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CSU football coaching candidates: Who the Rams will (and will not) target to replace Steve Addazio

Kevin Lytle and Chris Abshire, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·5 min read
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Dec. 6 update: Nevada's Jay Norvell has been hired as CSU's next head coach

Where will Colorado State’s football program turn to find its next head coach after Steve Addazio was fired?

Each of the Rams' last five head coaches had coordinator or head coaching history at the Power 5 level. Sonny Lubick, Steve Fairchild, Jim McElwain and Mike Bobo were all previously coordinators, while Steve Addazio had been a head coach at Boston College.

There are several strong candidates for the CSU job, including some familiar names for Mountain West and Rams fans alike.

Here's a look at some names who will, and likely won't be, in the mix to be the next Colorado State head football coach.

Tony Alford

Dec. 5 update: Alford is not expected to be the next CSU coach

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Alford, an All-Western Athletic Conference running back and 1,000-yard rusher at CSU as a junior in 1989, is an assistant head coach and running backs coach at Ohio State after spending the previous six seasons (2009-14) as an assistant at Notre Dame, coaching running backs for four years and receivers for two. He was the Fighting Irish’s recruiting coordinator in his final three seasons there.

Would he be interested in a return to CSU? He could feel jilted after being passed over twice before. But if he has interest in the job, CSU would be wise to at least discuss it with him.

More: Social media reacts to CSU football firing head coach Steve Addazio

Gary Patterson

After a hugely successful two-decade run, Patterson was let go by TCU during the 2021 season. He has vast experience and knowledge (and success) in the Mountain West dating to the Horned Frogs' time in the conference during the 2000s.

There are some potential snags, though.

One is he may well be in line for a more high-profile head coach or defensive coordinator job if he wants it. The second? Patterson is known as a hard-nosed coach who rubbed some people the wrong way. After an abrasive coach like Addazio, CSU may be hesitant to hire someone with a similar demeanor.

CSU football coaching job profile: How attractive is the opening to lead the Rams?

TCU head coach Gary Patterson talks to his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Manhattan, Kan.
TCU head coach Gary Patterson talks to his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Manhattan, Kan.

Seth Litrell

The head coach at North Texas just finished off a 6-6 regular season, the Mean Green's first .500 or better season since Litrell's teams won 9 games each in 2017 and 2018. Litrell is just 37-37 overall in Denton, but this will be the fifth time in six seasons his team has made a bowl game.

The Oklahoma native has been an assistant at Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas, Indiana and North Carolina. Litrell has P5 experience and plenty of recruiting cache in key CSU recruiting grounds. But without ties to CSU and an uneven head coaching record at UNT, would he make sense as a fit in Fort Collins?

Steve Addazio's timeline as CSU football coach: COVID woes, investigations and his biggest win

North Texas head coach Seth Litrell picks up wide receiver Jaelon Darden (1) after Darden scored a touchdown against Rice on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Denton, Texas. (Al Key/The Denton Record-Chronicle via AP)
North Texas head coach Seth Litrell picks up wide receiver Jaelon Darden (1) after Darden scored a touchdown against Rice on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Denton, Texas. (Al Key/The Denton Record-Chronicle via AP)

Jeff Choate

The first-year co-defensive coordinator at Texas has been all over the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest, piling up assistant stops at Utah State, Boise State, Washington State and Washington while also being the head coach at Montana State from 2016-20.

In four seasons at MSU, Choate went just 28-22, but his final season was an 11-4 campaign that included a semifinal appearance and No. 4 finish in the Division I FCS subdivision.

New: Steve Addazio 'likely' made racially insensitive comment, threatened janitor's job

Mark Helfrich

Helfrich went 37-16 in four seasons as Oregon’s coach from 2013 to 2016, guiding the Ducks to the 2014 national championship game before being fired after going 4-8 two years later. His offensive coordinator at Oregon was Matt Lubick, Sonny Lubick’s oldest son.

The Oregon native was recently the Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator but has spent most of his career at major college football programs in the West, including a three-year stint as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado under Dan Hawkins from 2006 to 2008. He now works at Fox Sports.

Then-Oregon head football coach Mark Helfrich, pictured here before a Nov. 26, 2016 game, could be a candidate for the CSU job.
Then-Oregon head football coach Mark Helfrich, pictured here before a Nov. 26, 2016 game, could be a candidate for the CSU job.

Matt Lubick

The son of the CSU legend is newly available after Nebraska let him go as offensive coordinator/receiver coach last month during a 3-9 season.

Obviously, being a link to the Lubick glory years is an enticing prospect for nostalgic CSU fans, and Matt Lubick's previous work ties with a key CSU sponsor (Canvas Credit Union) means he knows the Fort Collins and Colorado State community inside and out.

While his Nebraska offenses struggled to get over the hump, Lubick is a former Broyles Award candidate (given to the best assistant coach in college football) in his time at Oregon and Washington and has strong recruiting connections across the Mountain West region. If CSU is looking for a coach with ties to the program and Alford doesn't work out, Lubick would also be a natural fit.

Legend of Sonny Lubick: How a fired CSU football coach remains a Fort Collins icon

Jim McElwain

A portion of the fan base casts longing glances for McElwain because of the special 10-2 regular season in 2014 before he left for Florida.

This is a likely nonstarter for several reasons.

CSU likely wouldn’t want (or be able to afford) buying him out of Central Michigan. There’s also the fact that McElwain burned some bridges at CSU, and the job here would be close enough to a lateral move from Central Michigan. He's off to a great start at CMU and will likely remain there to try and boost himself back up to a Power 5 job.

Don't expect a return of the Mac.

Jim McElwain leads CSU's football team onto the field at Hughes Stadium in his first season as the Rams head coach in 2012.
Jim McElwain leads CSU's football team onto the field at Hughes Stadium in his first season as the Rams head coach in 2012.

Dave Logan

Every time a college football job opens up in Colorado, Logan’s name is mentioned. Logan is the only coach in Colorado prep history to guide four different Class 5A schools to state championships.

While Logan is arguably the best high school football coach in Colorado history, it's unlikely this would be the time and place he ends up in college football.

Dave Logan, the head football coach of Cherry Creek High School, watches his team warm up on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 at the Chandler High School football field in Chandler, Ariz.
Dave Logan, the head football coach of Cherry Creek High School, watches his team warm up on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 at the Chandler High School football field in Chandler, Ariz.

Follow Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle. Coloradoan sports can also be followed on Twitter. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: CSU football coach candidates: Who will Rams hire to replace Steve Addazio?