5 Coaching changes that you could see

Plenty of schools are not where they need to be right now. However, with the season winding to a close, we can start to really see which schools still have a chance, and which schools could be in the coaching carousel once the offseason begins. Be it because of firing, retiring, or someone else hiring their current coach, schools cannot avoid the carousel forever. Let’s analyze five coaches and the scenarios that would follow.

Petrino: Rocky Top singing

Tennessee has fallen back out of contention, something Butch Jones got them back too. However, this time they should be able to hire a high level coach to take over a still talented squad and continue this ascension in the college football world. Step forward Bobby Petrino, a proven coach in the SEC at Arkansas and the ACC with Louisville. With a half of his buyout clause gone after the dismissal of Jurich, the highest grossing program in the SEC could easily afford the former Hogs coach. Petrino is an offensive genius, running high powered offenses with different styles. He used Ryan Mallett effectively at Arkansas and Doughty similarly at WKU, then flipped the script and runs currently a read option focused attack with Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. The Tennessee offense has lacked spark under Butch Jones his entire tenure, and Josh Dobbs heroics aside, they’ve had no spark. Wasted talents during his time like Cordarrelle Patterson and Alvin Kamara, with the hire of Petrino, you have a potent Tennessee for years to come. As an overall head coach he is years ahead of Butch Jones with Petrino having a 114–47 career record (including a 11–2 season in 2012 at Arkansas) whole Jones holds only a 84–53 record with an abysmal 33–26 in his current position (both of these at time of writing). If Tennessee is serious about the SEC east, it starts with the guy after Butch Jones, and Petrino could be the man

Strong: The return home

If Petrino jumps ship, this puts Louisville into a tough spot; with Petrino gone, the AD and Basketball coach dismissed, and Lamar Jackson potentially leaving for the draft, things would not be looking up for the school. With all of the turmoil they will need a solid head coach who has a history of good results and running a tight ship, meaning they could turn back to the man that turned Louisville around once before, Charlie Strong current head coach of the University of South Florida. Strong is all about the integrity of a program, and it will show as he tightens the reins if he is hired, as he dismissed or suspended over 15 players in his first year at Texas for different reasons. Strong when he was previously the head coach of Louisville posted an impressive 20–9 record and 3–1 in bowl games, one of these being the biggest upset against the spread in bowl history winning 33–23 against Florida in the sugar bowl. Strong would run a no-nonsense program and keep the winning ways, giving the incoming AD for Louisville something to cling too as they leave such a troubled time.

Miles: Hello Mr.Saban

With two SEC West schools who expect more from their programs in Ole Miss and Auburn, you could see one if not both of these schools in the coaching market after this season. Hugh Freeze left Ole Miss in hot water not only because of performance but also the off the field issues that persisted with the program. However, with Gus Malzahn you have different reasons for a potential exit, depending on how they finish the season, the Auburn man could be lured away by another school, or be dismissed after what should be a one sided Iron bowl against Alabama. With both of these schools having to go through Alabama to accomplish what they want, they could go after a man that has given Saban some issues in the past in Les Miles, former head coach of LSU. The National Championship winning coach has plenty of experience against Saban as they coached against each other from 2007–2016. Miles was also the man who replaces Saban at LSU. A great recruiter with average game management, he could go into either of these schools and accumulate the talent to come out over Alabama, and with a solid staff alongside him, could run the SEC West like he did for a time at LSU.

Frost: Chomping at the bit

Under McElwain, the Gator Chomp, lost the bite. With his dismissal we are left thinking, who is going to finally replace Urban Meyer? Well the answer is just down the road in Orlando, the 42 year old UCF head coach Scott Frost. No it’s crazy to think man in only his second year of head coaching could get the Florida job, but look at what he has going for him, at 42 he took over a school that was 0–12, he had just finished a Broyles finalist in 2014, being beat out by current Texas Longhorn head coach Tom Herman, as the Offensive coordinator for the university of Oregon. With a 14–7 total record you may not be amazed, but wait, there’s more. He is 8–0 to start off his second season has a head coach going 4–0 in the conference also. He turned a winless school into a bowl team in a year at 6–7 and now has them rolling. At only 42, he could be a long term answer any school would want, especially one like Florida.

Healy: Wait who? AND WHERE!?

Now, I know what you’re thinking, who the HELL is Will Healy, and you wouldn’t alone in thinking I made this man up, but he might be the second most exciting young coach behind Scott Frost for some mid-major schools to gamble with. Will Healy is the current head coach of the Austin Peay State University Governors. Who had before (and under) Healy, the longest losing streak in college ball, in his first year, the first time head coach took a winless team winless, posting an 0–11 record. However, in his second year, the lights have come on. The Govs are currently 6–4 at time of writing, with a close loss in week one at Cincinnati 26–14, and scoring 33 points in what was a blowout loss nonetheless against UCF, you still see the promise. With an overall easy last two games the Govs could be 7–5 with ease, and that would be a major turn around. Now you’re thinking, “who is gonna hire this guy? I don’t even know where Austin Peay is.” Well, it would be two schools potential losing coaches, UCF and USF, if UCF loses Scott Frost, they could seek to replace a 42 year old with a 32 year old, and Healy could continue their progression. Now for USF, they know Strong will leave sooner or later, and if he leaves sooner (I.E. this year) they could look for a young guy to lead them for years to come. They could lock up Healy before another school comes in and takes a chance on the young coach with plenty of promise.

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