Football Coaching Carousel 2011: Replacement Head Coach Options

It has been a hectic past few days for head coaches around the nation.

Turner Gill, Rick Neuheisel, Ron Zook and Dennis Erickson were all fired, while Urban Meyer finally revealed that he indeed would become the next head coach at The Ohio State.

For the sake of simplicity, I am only focusing on coaching changes in BCS automatic-qualifying conferences, so Larry Porter being fired at Memphis isn't going to be considered for a replacement option.

I also added several replacement options for coaches on the hot seat.

Illinois

Former Coach: Ron Zook (fired)

New Coach: Dave Wannstedt (former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Panthers; currently AHC/linebackers coach of the Buffalo Bills)

Ron Zook just could not pan out at Illinois. His teams showed promise every season but always fell flat on their faces at midseason.

I have always been a fan of Dave Wannstedt. He has always been one of the most under appreciated coaches in the nation.

He is a defensive genius and a great recruiter. With his ties to talent-rich eastern Pennsylvania and Ohio, Wannstedt will be able to compete with the rest of the teams in the Big Ten for recruits.

With Paul Chryst at Wisconsin, Urban Meyer coming into Ohio State and Al Borges up in Michigan, Wannstedt's defensive expertise will be needed in Urbana-Champagne.

Arizona State

Former Coach: Dennis Erickson (fired)

New Coach: Mark Whipple (former head coach at the University of Massachusetts, Brown and New Haven; offensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.); currently QB coach/co-offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns)

Like Zook, Erickson's team always started out strong, but could never finish. ASU made the right call in terminating his contract.

Whipple is one of the most experienced offensive minds in the country, at any level.

He developed Ben Roethlisberger and is currently developing Colt McCoy in Cleveland, and he has proven head coaching experience at the lower levels.

Whipple went 121-59 in 16 seasons at Brown, New Haven and UMass, and he has only one losing season.

Whipple could further develop ASU quarterback Brock Osweiller, and there is the possibility Whipple could bring along his former partner Randy Shannon, a defensive genius, to get the Sun Devils defense to be able to compete in the Pac-12.

Whipple was also considered for head coaching jobs at Boston College and UConn.

Texas Tech

Current Coach: Tommy Tubberville (13-10 in two seasons)

New Coach: Kirby Smart (current Alabama defensive coordinator, 2009 Broyles Award Winner)

I love Tommy Tubberville, but it just isn't working out at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are one of the most embarrassing teams in the nation and can't compete in the Big 12 with him as coach.

Smart is the right man for the job for the simple fact that he knows how to run a good defense.

Smart won the Broyles Award, an award given to the top assistant coach in the nation, in 2009 and has had the Crimson Tide as one of the nation's top defenses year after year.

The Red Raiders are going to need a defensive presence in the conference with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, West Virginia and Texas all having high-powered offenses.

Kansas

Former Coach: Turner Gill (fired)

New Coach: Butch Davis (former head coach at Miami (Fla.), Cleveland Browns and North Carolina)

Turner Gill just wasn't ready for a job like Kansas, and I wish him luck at his next venture.

Butch Davis would be the man for the job in Lawrence, just so he can get the ball rolling.

Davis has experience with a defense, something needed in the Big 12 (see previous slide), and is an expert recruiter.

Davis lead the Hurricanes to years of success before returning to the college ranks in North Carolina after a failed stint in the NFL.

Yes Davis did have NCAA infractions toward the end of his North Carolina career, but so did Jim Tressel at Ohio State, and I'm sure it won't be long before people are calling for him to take over their team.

UCLA

Former Coach: Rick Neuheisel (fired)

New Coach: Garrick McGee (current offensive coordinator at Arkansas)

Rick Neuheisel was alerted today that he will be fired after Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game.

Neuheisel has consistently brought in top-notch recruits, but he hasn't done anything with them and has led UCLA to a losing season in three of the four years he has coached there.

Garrick McGee has got to be one of the top up-and-coming offensive minds in the game. His balanced offense has been ranked in the upper echelon of the nation for the past several years, which has resulted in the Razorbacks being ranked among the top teams in the nation.

McGee was reportedly offered the Tulsa job but turned it down to remain at Arkansas. I doubt he will turn down an offer from UCLA, however.

Many have been saying Tom Cable would be a good pick for the job, but after agreeing with that possibility weeks ago, I must disagree. Cable has failed as a head coach at Idaho and with the Oakland Raiders, and he has personal conduct issues from Oakland.

McGee is also one of the five finalists for the Broyles Award this year.

Update: So McGee instead took the job at UAB which isn't a bad call. With McGee now out of the picture, I saw the man should now be Paul Chryst, former Oregon State and current Wsiconsin offensive coordinator.

Chryst runs a balanced offensive attack and would bring power run game to the Bruins. His teams have gone to the Rose Bowl the past two years and he is a finalist for the Broyles Award this year.

Tennessee

Current Coach: Derek Dooley (11-14, two seasons)

New Coach: Gus Malzahn (former Arkansas and Tulsa offensive coordinator; current Auburn offensive coordinator, 2010 Broyles Award winner)

While I love Derek Dooley, I would be shocked if he isn't fired by the Vols.

Back-to-back losing seasons for a storied program like Tennessee is unacceptable, no matter how much he is liked by the fans.

Malzahn is a great recruiter and one of the top offensive minds in the country, and while it would kill me to see something other than a pro-style offense at Tennessee, Malzahn's spread-option offense would be a resounding success with the Vols.

Ole Miss

Former Coach: Houston Nutt (resigned)

New Coach: Terry Bowden (former head coach at Salem, Samford and Auburn; current head coach at North Alabama; 136-61-2 record in 20 seasons)

With Houston Nutt out as head coach after resigning at the end of the season, Ole Miss has to find a coach after being the SEC bottom-feeder the past two seasons.

The man no one has talked about in a while is Terry Bowden. The son of Bobby Bowden, the younger has had success at every job he has held, and he led Auburn to a 47-17-1 record.

Bowden resigned from Auburn after starting the 1998 season 1-5 and felt that the athletics department would not allow him the chance to "right the ship" the following season.

After taking an 11-year coaching hiatus and working as a broadcaster, Bowden returned to coach at North Alabama and has led the team to a 28-9 record in three seasons at the helm.

The veteran coach would be a good fit for an Ole Miss team that is trying to get back on track.

Bowden has ties throughout the South and would continue to improve Ole Miss.

Update: So Ole Miss instead went with Hugh Freeze, former head coach at Arkansas State, and I can agree with the call.

Freeze has ties with Ole Miss and has turned around the two teams that he has lead at Arkansas State and Lamborth.