Mike Leach: Which Head Coach Candidates Have the Best Shot at Maryland Job?

Mike Leach would appear to be the frontrunner among the possible replacements for Ralph Friedgen as the Head Football Coach at the University of Maryland.

However, while this notion was basically a foregone conclusion a week ago, Leach's name is not the only one that has popped up in discussions of who will be the next coach of the Terrapins. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is apparently being coveted by the university, and they have also talked to SMU head coach June Jones.

So at this point, the field would appear to be much more wide open than we all thought it would be. So with that in mind, here are 10 candidates with the best shot at landing the Maryland head coach job.

10. June Jones

Yes, Maryland's AD Kevin Anderson talked to Jones about his soon-to-be-unoccupied head coaching gig. And yes, reports are that the university was willing to pay him as much as $3.5 million if he were to take the job.

But as you no doubt have heard, the Dallas Morning News reported on Tuesday that Jones had removed his name from consideration.

So despite the fact Jones is perhaps the most intriguing candidate for the job, it would seem that he is indeed committed to fully rebuilding SMU. And because he's taken the Mustangs to a bowl game in two consecutive years, he is definitely moving in the right direction in that regard.

So for all intents and purposes, Jones shall remain nothing more than a good idea for the time being.

9. Randy Shannon

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MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 9: Head coach Randy Shannon of the Miami Hurricanes watches second half action against the Florida State Seminoles on October 9, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 45-17. (Photo by Joel Au

Perhaps not surprisingly, there don't seem to be too many programs lining up to interview Randy Shannon for their vacant head coaching gigs.

In fact, ever since Shannon was fired by Miami, the only school that seemed even remotely interested in Shannon was Vanderbilt before they eventually grabbed Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin for the job, who was of course the coach-in-waiting for the Terrapins.

But there are advantages to hiring Shannon. He did have some success with Miami, he knows the ACC, and he's shown he can recruit.

In short, despite the fact Shannon isn't in the picture right now, he very well could be if candidates keep slipping away.

8. Bryan Stinespring

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PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 15: Offensive coordinater Bryan Stinespring of the Virginia Tech Hokies celebrates during the game against the Temple Owls on November 15, 2003 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Virginia Tech defeated Templ

Stinespring tends to get a bad rap as Frank Beamer's offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, as some Virginia Tech fans have actually gone so far as writing letters to the university asking for his dismissal.

That's no way to treat a guy who guided the ACC's best offense in 2010, much less a guy who has been at the controls for several really good offenses in his eight years under Beamer.

So if you'll permit me, I'd like to throw his name into the hat. Like Shannon, he's an ACC guy that is also a very good recruiter. Unfortunately, also like Shannon, his name doesn't quite fit with some of the other big names being bandied about at the moment.

So basically, Stinespring's name is only going to pop up if the search goes on longer than Maryland would hope. And they don't seem like they want to wait, so take this as pure speculation.

7. Ken Niumatalolo

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DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Ken Niumatalolo of the Navy Midshipmen looks on during the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 13, 2008 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ken Niumatalolo basically picked up where Paul Johnson left off when he came in to coach the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl. Under his watch, the Navy Midshipmen to bowls in each of the last three years, winning one of them.

The possibility has been there for Niumatalolo to make the jump to a major program for a couple years now. But because of the fact he's been almost exclusively a part of the Navy program over the past 15 years, you have to wonder if he has the necessary recruiting skills.

As such, Niumatalolo would be a gamble for Maryland, and they don't seem to be very willing to do that.

6. Brian Billick

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SEATTLE - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Brian Billick of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on December 23, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

If the Maryland heads were to look for an offensive-minded coach with plenty of street cred in the state of Maryland, Billick would be the guy.

Billick has been in the broadcast booth ever since he was fired as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens in 2007, and whether or not he is interested in coaching again at all is questionable at best. And even if he is, there would be plenty of NFL teams putting giving him a call.

But if he were to rejoin the college ranks (he last coached at Stanford in 1991 as an assistant HC), he would immediately become a force to be reckoned with, which would naturally be a good thing for the Terrapins.

In other words, Billick is one of the few candidates that could actually build on the success that Friedgen enjoyed this season, rather than just continue it.

5. Kevin Sumlin

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PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Head coach Kevin Sumlin of the Houston Cougars on the sidelines in the game with the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on September 18, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Kevin Sumlin, the head coach for the Houston Cougars, made a name for himself as the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2006 and 2007.

The Cougars had two pretty good seasons under his watch in 2008 and 2009 before falling below the .500 mark and missing out on a bowl game in 2010, but he's still one of the hotter head coaching prospects out there. He's an offensive-minded coach who has done very well competing with the other big Texas schools for in-state recruiting, a skill that would come in hand wherever he goes.

In fact, if Leach for some reason withdraws from consideration, don't be surprised if Sumlin's name becomes part of the discussion.

4. Randy Edsall

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EAST HARTFORD, CT - NOVEMBER 27: Head coach Randy Edsall of the Connecticut Huskies directs his players in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 27, 2010 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Huskies defeated the

A graduate of Syracuse, Edsall was in the running for the Notre Dame job last year and has done wonders with a UConn football program that was nothing more than an afterthought before he came along.

In short, he is an interesting candidate for the job because the whole world practically seems to be begging him to move on. Moreover, Edsall's stock is probably never going to be higher than it is right now. He led UConn to the Big East championship, and will get even more credit if the Huskies are even so much as competitive against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Nevertheless, you have to think he's still a long shot for the job. His name simply isn't as big as some of the other candidates that Maryland is going after, and there doesn't seem to be much sense in him leaving a program that is getting better and better.

3. Paul Chryst

By contacting Gus Malzahn, one might think that the Maryland brass may have tipped their hand in terms of what they're looking for. Malzahn is a hot offensive coordinator for a hot offensive team, and he comes with plenty of experience.

A brief scan of similar candidates yields Wisconsin OC Paul Chryst, whose Badgers were perhaps the most dominant offensive force in the country over the final weeks of the regular season.

True, Wisconsin is his alma mater, and it would be tough to get him to leave. But he also has ties to Kevin Anderson, who was an assistant AD at Oregon State while Chryst was the offensive coordinator there.

He says he's not interest in becoming Texas' offensive coordinator, but we shouldn't take that to mean he won't at least listen if Anderson were to come calling.

2. Gus Malzahn

Auburn Offensive Coordinator, Gus Malzahn was reportedly in the running for the Vanderbilt head coach gig, but ultimately decided to stay with the Tigers. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that the school upped his salary to over $1 million a year.

And now the latest reports have him in the running for the Maryland job. And for good reason. Malzahn has been one of the best offensive coordinators in the country for a few years now, and his value has definitely peeked with Auburn's run to the BCS National Championship this year.

But his new salary means that taking the Maryland job might mean a pay cut. That essentially means he would have to choose to go for the opportunity of being a head coach, which is hardly an impossible notion.

1. Mike Leach

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LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Mike Leach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during play against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 8, 2008 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

For a few days there, it seemed like Mike Leach was already on the Maryland sidelines. Even before Ralph Friedgen was forced out as head coach, Leach's name was being penciled in by college football pundits all over the country.

But as we probably should have expected, the university itself hasn't been that quick to hand over the keys. While Leach is still very much a candidate, Maryland is at least doing its due diligence on coaches like Jones and Malzahn.

But Leach is still a very good candidate. In his 10 seasons at Texas Tech, he never failed to lead the Red Raiders to a bowl game. He was of course fired before the 2010 Alamo Bowl, the reason for which is probably weighing heavily on Kevin Anderson's mind.

All that being said, he does seem to have the inside track right now, and would appear to be the only coach that can claim that distinction.