For the rest of the College Football season, each week I will be looking at the jobs that are most likely to be (or already are) open and who the best fits for those teams are.
Ah, with every passing week in college football, there are coaches who can feel their seats getting hotter and hotter. While nobody likes to see somebody fired from their jobs, in college football, it can be for the better (much, much better). In the case of Purdue, they are hoping the recent firing of Darrell Hazell can turn around a program that has not seen much success in… well, ever. As it is with any fanbase that has a team fire their coach, many Purdue football fans are asking for the big guns of the coaching world. However, it may not be realistic to hope that a top tier coaching prospect (or a good, older coach looking for a new job) will be willing to move to West Lafayette to coach in the basement of the Big Ten. The resources and support just do not seem to be there to help the Boilermakers compete in one of the toughest (and wealthiest) conferences in America. There have been rumors upon rumors of who will end up taking the Purdue job (guys, we know, PJ Fleck is considered for EVERY job). But do not worry, I have narrowed the list down to the 6 most rumored coaches to take the job, albeit some are more likely than others. Let’s check out the list:
The Dreams
These are the guys Purdue and their fans would love to have, but that might have their eyes on bigger jobs. As everyone knows, the coaching job in West Lafayette is not the highest profile job around regardless of conference affiliation, so they probably will not be able to attract the big fish in the pond.
- PJ Fleck, Western Michigan
Ah, good ole’ PJ Fleck. This is a name that all fans will be hearing A LOT for literally every coaching job that will open in the power 5. The coaching stud took over a 1-11 Western Michigan team in 2013 and turned them into an 8-0, 20th ranked MAC juggernaut. Not only that, but he has done it with a flair that we have never seen from the head coaching position (although Harbaugh might have some words on that…). Oh, and did I mention he is only 35 years old? Yeah, he is going to be a very hot commodity. For that reason, I think he jumps way ahead of Purdue and grabs one of the top jobs on the market, not the coaching black hole that Purdue has become.
- Les Miles, Free Agent (formerly LSU)
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Les Miles came into the season with the #5 ranked team headed for a signature win against Wisconsin in Lambeau. LSU was supposed to be the biggest competition to Alabama for the SEC crown. Come to the end of week 4, and LSU is sitting at 2-2 after losing to Auburn. Not quite living up to the expectations set for them before the season. To add salt into the wound, since firing Les, LSU has gone 3-0 and ranked #19 in the country. Not a stellar look for The Hat. As for his standing with Purdue, the fans would love him, but I don’t think Purdue can get the resources to lure him to West Lafayette. I also think he decides to take a higher profile, but still low pressure job at another school.
The Middle Men
This section is for the guys who would be great hires, but may or may not want to take a low-profile power conference job. They will most likely be looking for the higher Group of 5 jobs to catapult them in to even better Power 5 job. After all, a 6-6 season at Purdue is a huge success, but won’t land you a head coaching job at LSU like a 13-1 season at Houston (oh, hey Tom Herman).
- Brock Spack, Illinois State
While there have been rumors that Spack is not interested in the Purdue job, I’m not ready to write him off just yet. Everyone thought he was going to get the job in 2008 after Joe Tiller’s retirement, but it was instead given to Danny Hope. Spack is a Purdue alum and served as defensive coordinator under Tiller as well, so his ties to the school run deep. While his Illinois State teams success has tailed off a little bit, they still have been up there at the top of the FCS for years. His first two seasons, he led the Redbirds to a 23-5 record and an appearance in the National Championship. Whether we want to believe his lack of interest and desire to stay in the FCS is the main focus around Spack right now.
- Jeff Brohm, Western Kentucky
Brohm has done a nice job at Western Kentucky thanks to a very prolific passing attack. While Purdue had its heyday under Joe Tiller passing-wise, with Drew Brees, Kyle Orton, and Curtis Painter. That would seem like nothing if Brohm gets the job. In the three years before Brohm took over, WKU quarterbacks ranked #44, #71, and #83 in passing yards. Since he took over? #1, #1, #5. Brohm could work for Purdue because if he can recruit a quarterback that fits his system, he will throw, throw, and throw some more. As for the wins, WKU has gone 25-10 under Brohm with one conference championship. Purdue needs something new, and Brohm could be the hire who brings the most drastic change scheme-wise, and he is only 45 years old. The downsides are his defenses sometimes can’t even make up for the offense (anybody remember this game?) and he hasn’t showed much of a knack for recruiting (though he is working well with what he gets).
The Others
This section is reserved for the less sexy guys who have had their names floated around, but either are unlikely to take the job (or unlikely to be offered the job) or are sliding down the ladder of coaches due to performance issues.
- Greg Schiano, DC at Ohio State
Schiano’s name seems to come up whenever there is a head coaching job. That still remains true for the Purdue job. I mean, anyone who can have success at Rutgers has to be a pretty good coach right? While he fizzled out in the NFL, he has redeemed himself again at Ohio State. His success at Rutgers was unprecedented, as he led them to an 11-2 record at #7 ranking during its peak (for reference, Rutgers has only been ranked at all 6 times in their history). He also led them to 5 bowl wins and won Big East coach of the year. If Purdue can pry him away from Ohio State, he would be the perfect fit; someone who has taken a school with little history of success and making them a nationally ranked team. However, it is seeming unlikely that Schiano is willing to leave Ohio State.
- Rod Carey, Northern Illinois
Had this been last year, Carey would have been a great candidate for head coach. However, now that his team is sporting a 3-6 record, his hype train has cooled off a little bit. He is still a good coach, but not without flaws. It appears that Northern Illinois is now mostly filled with Carey’s recruits (rather than leftovers from the previous coach) and their record has gone down every year. That doesn’t bode well for Carey’s future coaching prospects, especially because he has no previous experience that we can take into account also. As of now, it seems like he just had success because of another coaches recruits. Carey would likely be very willing to come to Purdue, but at this point it will come down to whether Purdue wants to take the chance to get burned by another MAC head coach.
The Pick
While it is hard for anybody to exactly predict the exact thoughts of a university when deciding on a new head football coach, I am going to give it my best shot because that’s what I am here for. At this point, it is a little early to tell who Purdue has the most interest in and which coaches will be looking to move from their current school. However, with all of the reports and the dreaded “sources”, we are able to make a pretty good guess. I think Greg Schiano is the best fit due to his experience turning around a similar program, but I just do not see him leaving Ohio State for a lower-tier P5 job. Rod Carey is a great fit, but Purdue will probably want to wait to see if Carey is legit like he seemed last year, especially after getting burned by Darrell Hazell (Kent State). I think the most likely/best fit would be Jeff Brohm. Purdue needs something dramatic to turn this program around and a Brohm-led offense can do exactly that.