Mike Leach Headed to Ole Miss? Probably Not

The danger in trying to write a college football team preview this early in the year is the invalidity the pieces may have by the time the season rolls around.

In short, I got bit.

News sources close to the Ole Miss Football Program are reporting that Offensive Coordinator Kent Austin (pictured) will be named as the Head Coach at Cornell in Ithaca, NY.

Austin, an Ole Miss alum, has chaired the offense to 30 points per game aveage the last two seasons, a period that produced 18 wins and two Cotton Bowl Trophies—both over high-flying Big 12 South offenses.

The decision to leave Ole Miss probably was not an easy one for the University of Mississippi Hall-of-Famer.  He won a letter for each of the 1981-1985 seasons and still holds spots among the records for quarterback play at the school.

As for fitting in at Cornell, Austin was an Academic All-SEC Selection from 1982-1985, garnered the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete award in 1985, and received the 1986 NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship.

Definitely not the stereotypical troglodyte.

Austin also became the first person in Canadian Football League history to win a championship for the same team as a quarterback, and later as a head coach.

As to why he left, until we hear from Austin, I can only speculate.  However, I think that the recent promotion of DC Tyrone Nix to Assistant Head Coach had something to do with it.

Even when we hear from Austin, I doubt we'll hear that.

Austin had removed his name from the Cornell search earlier on.  But with Nix's promotion (a well deserved one), Austin may have seen his dream of being the next head coach in Oxford disappear.

Nix turned down the DC at Florida and was rumored to be a candidate for other positions at other schools, including some head jobs.  The Assistant title looks little more than the currently popular Head-Coach-in-Waiting.

Again, this is conjecture on my part.

Additionally, there is Houston Nutt's long history with Offensive Coordinators.  Namely, it has been a long time since he's kept one for a long time.

Nutt is an offensive mind, creative and successful, and is highly involved with scheming and play calling.  That kind of intimacy can often be constricting, especially for other creative and successful offensive minds.

For that reason, I think you can scratch former Texas Tech coach, Mike Leach, from the candidate list many will put him on.  As an Ole Miss fan who grew up in Lubbock and follows both programs, unless Coach Nutt is ready to abdicate control, it is hard to imagine The Pirate and The Preacher rowing the same boat.

That said, one of my favorite things about both places is how quirkiness equates to strength of character.

I would not be surprised to see Gunter Brewer's name pop up.  Brewer, the son of former Ole Miss Coach Billy Brewer, spent the last five seasons at Oklahoma State, the last two as Co-Offensive Coordinator for Mike Gundy's Cowboys.

Brewer was the passing-game coordinator for a 2008 OSU team that featured a Manning Award Finalist in Zac Robinson, a Biletnikoff Finalist in Dez Bryant, and a Mackey Award Finalist in Brandon Pettigrew.

He also coached some guy named Randy Moss at Marshall.

For my one fan, and the few of you that have read my pieces on the 2010 Ole Miss team, I will go back and address any changes that are needed resulting from Austin's expected departure in the final wrap-up.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read. 

I would like to know who fans think Coach Nutt should hire as his next OC in the comment section.