Wildcats' Mike Stoops Fired from Arizona: 6 Possible Replacement Candidates

Mike Stoops was fired on Monday.

Stoops was in his eighth season as the Wildcats head coach.

He was instrumental in reestablishing the Arizona program to some degree of standing within the Pac-10 (now Pac-12). He compiled a 42-50 record, but lost 10 of his last 11 games. And, the only win this year came against Northern Arizona.

Who are the top candidates to replace Stoops in Tucson?

We don't know yet, but here is a short list of possibles that should get serious consideration.

6. Mike Bellotti

Mike Bellotti knows West Coast football.

The former Oregon Ducks coach was one of the top sideline generals from the mid-90s through the 2000s.

His overall head coaching record of 137-82 speaks for itself.

In 14 years at the helm in Eugene, the Ducks played in 12 bowl games.

5. Kevin Sumlin

Kevin Sumlin may not be a household name yet, but he has a great coaching resume.

Sumlin is in his fourth season at Houston, where he has posted a 29-16 record.

Before coaching the Cougs, he was an offensive assistant at Minnesota, Purdue, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

In his final year with the Sooners, his offense was the best in the country, averaging 44 points per game.

4. June Jones

June Jones is one of the true masterminds in passing-game offense.

His Hawaii teams destroyed the record books and set new standards for offensive production.

His college record of 96-65 doesn't tell the whole story.

Jones has extensive NFL experience, including being the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996.

He is most recently turning the program around at SMU—no small or easy task.

Some Arizona fans would be interested to know that Jones started his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Dick Tomey at the University of Hawaii.

3. Art Briles

Art Briles is currently the head coach at Baylor.

While Briles' overall record isn't sexy (53-51), he has proven that he can succeed in tough situations.

Before going to Waco, Briles was the head coach at the University of Houston, where he was 34-28.

This year, Baylor is currently 4-1 and beat 14th-ranked TCU in its opening game. 

2. Todd Graham

Todd Graham is in his first year as head coach at Pittsburgh. The Panthers are currently 3-3.

Before going to Pitt, Graham was the head coach at Tulsa, where he compiled a 36-17 record in four years.

Three of those four years, the Golden Hurricane were at least tied for the Conference USA title.

While Graham is a defensive-minded coach, he has hired high-powered staffs who have established strong, productive offenses.

1. Ricky Hunley

Ricky Hunley would be an excellent choice, especially if the Cats want a defensive-minded HC.

Hunley played linebacker at the University of Arizona (1980-83).

In 1982, he became Arizona's first consensus All-American as a linebacker. He was selected two consecutive years.

Hunley is currently the assistant linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders.

One of the knocks on Hunley would be that he has never been a head coach at any level.

However, consideration of Hunley would energize long-term Wildcat fans.