With Ty Willingham Out, Here's What's Next for the University of Washington

Taped to the side of Hec Edmundson Pavilion, just behind a few bushes, was a pixelated photo of Jim Mora Jr.'s head. It was accompanied by the University of Washington's W logo and the most ethereal of words—hope.

Seems here in Obama country, the word has been detached from the Democratic campaign and welded onto Mora. Fans' ambitions have sparked a Web site attempting to convince the former Husky to shun the Seahawks and come resurrect the football program at Montlake.

It won't be that easy, particularly in Mora's case.

Five games remain for the woebegone Huskies to straighten the zero in the win column, the season wrapping Dec. 6 at Cal. It's likely about two weeks later that Huskies fans will receive an early Christmas present, though it remains to be seen if opinion will claim it was delivered by Santa or the Grinch.

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Unlike his search for a new athletic director, history shows Washington President Mark Emmert moves swiftly to replace the football coach. Such was the case at LSU when he made Nick Saban the highest-paid coach in college football two weeks after firing Gerry DiNardo.

Emmert wooed Saban with a contract that provided Saban a $500,000 raise to roughly $1.2 million a year. Back in 1999, that was an enormous number. Saban eventually received a seven-year, $18.45 million extension in 2004. Saban left the university less than a year later.

Perhaps the most ironic part of Saban's arrival at LSU was he was initially criticized for not smiling enough and being too businesslike. Sound familiar?

It's a fair expectation for the pace to be swift in this search, at least if the administration has its way. Recruiting has evolved into a disaster. Willingham said Wednesday he still has not received a directive from the higher-ups on campus as to how the football staff should move forward with recruiting.

"It's kind of been as we normally do it," Willingham said. "With the exception of the head coach, because there's not a lot he can say to (recruits) right now."

That is a worst-case scenario since recruits were already nervous prior to Willingham's firing. Now the staff is forced to sell the university on its own standing, not an easy task for a school which will be six years removed from its last Bowl game when this season ends; has uncompetitive football facilities; and boasts a stadium filled with cracks and exposed wiring.

Beyond the chance to play soon, there is a little incentive for an athlete to bypass another Pac-10 school in favor of Washington.

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The list of possible replacements is long, filled with who's who and who's that. For the purposes here, we'll take a look at four candidates who should get strong mention along the way, while putting out a stern reminder that Rick Neuheisel was labeled a large surprise when hired to succeed Jim Lambright.

Mora Jr., Seahawks

As mentioned earlier, the Mora propaganda has spread from the Web to the (exterior) walls of campus. Currently the defensive backs coach with the Seahawks and Mike Holmgren's named—and accordingly paid—successor, Mora seems unlikely.

First, he would have to take a significant pay cut if the rumors about his Seahawks contract are true. It could be up to a 50 percent reduction.

Second, you have to wonder how much interest the university would genuinely have in hiring him. He had moderate success on the pro level and has never been a head coach at the college level. There's something to be said for that, though Huskies fans seem not to care at this point.

Third, if you were him, would you rather get paid twice as much to fix the Seahawks or half as much to pick the Huskies off the mat? Mora is a long shot.

Gary Pinkel, Missouri

Pinkel has already remodeled his fixer-upper. It took him six years to lift Missouri into the national picture, but it is there now. Pinkel is sitting on leverage because he rebuilt the program, has plenty of cash thanks to the $1.85 million he'll make in Missouri this season, and knows he has a great situation currently.

Even more so than in Mora's case, why would Pinkel want to come rebuild Washington after moving his entire family to Missouri? Pinkel is also a long shot.

Pat Hill, Fresno State

Hill is in his 12th season at Fresno State, compiling a 90-56 record during that time. The Bulldogs (5-2) are positioned for another Bowl game this season, which will be their ninth in the last 10 years. Hill's players have a more than acceptable academic record, and he has personality.

Hill has been courted by NFL teams in the past and gave it consideration, but he chose to stay. Now there is an opportunity for him to move from the WAC to the Pac-10—though these days, it's debatable whether that is a large step forward—and build up a former power program.

Hill's ties to the California recruiting pipeline would be ideal for Washington, allowing him a chance to reload quickly.

Hill makes sense on several levels, though it would be interesting to see how the administration would think his blue-collar reputation and approach would play at Washington. Hill is also under contract until 2010 at Fresno State.

Lane Kiffin, free agent

Even the daunting task at Washington would appear to be heaven on Earth after what Kiffin went through with the Oakland Raiders. The upside for Kiffin is that he's definitely available—no wrangling would be needed. He also has his own California recruiting connections.

Pete Carroll talked glowingly about Kiffin's qualifications on Monday, about 10 minutes before Willingham and athletic director Scott Woodward emerged: "I think he'll be a very successful guy for a long, long time. He brings the recruiting that he was in charge of here and set the momentum for us, that and the whole offense, which is always good."

Kiffin is a young, bright mind familiar with the Pac-10. The nonsense with the Raiders could be a negative for him, but there are numerous reasons he could be a fit, not the least of which is he's currently unemployed.

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Whoever is next will get to endure backlash if they're not named Mora. The new coach will have to help convince boosters that paying for Husky Stadium renovations is a must.

When Willingham was hired, Emmert referred to the football program as the "front porch of the university." If that's the case, he's going to have an interesting crowd waiting on the steps.

Todd Dybas is the editor of www.seattlesportsonline.com