Analysis of the Colorado head coaching search, while Arizona State considers its own options
The 2022 college football coaching carousel is already spinning. Last year, USC fired Clay Helton in September. This year, Arizona State fired Herm Edwards in September. Karl Dorrell was just fired in October. That’s two in-season coach firings in the Pac-12, and we’re not even halfway through the season.
If you’re a coaching candidate, do you view the Arizona State job or the Colorado job as the better opening? If you’re the president at ASU or Colorado, you have to think about two big questions, not just one. You’re not just asking yourself about the man you need to hire as your next head coach; you need to wonder if you should allow your current athletic director to make the hire.
There’s plenty to sort through here. Let’s look at the Colorado coaching search and see if the Buffs would consider the same candidates ASU is looking at:
COLORADO, ASU ARE IN THE SAME BOAT
Colorado and Arizona State are linked in one very specific and conspicuous way: Their athletic directors botched previous coaching hires. Colorado AD Rick George hired Dorrell, and Ray Anderson hired Herm in Tempe. Should they be allowed to hire the new coaches? Any coaching candidate needs an answer before considering these jobs.
COLORADO, ASU ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT
The big difference between the Colorado and ASU jobs: Colorado doesn’t have looming NCAA penalties for COVID-19 recruiting violations. That’s the big advantage the Buffs have over the Devils.
NEBRASKA AND KANSAS
As Kansas continues to rise under coach Lance Leipold, the Jayhawk boss continues to entrench his status as the Huskers’ No. 1 choice. If Leipold becomes Nebraska’s coach, that might shift the market in specific directions, which could have domino effect on these jobs. It’s still too early to game this out, but it’s worth watching.
AUBURN
Former Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin will probably be fired this year. If he is on the open market, a rebound job at either Colorado or ASU would not be out of the question. Colorado would probably make more sense, since Harsin probably wouldn’t want to deal with an Arizona State NCAA penalty phase.
MOUNTAIN WEST HEAD COACHES
No Mountain West head coaches appear to be in the running for the Colorado job. That’s noteworthy, since coaches in the Rocky Mountain region might seem like natural fits to move up the ladder. Mike McIntyre was hired by Colorado after a few successful years at San Jose State. He led Colorado to the Pac-12 Championship Game in 2016.
The current Mountain West is having a horrible year. No head coach is boosting his stock in the conference. This opens up the coaching market to candidates outside the Rockies and the West.
GROUP OF FIVE HEAD COACH CANDIDATES: JEFF TRAYLOR
If Colorado wants a Group of Five head coach, the obvious first choice is Jeff Traylor of UTSA. The Roadrunners have become a consistently successful program. Traylor could recruit the state of Texas and the South Central Plains. The real question is if Traylor would want the job (probably not).
GROUP OF FIVE HEAD COACHING CANDIDATES: WILLIE FRITZ
Tulane has beaten Kansas State and Houston this season. Fritz continues to do more with less at a thankless job in the AAC. Colorado could do far worse than Fritz.
GROUP OF FIVE HEAD COACHING CANDIDATES: SEAN LEWIS
Lewis is the coach of a Kent State team which has been competitive this season with Georgia and Oklahoma. The Golden Flashes played in the MAC Championship Game last year. Colorado could do far worse.
COORDINATORS LOOKING FOR THE FIRST BIG HEAD COACHING JOB
One possibility: Rice offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo. Rice is having a good season, and Tuiasosopo played for the 2000 Washington Huskies, who won the Pac-10 title and the Rose Bowl under Rick Neuheisel. He knows the Pac-12 landscape and would be able to recruit in the footprint.
ONE OTHER COORDINATOR CANDIDATE
There’s a guy who is co-offensive coordinator for TCU. He had a great day against Oklahoma on Saturday, when TCU scored 55 points. His name: Garrett Riley. Yes, he’s the brother of Lincoln Riley.
Keep in mind that when USC goes to the Big Ten in 2024, Garrett would not have to coach against Lincoln. He would have to do so for only one year, in 2023.
FIRST CHOICE, SECOND CHOICE
Coordinators such as Oregon’s Kenny Dillingham have been linked to the Arizona State job. If they make a play for the job and whiff, would they consider Colorado?
Doubtful.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how much overlap there is between jobs.
ALEX GRINCH
He is probably staying at USC. He can pursue a national title with Lincoln Riley. It would be worth it for Grinch to consider a head coaching job if that job has instant potential for success. Neither ASU nor Colorado does.
