Ohio State Football: 5 Possible Replacements for Jim Tressel

First, let me be clear about what this article is.

This is not a list of the most likely coaches to replace Jim Tressel.

This is not a list of the "hot" names in coaching right now.

This isn't even necessarily the five best replacements for Jim Tressel.

Plenty of people will be providing lists like those. This is a group of five coaches who will most likely be overlooked and never really get a chance at the job but who have something unique to bring to Ohio State.

Here are five coaches that Ohio State should give more thought to than they ultimately will.

Randy Shannon

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COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 11: Head Coach Randy Shannon of the Miami Hurricanes congratulates Aldarius Johnson #4 of the Hurricanes after a first down catch against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by

Miami fans know Randy Shannon as the man who failed to bring their team back into the national elite.

I know him as the coach who led his team to five wins in his first season, seven wins in his next season, and nine in his third season.

Larry Coker knows him as the former defensive coordinator who had Miami ranked in the top seven in the country in total defense five out of six years. 

Parents knew him as the quiet, stoic man who firmly guided their young sons towards good grades and away from legal trouble.

Ohio State should think of the upstanding, defensive-minded coach as an ideal candidate to reform the image of their football program and restore pride in the state of Ohio.

Chris Petersen

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LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 22: Head coach Chris Petersen (L) and quarterback Kellen Moore #11 of the Boise State Broncos hold up a trophy as they celebrate their 26-3 victory over the Utah Utes in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium December 22, 2

Boise State football is no joke.

WAC football most certainly is.

Therein lies the inherent difficulty with hiring a football coach from a less prestigious institution.

Dirk Koetter had a lot of success at Boise State and went on to have a decent but unexceptional tenure with Arizona State.

Dan Hawkins had even better times with the Broncos and was a dud at Colorado.

Chris Petersen's 61-5 record as a head coach is unimpeachable. It's unquestionable that he can win and win big.

The question Ohio State would need answered is whether he can win in the Big Ten.

Bud Foster

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BLACKSBURG, VA - SEPTEMBER 18: Virginia Tech Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster watches from the sidelines against the East Carolina Pirates at Lane Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

It's not a secret that Bud Foster is one of the best assistant coaches in the country.

It's also no secret that he would like to be a head coach one day.

As Frank Beamer's right-hand man for the past quarter century, Bud Foster helped build Virginia Tech into a powerhouse.

They did it with defense, special teams, a strong running game, a blue-collar attitude, and few public relations headaches.

That sounds to me like it would make a perfect combination for Ohio State.

Bronco Mendenhall/Kyle Wittingham/Gary Patterson

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LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: A detail of a conference logo is seen after the UNLV Rebels defeated the Air Force Falcons 69-53 in a quarterfinal game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center March 10, 2011 in L

The Mountain West Conference is proving to be quite a hotbed of coaching talent.

Just look at Urban Meyer, who many think could be a top candidate for the Ohio State job. He went to Florida through Utah.

Most recently, Ohio State's arch-rival, Michigan, plucked Brady Hoke away from San Diego State.

Imagine if the Buckeyes could maintain the arms race by grabbing their own rising star from the Mountain West.

All three of these coaches have had a boatload of success at their respective programs.

None of them is over 51 years old.

Based on human nature, I would be willing to bet the house that at least one of them is susceptible to the lure of big money and big name athletic conferences.

For the record, I don't think that TCU's move to the Big East in 2012 will really feel like entrance into a big name athletic conference for Gary Patterson and his Horned Frogs.

Butch Davis

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 18: Head coach Butch Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches on against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during their game at Kenan Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/G

My fifth (by which I really mean seventh) coach may seem like a rather counter-intuitive choice.

Ohio State might not like the idea of replacing Jim Tressel with a coach whose own program was recently embroiled in scandal.

Davis, however, rebuilt the University of Miami program that Dennis Erickson left staggered by NCAA sanctions.

Miami, like North Carolina, had been partially burned for the misdeeds of an academic adviser.

Davis knows how to rebuild a shamed powerhouse whose fans expect nothing less than national championships.

He thrived at the same program that fired even the upstanding Randy Shannon because of its overwhelming standards of on-the-field excellence.

If Luke Fickell can't provide Ohio State with the direction it needs this season, perhaps Butch Davis has the requisite experience to be the perfect leader.