So, the news came tonight that Lane Kiffin is leaving Rocky Top for LA and immediately I began to think of how this shakes up the college football coaching world. I also thought of what a classless, worthless pile of noise that Kiffin is.
Kiffin, already a questionable character, takes over a program that is possibly on the verge of major NCAA sanctions. That seems to be the biggest perceived reason that Pete Carroll left town to join the Seattle Seahawks. Why would Kiffin step into that situation? I guess the money.
Word has it that Kiffin is taking his father, Monte Kiffin, as Defensive Coordinator. Norm Chow is expected to leave UCLA for a return to USC as Offensive Coordinator. Therefore, Kiffin is surrounding himself with strong, albeit really old, people and should make success easy to come by. But how nice will it be to win and play no post season games? Now that he is in place at USC he will have to play a weird waiting game to see what penalties the Men of Troy will face.
Now on to the bigger question...Who will replace Kiffin as the Tennessee Volunteers head football coach?
- Phil Fulmer - Not a chance
- David Cutcliffe - Not the personality that Tennessee needs to land the recruits that it needs to compete in the SEC. A great offensive mind that has led some of the best offenses in college football over the past decade and a half. Cutcliffe has done a nice job at Duke in his short tenure there. He would be welcomed by the Vol Nation, but with the likes of Bruce Pearl and Pat Summitt, Cutcliffe just doesn't mesh well.
- Skip Holtz - May be a little too late in the game to nab the East Carolina head coach. He is already in discussions with South Florida for the vacancy left open by the firing of Jim Leavitt. The son of legendary coach, Lou Holtz, Skip brings a name that is seen on almost every college football broadcast on ESPN. He would do well and recruit well at a big time program. Still a long shot for this position.
- Steve Spurrier - He wants to win. He is from Tennessee. He has little to no chance to compete at South Carolina. He could win and win big on Rocky Top. Don't think anybody in Knoxville would go for it, and I don't think Spurrier would either.
- Gary Crowton - LSU Offensive Coordinator - Has anyone seen LSU's offense? The answer is no, at least not over the past 3-4 years. The Vols problems lie on the offensive side of the ball, so I don't even think I should spend any more time on this one.
- Dabo Swinney - I think this makes sense. He is an SEC guy coaching in the ACC. He is a fiery guy who has already taken over a program that was teetering and in chaos and he has done an excellent job as the head coach at Clemson. As an Alabama graduate he has plenty of roots in the holy land of college football and the likelihood of winning a national championship at Tennessee is much greater than it is in Clemson. I think he will have to emerge as a leading candidate for this job. He has proven that he deserves a big time job and this may be his shot.
- Will Muschamp - Texas Defensive Coordinator - He has already been named the head coach in waiting to replace Mack Brown as Texas. But, how long is he willing to wait. This guy could make some noise. And, if the price is right he might go for it. Of course, it would cost Tennessee a head coach's buyout, but it would be worth it. He has the personality to make it work. I think he has to be at the top of the list and be one of the first to get a phone call.
- Jon Gruden - His name always pops up when there is an opening. I think if he fits anywhere, then this would be the place. Don't think it will happen.
- Chris Petersen - Boise State is good, they're real good. I think if he goes anywhere, he is going to need his recruiting base. That base is nation wide, but the core is more toward the upper midwest, which makes the Big Ten and Pac 10 more likely destinations for this guy in the future. He will get that big time job one day, just not this one.
- Mike Leach - The recently deposed coach from Texas Tech has a Kiffin esque personality and would make some waves in the SEC. His offense might not work too well in the smash mouth Goliath football league that is the SEC. I think it could work though. There would have to be some adjustments though. You have to be able to run the ball some to survive in the league. He would definitely be able to bring the big time quarterback that the Vols have lacked since Peyton Manning and Tee Martin left town.
- Butch Davis - He is owned by Tom O'Brien. At Tennessee he would not have to worry about the Wolfpack's Silent Assassin! He would have the opportunity to build a power house much like the one he created in Miami. He has done a solid job at UNC, but there is only so much that one can do in Roy's world. He has the resumé to garner such a position. His experience in south Florida is also a plus in those recruiting battles against the Gators. He has the ability to bring in solid assistant staff that would sure up both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
- Nick Saban - That would make this saga a whole lot more Jerry Springer-ish.
- Bobby Petrino - He loves a paycheck and loves to skip town. Just a thought.
At the moment, there are no official candidates and many more names will surely arise in the coming days. It should be interesting to see what happens as Tennessee scrambles to find Kiffin's replacement and salvage the last little bit of recruiting. The most likely scenario is that no one I have mentioned above will be a possibility, but that's why I don't get paid to do this! My picks...Will Muschamp and Dabo Swinney. Most likely replacements - Butch Davis or David Cutcliffe.
