source that says Coach X is a lock. The contract is in the works and we’re just waiting until the season ends. In reality, no one but a select few has the slightest clue who the top targets are or who even gets an interview. That last sentence especially applies to media people who put in reputable printed and online publications the coaches they consider frontrunners when their best reason for why that coach is a frontrunner is because of something like “it would be a good fit.” Seriously, “it would be a good fit” is considered a source by professional writers and publications.
So keep that in mind when Larry Fedora is named a top target by a media person. But, you should always, always, always believe your individual private source when he says, “Leach is in Oxford, eating lunch at City Grocery, the contract is signed, expect an announcement tomorrow afternoon.” That kind of credibility is deeply rooted in eighth-hand knowledge FACT and is infinitely more exciting than “it would be a good fit.”
As for the names that will most likely be heard, or have already been heard, during this search, I have listed them in categories of preference below. My preference for the type of coach I believe we should hire has been stated before, but if you’re too lazy to click that link, the basic premise is we have to hire someone willing to operate in an unconventional manner to offset our natural recruiting deficiencies.
And because I am so important, I’m sure this list will be carefully considered and leaned upon in times of great debate.
Names I Want To Hear And Would Possibly Sell Body Parts For If It Meant They Could Get The Job
Kevin Sumlin
Mike Leach
Rich Rodriguez
Gus Malzahn
You Are Adequate, Sir
Mark Hudspeth
Chad Morris
Art Briles
Hugh Freeze
Any continuously successful I-AA coach I’m too lazy to look up
Given Who We Are And Their Style Of Coaching, Not Gonna Work
Kirby Smart
Manny Diaz
I Am A Snob And Want Nothing To Do With Hattiesburg
Larry Fedora
Are You Trying To Piss Me Off?
Skip Holtz
Seriously, I Will Burn The Place Down At Even The Mention Of This Rumor
Tony Dungy
Jon Gruden
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