Why It Might Work: Its Jon Gruden. Why It Might Work: Hes 42 and is clearly seen as one of college football up-and-comers, as Campbell was before him. Malzahns record is proven but hes far from perfect. Interim coach Bo Pelini, the fiery, 36-year-old defensive coordinator in his first season at Nebraska, snuffed out the boycott discussion, walking in on a Dec. 16 players meeting. Lets start with why he flopped at Michiganhis defense and special teams. Hes had other stops including LSU and is now the OC for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He might be just the thing for a program weary of misses and failed press conferences. His experience working under Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich at Oregon, as well as a vote of confidence from Why It Might Not: It would be a serious gamble. Closing Comment: This is a classic swing-for-the-fences, boom-or-bust type. Hes never been a head coach but Johnsons acumen as an assistant makes him someone likely to get an offer soon. Like Frost, Joseph worked his way up the coaching ladder most recently at LSU where he developed what some say is the best group of wide receivers in history. Florida Atlantics head coach has seen an up-and-down career where he was once considered one of the hottest commodities in college football. The 58-year-old coach has deep roots in the state of Nebraska as a former analyst at Nebraska-Omaha and assistant under Frank Solich with the Huskers. Meyer, a three-time national championship coach at Florida and Ohio State, was responsible for hiring OSU assistantZach Smith, whose wife accused him of abuse. Why It Might Work: It only took Urban Meyer two seasons to coach Utah to an undefeated season. (Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports) Capel would become Krzyzewski's point guard for four years, leading Duke to a national title appearance as a freshman. Sure, but I feel like it would take a lot of rejection for Trev Alberts to dial his number. Closing Comment: He seems due for a second stint as a head coach, and hes as good as any top coordinator candidate. Why It Might Not: Lincoln might be outside his comfort zone. He got national attention in 2020 when he led Iowa State to its first division crown, including an upset of Oklahoma in the regular season (although they later lost the rematch in the Big 12 championship). If you wanted to replicate Wisconsin at Nebraska, you couldnt do much better than this guy. Maybe he could be worth considering, but rest assured there would be a lot of skeptics. Why It Might Not: Setting aside the baggage that Malzahn allegedly would bring with a reportedly outspoken wife who creates drama, this guy seems entrenched in the deep South. How could it not? Prior to this development, insiders were saying Campbell was interested in only two jobs: Ohio State and Notre Dame. He then went on to win two national championships at Florida. Well, it may surprise you to learn that Matt Entz has a Masters Degree in Education from Wayne State College in Nebraska. They'd be back. Why It Might Work: At every stop, Creighton has left the place better than hes found it. Why It Might Work: Strong was a top candidate at Texas for a reason. The former Auburn head coach known for taking them to the last ever BCS championship game, Malzahn got run out of town after a few mediocre seasons by their standards and is now at UCF. It would appease all Husker fans who want to go back to that style from the Osborne days, and theres no better choice for that than Monken. Nebraska football coaching hot board: 21 candidates for the job Jimmy Watkins , Evan Bland , Sam McKewon , Luke Mullin Sep 12, 2022 Updated Sep 26, 2022 0 The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. Is this a championship-caliber coach? Maybe he could pull it off and be great, but thats a tall order. Four of them were regarded as serious contenders for the nomination. Would he succeed in a Midwest spot? Husker fans might be wary because Stoops appears to be a blend of Mike Riley and Bo Pelini, but somehow hes made it work in Lexington. He retired suddenly after a disappointing 8-5 record in 2019 and hasnt sought any coaching opportunities since. Why It Might Work: Campbell is 42 with a record of 77-49 as a head coach, as of this writing. Air Force has been up and down but theyre generally solid. An understated, under-the-radar coach who seems to do more with less? He has steadily turned NC State, one of the ACCs most lowly also-rans, into an ascending program. He had an up-and-down career thats been mostly down, at least at the head coaching level. Who? Coaches have gone to different regions and have done wellNick Saban was a consummate Midwest guy before LSUbut I have a hard time seeing Muschamp and Nebraska finding their way to each other. Why It Might Not: But didnt Scott Frost supposedly understand a winning culture too? could be open soon, and in my opinion Chadwell would probably prefer to wait for one of those to come calling than any Big Ten offer. While he wasnt spectacular in the SEC, he might find an easier time in the Big Ten. Frost studied under coaching legends, knew the Nebraska program inside and out, had two years of head coaching experience, and still failed. Hes now back at San Diego State for a second stint. Hes a household name and hes crazy. Scott Frost has been fired. Desperation seems to find guys like Meyer whose winning percentage has to be ultimately balanced against off-field issues. So why isnt he coaching in Gainesville? These are guys who might be a bit of a longshot fit-wise, or who have some issues, or would take a bit more convincing to get people on board. Why It Might Work: Narduzzi seems tailor-made for the Big Ten. Its highly unlikely anyone else was considered. He was a tough, hard-nosed coach who got his teams at Louisville to punch well above their weight and made them think they could be champions. If Nebraska missed on Matt Campbell but wanted a similar type of coach, Candle is as close as you can get without the turnaround job at Iowa State. He may have bitten off more than he could chew with the FSU job, but he was also succeeding Jimbo Fisher, one of the programs most successful coaches. Is he worth hiring? He might be the defensive version of Scott Frost. His next gig has to be the absolute right fit. March 3, 2023 7:00 am ET. Meyer also does not appear to be the most ethical coach in the world, and theres a general sliminess about him that seems to come with the cost of winning. Not every place is going to be set up like that. Frost tried everything: changing coaches, changing approaches. His stints at Toledo (where he succeeded Tim Beckman) and Iowa State have been impressive relative to their place in the college football pecking order. After going 32-18, way below the Longhorns standards, he got the boot. Nebraska is not the same quality of job it used to be. Curriculum development and delivery of adult education courses. A former Husker quarterback (sound familiar? As an alumnus in the coaching field, he may have the highest possible pedigree, and candidates like this simply dont grow on trees. Thanks to his time as an assistant at Navy and Paul Johnsons Georgia Tech, he is also one of the most well-versed coaches in the triple-optionone of the toughest schemes to prepare for. If youre going for the veteran guy that no one else is looking at, this is a low-key option that has the potential of working out big time. And how motivated would he be? I do like the potential if he were to bring his Florida recruiting cache and mix in his Stanford-Harbaugh style from his early coaching career. With the timing of the firing being almost all about recruiting -- Nebraska is swallowing $15 million to fire Frost before Oct. 1, when the buyout dropped to $7.5 million -- Joseph would be able to pick up where Frost left off on the trail. Plus, he discovered Josh Allen. After the scandal that forced Jim Tressel to leave Columbus, Meyer moved in and promptly started kicking the entire Big Tens ass. Why It Might Not: OBrien bolted for the NFL at the earliest opportunity. He is .500 in bowl games and has an overall record of 135-81, marking a solid resume for any head coach. The program was plagued by the scandal involving Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky, most big-time recruits and players jumped ship, and OBrien took the job with no previous head coaching experience and under the auspices of a two-year bowl ban. Hes got a history in the Big Ten, which he matches in terms of style. Closing Comment: Given the state of Pittsburghs and Nebraskas programs, some might consider this a lateral move. Gary Patterson, Texas analyst: This makes so much sense. Some argue that he was the one who built that program into what it is todaywinning 3 FCS national championships while he was there, and posting a record of 104-32. Also, reportedly, he has a bit of a temper. His Big Ten familiarity is also a plus. The 2023 salary cap has already been Mike Locksley, Lane Kiffin, and Luke Fickell all got another chance after doing some "rehab" at a successful program. Kansas was willing to take a chance, and it very much felt like throwing anything at a wall to see what sticks. Scott Frost is out at Nebraska. Another former Big Ten head coach, Hoke ran Michigan with mixed results. Hes got a national championship ring as a head coach. Nothing worked to the point Georgia Southern sealed the deal Saturday night by gaining 642 yards in hallowed Memorial Stadium where Heisman Trophy winners and national champions used to dwell. By the time it got resolved, it was Thursday before the Oklahoma game. The coaching carousel is always fun. Closing Comment: A perhaps-soon-to-be-former NFL coach whos done very well in college seems like a good choice on paper. A 54-22 record is solidly in the plus category, and he went 5-0 in bowl games as a head coach. Why It Might Work: Hes a Husker who happens to be an NFL head coach, almost won a Super Bowl, and hes only 39. -- Urban Meyer has been contacted by Nebraska as the team continues its process of determining candidates for its head coaching vacancy, sources told CBS Sports on Saturday. That changed when he brought in Tom Allen, who took over after Wilson was oustedpartly from clashing with the community, among other things. There are some reports he prefers the job he has now and is settling in. Theres high-highs and low-lows. Closing Comment: He looks like a great choice for a bridge coach, which, considering where Nerbaska is right now, might be a strong strategy for the future. Despite some down years, hes done exceptionally well at Air Force and they have no desire to see him leave. Closing Comment: Les Miles may have been interesting as a replacement to Mike Riley or Bo Pelini, but that window has long since closed. Anytime you nab a successful head coach from the SEC, its going to create buzz. Its odd that hes never been a head coach beyond the interim run with Maryland, which makes me think hes not really interested in it. His final year at Texas saw a massive recruiting drop, including reports that his own players were actively sabotaging visits. Hes done a decent head coaching job at two different programs with limited resources, and hes turning 51 in December. Hed be an obvious bridge coach who would have to do a lot to win over the skeptics. Why It Might Work: A lot of people attribute Tom Osbornes success to his degrees in educational psychology. Why It Might Not: At 64, Bohl is definitely on the tail end of his coaching career, and it might be asking a lot for the guy to completely rebuild his alma mater into something respectable.