PowerMizzou Coaching Hot Board v2.0

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We published our initial hot board on Saturday morning. This was put together prior to Barry Odom even being fired. It was more of a "this makes sense to us" list than anything confirmed. This updated list has a bit more information behind it after two full days spent talking to as many sources as we can.

Currently: Head coach, Boise State

Resume: Harsin started at Boise State as a GA in 2001 and was the OC and QB coach under Chris Petersen for five seasons before being hired as co-offensive coordinator at Texas. He spent 2013 as the Arkansas State head coach before being hired back at Boise where he has gone 61-16 so far in six seasons.

Salary/Buyout: $1.75 million salary / Buyout = $500,000

Pros: Harsin has continued the success at Boise that his predecessors had. It is one of the premier G5 programs in the country. He is 42 years old, has head coaching experience and an offensive background. Mizzou could probably double his salary. He checks every box.

Cons: Harsin didn't build Boise. He simply came in and didn't screw up what those before him had built. He's never been a Power Five head coach, but the truth it, it's unlikely Missouri is going to hire someone who has done that and done it well.

Our Take: Harsin is a candidate at Missouri for sure. He's affordable and Missouri can at least double his salary and his staff pool. He's a winner. He may not be the near unanimous home run the next coach on the list would be, but he'd be a double off the wall at least and would be viewed positively by most of the fanbase and the college football world.

Currently: Head coach, Florida Atlantic

Resume: After a stint as the offensive coordinator at USC, Kiffin was named the Oakland Raiders head coach at 32 years old. He went just 5-15 and was fired four games into his second season. He spent one season as Tennessee's head coach before getting the USC job. Kiffin was 28-15 at Southern Cal after taking over a program that was ineligible for postseason play, but was fired five games into his fourth season. After a rehab stint as Alabama's offensive coordinator which included a national championship and being named a finalist for the Broyles Award, Kiffin was named the head coach at FAU. He is 25-13 in three seasons and has the Owls headed to the Conference USA title game for the second time in three seasons.

Salary/Buyout: $950,000 salary / Buyout = $1.5 million

Pros: You want a splash? This is the splash. No name on the list makes as much of an impression on the casual fan as Kiffin. He's been a head coach for eight years and an OC for five and is still only 44 years old. He would bring a recruiting reputation that Missouri fans haven't seen in a long time. If you're looking for the hire that gets the most butts in seats next season, Kiffin is it. And you're one of the biggest stories of the entire offseason.

Cons: Is he a great recruiter, or was he a great recruiter because he was at places like USC and Alabama? Kiffin comes with a certain reputation, but the truth is, he's settled down a lot in the last few years (except now and again on Twitter). His record is good, but not great. He is rumored to be a serious candidate at Arkansas and could become a target at other jobs that open in the next couple of days so you might have to up the ante financially.

Our Take: We weren't sure at first. It seemed like such an un-Missouri thing to do. And that's exactly why we've come around on it. We aren't big on making the splash hire. You need to make the right hire. But Kiffin brings excitement back to a program that hasn't had any in five years. He gets people talking about Missouri football again. He probably makes you some money. Hopefully he gets players and turns into the right hire as well. Somebody's going to give Kiffin a shot in the Power Five again soon. Somebody's probably going to do it in the SEC. Somebody's probably going to do it this year. Why not Mizzou?

Currently: Head coach, Memphis

Resume: Norvell has been at Memphis for four seasons and has compiled a 36-15 record. He's put up ridiculous numbers on offense and is one of the hottest names on this year's coaching carousel.

Salary/Buyout: $2.66 million salary / Buyout = $500,000

Pros: Norvell is ready for a move. He is going to be a candidate listed for virtually every open Power Five job this offseason. He's got the credentials, he's relatively young, he's in close geographic proximity and has even recruited some of the same areas Mizzou recruits.

Cons: The truth is he's probably already going to have another job before Missouri is ready to make a hire. He is a top candidate at Florida State and may already be well down the road with the Seminoles.

Our Take: Norvell is on the list until he is no longer available. We have reason to believe Missouri likes him. He could already be well down the road in negotiations with someone else, but with Memphis playing in the AAC title game next week, Mizzou may have gained a little time to jockey for position.

Currently: Head coach, Army

Resume: Monken started as a GA, went into high school coaching, then got back into the college ranks under Paul Johnson at Navy and Georgia Tech. He took over at Georgia Southern in 2010 and went 38-16 while making three straight FCS national semifinals. He was hired at Army in 2014 and after going 6-18 in his first two seasons, the Black Knights went 29-10 in the next three, finishing 2018 in the national top 20. They slid back to 5-7 this season.

Salary/Buyout: Salary unknown / Buyout = Unknown

Pros: Monken wins. He's built programs at places that it should be much more difficult to build than Missouri. He's competed with the likes of Oklahoma and Michigan over the last two years despite having nowhere near the talent.

Cons: He's been a triple option coach for years. Sure, he can do other things, but we haven't seen it. Can Monken recruit at an SEC level? Because the likelihood of being able to just outscheme everyone every week isn't high. As far as the splash factor, it wouldn't be high.

Our Take: Monken is a good coach. The fit doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense in Columbia.

Currently: Co-offensive coordinator, Clemson

Resume: After a year in high school and a year at Presbyterian, Scott was hired as the wide receivers coach at Clemson in 2008 at the age of 27. He's been with Dabo Swinney ever since and has worked his way up to the co-offensive coordinator. Scott doesn't call plays for the Tigers, but is a key part of the offensive staff.

Salary/Buyout: $1 million salary / Buyout = Unknown

Pros: Scott is an up and comer who seems likely to get a head coaching job soon. He wants to be a head coach and somebody's going to give him a shot. You can triple his salary with ease and give him a shot to run a program.

Cons: He's never even fully run an offense. Is he ready to run a program? Is he an elite recruiter or is he an elite recruiter because he is at Clemson? And what would a staff look like, assuming he's not going to bring a lot of coaches from Clemson to Columbia?

Our Take: Scott is interesting. It's boom or bust. Is Missouri in a position to do that or do they need to do something a little safer?

Currently: Head coach, Wake Forest

Resume: Clawson just completed his 19th season as a head coach. He's the definition of a grinder, moving up the ladder from Fordham to Richmond to Bowling Green to Wake Forest. He has greatly improved the win total everywhere he's been and is the first coach in Wake Forest history to win three straight bowl games. The next logical step is to take his shot at a Power Five school that has more tradition and a better chance to win than Wake.

Salary/Buyout: $2.189 million salary / Buyout = Unknown

Pros: Clawson has won everywhere he's been. He's experienced, he's built programs, he fits the profile of, say, Gary Pinkel, who worked his way up the ladder before getting the job at Missouri. If you can win in Winston-Salem, you can win a lot of places.

Cons: He's not going to make a big splash with the fanbase. It's not the most exciting hire. He won't get things going overnight. But this would easily be the best situation he's ever taken over in five different stops. He's been almost exclusively an East Coast coach with no ties to any area Missouri recruits significantly. He also signed an extension through 2026. With the buyout unknown, would the cost to get him be worth it?

Our Take: Clawson fits the profile of what it takes to be successful at Missouri. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it would be a very similar hire to Pinkel and that worked out okay.

Currently: Head coach, Eastern Michigan

Resume: Creighton has worked his way from NAIA to Division III to FCS to FBS. He's 164-91 over 23 seasons as a head coach. He's improved everywhere he's been. After a 3-21 start at EMU, he's 25-24 over his last three seasons and is likely headed to his third bowl game. Creighton has a chance at his third seven-win season in four years. In the four years prior, EMU won seven games total.

Salary/Buyout: $470,000 salary / Buyout = $400,000

Pros: Creighton is experienced, he wins and he has built programs in far worse shape than Missouri. If Clawson is the ultimate grinder, Creighton might be that plus a little. He's never coached anywhere with resources or support anywhere close to Mizzou and he's won. What could he do if given a chance?

Cons: He's 17 games under .500 at Eastern Michigan. If Missouri fires an alum who was .500 and hires a guy who has that record at Eastern Michigan, the fanbase is going to be scratching its collective head. It is a hire that would probably be viewed as smart and interesting in the college football community and terrible by the fans.

Our Take: Creighton is a good coach. It wouldn't be a bad hire. It would be viewed as cheap and probably not a step up from what they already had.

Currently: Head coach, SMU

Resume: Dykes had stints at Louisiana Tech and Cal prior to taking over at SMU two years ago. He had mild success at both places and has taken the Mustangs to 9-1 and a top 25 ranking in their best season since Eric Dickerson rolled up in his Trans Am.

Salary/Buyout: Salary unknown/ Buyout = unknown

Pros: Dykes is hot this year. He's brought in a lot of talent in two seasons and has the Mustangs playing exciting football and in the mix for an AAC title. He's an offensive coach and would inject life into that side of the ball in Columbia. Ties to Texas could also be a selling point.

Cons: His resume is okay at best. His only Power Five job was in Berkeley where he went 19-30 and interviewed for every job under the sun. He was under consideration when Missouri hired Odom in 2015 and was largely met with opposition from the fanbase.

Our Take: Dykes is having a good year. It would not be a hire that would be met with much excitement from the fanbase or a significant upgrade over the guy Mizzou just fired.

Currently: Head coach, Louisiana

Resume: Napier spent 15 years as an assistant at Clemson, Alabama, Colorado State and Arizona State before getting the head coaching job in Lafayette before last season. He has gone 16-9 in two years including 9-2 this year. He's one of the hottest mid-major names on the carousel this year.

Salary/Buyout: Salary $875,000 / Buyout = unknown

Pros: Napier has done a good job in his first shot at being a head coach. He is experienced as an assistant and has spent plenty of time in the Southeast where he could have built-in recruiting ties. The price tag wouldn't be a hurdle.

Cons: His two years have been good, but they're just two years. And can he recruit the type of players at Mizzou he did at Alabama or Clemson? Obviously not. He is likely to be fielding calls from plenty of suitors.

Our Take: Napier fits the profile. If we were making the list, he'd be in the top group. The plugged in fans would like it. Would it get casual fans to buy in and come back to the stadium? Not sure. We've also had some initial indication that he may hold out for a bigger job before making a move.

Currently: Head coach, Cincinnati

Resume: Fickell was an Ohio State assistant for 15 years before taking over at Cincinnati. He is 31-18 with the Bearcats, has them in the AAC title game and potentially headed to a New Year's six bowl.

Salary/Buyout: Salary $2.3 million / Buyout = $2.5 million

Pros: Fickell has been around successful programs and has won in three years as a head coach. He is a guy that is primed to make the move to a Power Five conference if he wants to. He will be on a lot of lists this year.

Cons: He has been in Ohio for 25 years. He has never coached outside of Ohio. Is Missouri a job that's going to get him to make the move? In addition, he's a defensive guy. That doesn't disqualify him, but in general if you fire a defensive coach, you go for an offensive guy the next time around.

Our Take: Fickell would be a home run. It seems unlikely Missouri could get him.

Currently: ESPN analyst

Resume: Mora was an NFL coach for 25 years before coaching at UCLA from 2012-2017. He was 46-30 overall, but went 9-14 in his last two years. Since being let go at UCLA he has worked for ESPN.

Salary/Buyout: Salary unknown / Buyout = N/A

Pros: Mora has plenty of experience. He's been around the game for a long time and has been a Power Five head coach. He doesn't cost any money on top of his salary. We have been told he has interest in getting back on the sidelines.

Cons: He has been a West Coast guy almost exclusively for nearly four decades. His one college job he was decent, but not great and it did not end well. UCLA still hasn't recovered under Chip Kelly.

Our Take: Mora is the most interesting name we've heard who is not currently coaching. But does he excite fans? Plus, it just seems like a weird fit.

Currently: Head coach, Arkansas State

Resume: Anderson has been a hot mid-major name for quite some time. After 21 years as an assistant at every level, he took over at Arkansas State in 2014. He has gone 46-30 in six seasons as the Red Wolves head coach.

Salary/Buyout: Salary $825,000 / Buyout = $1 million

Pros: Anderson is an up and comer and one of the most well-liked coaches in college football. He has worked his way up from junior college to mid-majors to the Power Five as an assistant before taking over at ASU in 2014. He has gone 46-29 and is eligible for his sixth consecutive bowl game.

Cons: Anderson has done a good job. But he has little experience at the Power Five level overall and none as a head coach. His wife passed away earlier this year and he and his family have strong connections to Jonesboro and have been embraced by the community. He may be a guy that is simply happy where he is.

Our Take: Anderson would be a solid hire. But, again, would it be one that got the fanbase at large excited about the future? Probably not.

Currently: Head coach, Tulane

Resume: Fritz started his career as an assistant at high schools and junior colleges in Kansas. He got his first head coaching job at Central Missouri, where he stayed for 13 seasons and won more than two thirds of his games. He is 176-95 in ten seasons at Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern and Tulane.

Salary/Buyout: Salary $1.612 million / Buyout = unknown

Pros: Fritz is an innovative coach who has won at places that are tough to win. He's got area ties with so much time in Warrensburg. He's experienced and he's been successful at every stop.

Cons: Fritz is older than most coaches on the list and he's never been at a Power Five school in any capacity.

Our Take: Fritz is riskier than most here. Does his game translate to the Power Five level? And does he get casual fans excited? The first answer is unknown. The second is probably not.

Currently: Head Coach, Louisiana Tech

Resume: Holtz started at UCONN when it was an FCS program. He moved up to East Carolina, then South Florida, then Louisiana Tech. He had a winning record at three of his four stops, with a 16-21 mark at USF. He has been a head coach for 20 years and an FBS head coach for 15. He's got an overall mark of 143-107.

Salary/Buyout: Salary $700,000 / Buyout = $300,000

Pros: Holtz has experience. He's run programs. He's built them. He's consistently won games. You can get him for less than most of the coaches on the board.

Cons: There's not a lot of excitement with this hire. Yes, he's been a head coach for a long time, but not at the Power Five level. He's never won more than nine games or lost fewer than three at the FBS level.

Our Take: If Missouri hires Skip Holtz we have to believe it means it missed on other guys. Quite a few of them. It would leave a lot of people wondering why they fired Barry Odom.

Currently: Head Coach, Air Force

Resume: Calhoun went from Air Force to Ohio to Wake Forest to the NFL as an assistant. He was named the Falcons head coach in 2006. He has been there ever since, compiling a 97-69 record and making nine bowl games. He has had three ten win seasons, but has just one co-division championship in the Mountain West.

Salary/Buyout: Salary unknown / Buyout = unknown

Pros: Calhoun is experienced and knows how to build a program at a place where you can't recruit the best talent. He ha coached all over and has run his own program for more than a decade.

Cons: Similar to Monken, is he married to the triple option or does he do it because he has to? Can he recruit at this level?

Our Take: Calhoun has been mentioned at Missouri before. There's not much sizzle. It would be okay. It wouldn't generate a lot of excitement.