Sal Sunseri, Paul Rhoads & Randy Shannon Favorites to Replace Graham at Pitt?

Last night was another surprising college football coaching change, as this season has been filled with quite a bit of them. Pittsburgh head coach Todd Graham gave no indication he was interested in coaching the Arizona State Sun Devils until he texted his players to say he was leaving.

Now with another team that is missing a head coach, more and more candidates are popping up. Names like Sali Sunseri, Paul Rhoads and Randy Shannon are just a few that have been mentioned.

As the Panthers begin the coaching journey that so many other teams have already taken, here are a few names that could take over Pittsburgh.

Paul Rhoads

Rhoads was rumored to be a candidate last season when Dave Wannstedt left Pittsburgh. Now he is on this list again.

He was the Panthers' defensive coordinator for seven years and didn't do a bad job, as they had one of the best units year in and year out. He ended up leaving to take a job under Gene Chizik at Auburn.

He recently got his first head coaching job at Iowa State and has done a decent job with the Cyclones, going 18-19 in three years. He also pulled off the most impressive upset of the year against Oklahoma State.

The Panthers will have to cut the check a bit to make this hire, but it may be worth it.

Sal Sunseri

Sunseri played linebacker for Pittsburgh from 1978-81 and was the defensive line coach for them for several seasons. He also was the head coach for one game when Paul Hackett was fired in 1992.

He is a defensive-minded coach and has done work for LSU, Michigan State, the Carolina Panthers and now currently with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is the outside linebackers coach for Alabama and has that defense clicking.

He's also the father of Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri.

Hiring somebody who has history with the university may be a good thing for this team.

Randy Shannon

Randy Shannon is another coach that has had his name pop up a few times regarding this job. He has been out of coaching for a year but did some positive things during his time at Miami.

One, he has history in the ACC, which is where the Panthers are heading. He also was a great recruiter at Miami, bringing in Top 25 classes consistently, although he did finish with a 28-22 record in four years and didn't win a bowl game.

Shannon could help this team on the recruiting side of things and make Pittsburgh respectable again. 

Mario Cristobal

Another possible candidate could be Mario Cristobal. 

He has done a fantastic job at building the FIU program and they are heading in the right direction to become another competitive Florida team. He won the Sun Belt last season and made a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

Cristobal is a great motivator and knows how to get the most out of his players.

He was born in Miami and may be committed to the FIU program, but the pay would be a lot better and would present better opportunities for the up-and-coming head coach.

Teryl Austin

Austin played defensive back for Pittsburgh from 1984-1987 and may be interested in earning his first head coaching job with his alma mater.

He is currently the secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens, but has a lot of experience at the college level. He worked with Wake Forest and was a defensive assistant for Syracuse, Michigan and Florida.

Austin also has knowledge of the Pennsylvania area, as he recruited heavily when he was with the Wolverines.

If the Panthers extend an offer, it may be too good to pass up.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]