http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1582470
Somehow Lombardi and Bear Bryant were left off.
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Somehow Lombardi and Bear Bryant were left off.
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| Leading Candidates | Current position | years | odds/Trending | ||
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| Nick Saban BIO | Alabama Head Coach | 2007-present | High
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| Saban's is the king of the college football world, having won three of the last four national championships. Texas regents actually approached Saban's agent in January of this year, a few days after Alabama defeated Notre Dame for the national title. Saban has denied having any knowledge of those discussions and said on his weekly radio show "I'm just too damn old to start all over someplace else, to be honest with you." Would he leave Alabama, at age 62, when he's in the middle of one of the most dominating runs in the history of college football? And if so, at what cost? On the surface, it seems far-fetched to some that he'd want to take over a rebuild project in Austin but Saban is a coach that doesn't often stay in one place for very long, and if he could come in and win at Texas he could further cement his legacy as one of the best coaches in college football history. Saban currently makes $5.62 million annually. | ||||
| Bottom line: One of the top coaches in college football history, Saban will likely get the first call. | |||||
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| Urban Meyer BIO | Ohio State Head Coach | 2012-present | Medium
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| You can't argue with results and Meyer has produced everywhere he's been. He turned in a dramatic turnaround at Bowling Green in his first year there. In two years at Utah, he earned national coach of the year honors and led the Utes to an undefeated season in 2004. He moved on to Florida in 2005. Meyer led the Gators to the national title in his second season and won a second title two years later. An Ohio native, Meyer did his post-graduate work at Ohio State. It would probably be tough to pull him from OSU, but he's said to have expressed an interest in the Texas job previously. Meyer makes a minimum of $4 million annually with opportunties to raise that figure through bonuses, youth camps and other compensation. | ||||
| Bottom line: It would be a tough pull to get Meyer away from what he's built at Ohio State in only two years, but there are people on the Texas side of the equation who think he'd be perfect for the job. | |||||
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| Jimbo Fisher BIO | Florida State Head Coach | 2010-present | Medium
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| Fisher was regarded as a top offensive coordinator before taking over the Florida State program in 2010. He's considered one of the country's best recruiters and has helped return Florida State to one of the elite programs in all of college football. Fisher won a total of 31 games in his first three seasons at FSU and this year has led his team to a 13-0 record and a spot in the BCS title game. Fisher and Florida State recently agreed to a contract extension that raised his salary $4.1 per season for "five to seven years," according to reports. | ||||
| Bottom line: He could be on the brink of winning a national championship at Florida State, but there has been talk that Fisher would be willing to listen if the right opportunity came along. | |||||
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| Jim Harbaugh BIO | San Francisco 49ers Head Coach | 2011-present | Medium
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| Harbaugh has proven to be a terrific head coach wherever he's been and he's one of the few that has transtioned well from the college ranks to the NFL. His first college head coaching gig was at University of San Diego in 2004. In three years there, he won two conference titles and won 11 games twice. Harbaugh then moved on to Stanford in 2007 and helped build Stanford into a consistent contender in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) and nationally. In 2010, Harbaugh led the Cardinal to a 12-1 mark, including a win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Stanford had never won more than 10 games in a season prior to that year. Harbaugh led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game in his first year with the franchise. Last year, his second with the 49ers, Harbaugh led the team to the Super Bowl, where it fell to Baltimore. | ||||
| Bottom line: Harbaugh has a pretty good gig going in San Francisco but there's some talk that he could be one of UT's top targets if things fall through with Saban. | |||||
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| David Shaw BIO | Stanford Head Coach | 2011-present | Medium
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| Shaw is in his third year at Stanford after taking the reins from Jim Harbaugh. He had big shoes to fill in replacing Harbaugh but Shaw has been terrific, leading the Cardinal to BCS bowls in his first three seasons. He's only 41 years old, he coaches a physical, tough mindset - something that should make him appealing to the Texas decision makers - and he runs his program with class. Having to recruit for a program with such high academic standards would be another plus. Shaw seems to be pretty happy at Stanford but one would think he'd at the very least listen to what Texas has to offer. Shaw earns $2.5 million annually. | ||||
| Bottom line: Shaw has proven to be a terrific coach at Stanford; may be tough to pull him away. | |||||
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| Mike Tomlin BIO | Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach | 2007-present | Medium
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| Tomlin holds one of the most desired coaching jobs in all of football, but there's talk that an opening at Texas would at least draw his attention. Now in his seventh season with the Steelers, Tomlin, 41, has taken Pittsburgh to two Super Bowls (one victory) and a 68-40 record despite a slow start to the 2013 season. A no-nonsense coach who demands his teams play a physical style of football, Tomlin would be an intriguing option as a college coach. Would he leave the stability of Pittsburgh to try his hand as a college head coach? It might be tough to get him away from the Steelers' organization but Tomlin would bring some immediate excitement to the Texas program. Tomlin currently makes $5.75 million per year. | ||||
| Bottom line: Has a great job in Pittsburgh but there's talk that he would have some interest. | |||||
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| John Harbaugh BIO | Baltimore Ravens Head Coach | 2008-present | Medium
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| Harbaugh spent the first 14 years of his coaching career as an assistant at various colleges before making the move to the NFL as special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997. He held that rolef for nine years before adding the title of defensive backs coach in his 10th season with the franchise. One year later, he made the rare leap from an NFL position coach to head coach, taking over the top job for the Baltimore Ravens. In his first year, he led Baltimore to an 11-5 regular season record and a spot in the AFC Championship. Harbaugh's Ravens teams have made the playoffs in all five of his seasons and Baltimore won the Super Bowl last year. Harbaugh signed a four-year contract extension in September of this year that has been estimated at about $7 million per year. | ||||
| Bottom line: Makes a hefty salary at Baltimore but his name has been discussed behind the scenes as a person of interest. | |||||
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| Gus Malzahn BIO | Auburn Head Coach | 2013-present | Medium
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| Malzahn has a pretty impressive track record as both a head coach and as an assistant. Many Longhorn fans will remember him from his days at Springdale (Ark.) High School, where he coached several UT recruiting targets, including QB Mitch Mustain. He led the program to the state title game in his second year and to a state title in his fourth year. After five years at Springdale, he became OC at Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks win the SEC West in his first year. He left to become OC at Tulsa after one year at Arkansas due in part to tension with head coach Houston Nutt. At Tulsa, Malzahn's offenses ranked No. 1 in the nation both years at the school. He then moved on to Auburn for a three-year stint that saw the Tigers make dramatic improvement and set numerous school records, including an undefeated national title run in 2010. Malzhan moved on to become head coach at Arkansas State in 2012. In his first and only year at Arkansas State, Malzahn lead the team to a 9-3 record and a Conference Championship. In 2013, his first year at Auburn, all Malzahn has done is lead the program to the greatest single-season turnaround in SEC history and a spot in the BCS National Championship game. Malzahn recently signed a a six-year extension, with $3.85 million per year in a contract with a $250,000 raise each subsequent year. | ||||
| Bottom line: One of the hottest coaching names in the country; it's hard to argue with his results. | |||||
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| Art Briles BIO | Baylor Head Coach | 2008-present | Medium
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| Briles is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the country and he's transformed Baylor from one of the worst programs in all of college football to a program that now expects to compete for Big 12 titles on an annual basis. Briles' first rose to prominence as a head coaching at Stephenville High School and he's since coached at Texas Tech (assistant), Houston and now Baylor. Briles' teams haven't been known to play good defense, but Baylor is making steady improvements in that area. The 2012 Bears team finished second nationally in total offense (572.3 ypg), one year after his offense featured Heiaman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. A native Texan, Briles has shown a terrific ability to recruit in the state and evaluate talent. Briles signed a contract extension in November that takes him to 2023 at more than $4 million per year. | ||||
| Bottom line:Would bring an exciting offense to Austin. | |||||
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| Will Muschamp BIO | Florida Head Coach | 2011-present | Low
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| There's some belief that former Longhorn defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp would be the Longhorns' head coach right now if Texas had won the 2009 national championship and Mack Brown would have retired on top. Instead, Muschamp remained on as Texas d-coordinator until Florida came calling late in 2010. A defensive-minded coach who is known for his intensity, Muschamp was a fan favorite while at Texas and he still has influential people close to the Longhorn program who like and respect him. After a 7-6 record in his first season at Florida, Muschamp led the Gators to one of the nation's top turnarounds in year two, finishing 11-2 and playing in a BCS bowl game. It's widely rumored that Muschamp and his family love Austin and Texas is one of the few jobs for which he'd consider leaving Florida. Muschamp makes just under $3 million annually. | ||||
| Bottom line: Muschamp has really lost some of his steam after a terrible 2013. | |||||
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| Charlie Strong BIO | Louisville Head Coach | 2010-present | Low
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| A former defensive coordinator at Florida, Strong was the only Gators assistant retained when Urban Meyer replaced Ron Zook. Strong's head coaching career starter rather slowly, going 7-6 in his first two seasons at Louisville. But he led Lousville to an 11-2 mark last year, including an impressive win over Florida in the Sugar Bowl. At 53 years old, Strong isn't exactly a young up-and-comer but he is regarded as a coach on the rise due to his recent success with Louisville. Strong currently earns a salary of $3.7 million and Louisville raised his buyout in January to $5 million. | ||||
| Bottom line: Strong's name was talked about quite a bit early in the season but he's probably way down the list. | |||||
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| James Franklin BIO | Vanderbilt Head Coach | 2011-present | Low
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| Franklin is in only his third year as a head coach, but he's built a fairly impressive resume and is regarded as one of the up-and-comers in the college football coachin world. Vanderbilt had never been to consecutive bowl gams in the history of the program, and Franklin was able to lead the Commodores to bowls in his first three seasons. After a 6-7 season in his first year and a Liberty Bowl appearance, Franklin led Vanderbilt to a 9-4 mark last year, including a win in the Music City Bowl. Only 41 years old, Franklin is a passionate coach on the field and he's considered to be an excellent recruiter. He's also proving that he can win at a school with high academic standards. Franklin made $1.8 million in 2011, but his current salary is believed to be significantly higher than that figure. | ||||
| Bottom line: Franklin's a terrific coach but Texas likely goes for a bigger name. | |||||
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| Gary Patterson BIO | TCU Head Coach | 2000-present | Low
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| At one time, Patterson's name was among those most frequently mentioned as a possible replacement when Mack Brown stepped down. Those talks have died down a bit over the last couple years. The 53-year-old Patterson has enjoyed tremendous success at TCU, now in his 14th year, although it's been tougher sledding since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12. Patterson's best year came in 2010, when TCU went undefeated and knocked off Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Patterson's teams are physical, fundamentally sound, they run the ball well and he has a tremendous eye for evaluating talent. Patterson reportedly makes around $3.5 million per year. | ||||
| Bottom line: Patterson's stock is down after a challenging 2013 season. | |||||
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| Pat Fitzgerald BIO | Northwestern Head Coach | 2006-present | Low
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| Fitzgerald, only 38 years old, has taken a Northwestern program that was a consistent Big 10 whipping boy and turned it into one of the better programs in the conference. Fitzgerald, a Chicago native, would be an outsider for the Texas job and there is some question if he'd be a cultural fit. But Fitzgerald's body of work, including 10 wins last year and five consecutive bowl games, is hard to ignore. He's another guy who coaches with a tough, physical style and his teams resemble those traits on the field. Fitzgerlad made more than $2.2 million in 2011. | ||||
| Bottom line: He's young and he's a terrific coach but he'd be pretty far down the list. |
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