Six names to keep an eye to be the next Northwestern football coach

While David Braun will be Northwestern’s head coach when they open the season in six weeks at Rutgers, it is likely that the next hire for this job will come from outside of the program.

And while Braun isn’t tainted by the allegations of hazing that are surrounding Northwestern (he wasn’t with the program until this past January), there is a very strong possibility that the Wildcats’ next football coach isn’t currently on the coaching staff.

This is a prestigious job. Northwestern is located next to a major city (Chicago) with tremendous resources and the backing of one of the most prestigious academic schools in the nation. It is a Power Five job brimming with potential.

Scroll down and check out the top six names to be the next head coach of the Northwestern football team!

6. Ed Orgeron

Orgeron might have the best credentials of anyone available to become the next head coach at Northwestern. After all, winning a national championship will do that. But is he the best fit for the program?

Northwestern is an elite academic institution that traditionally does not attract elite-level athletes. Could Orgeron, who was an assistant coach at places like USC and Tennessee before taking over at LSU, be a cultural fit? Probably not.

Should Orgeron be considered? Absolutely. There are very few coaches who have won a national championship out there. Orgeron will get interviewed, but not so sure he fits with what Northwestern wants to do moving forward.

5. Jim Leonhard

He’s got hops, that’s for sure.

A former NFL safety, Leonhard did a solid job as interim head coach at Wisconsin. Leonhard joined the Badgers, his alma mater, as a defensive backs coach in 2016.

By the next season, he was the defensive coordinator and seemed poised to be the ‘coach in waiting.’

Leonhard is smart and sharp. His knowledge from having played and coached in the Big Ten would be invaluable. From the Midwest, he would be a fit for the program on nearly every level.

4. Jeff Monken

The Army head coach has signaled that his offense will be adjusting to the times this offseason. This in turn might open the door to Monken becoming a household name come coaching search season.

Monken is set to enter his tenth season at Army, having taken the program to five bowl games (four wins). He is hard-working, has a great football mind as well as a squeaky-clean past.

Oh, and he is from Illinois.

That checks a lot of boxes for Northwestern, for sure.

3. Charlie Strong

One name not getting enough buzz for this job is Strong, probably due to his failed tenures at Texas and South Florida.

After being fired at South Florida following the 2019 season, Strong enrolled at career rehabilitation at Alabama for a season where he was a defensive analyst. He then spent a season with the Jacksonville Jaguars on their coaching staff and then he was back in the college ranks at Miami.

Strong is a high-character coach and no-nonsense. Just the kind of coach who could resonate within the walls of the Northwestern program.

Now, this hire would be one of faith that Strong would be more like his Louisville self than his last couple of stops as a head coach. But perhaps his time at Alabama and then in the NFL sharpened his coaching acumen.

2. Bill O'Brien

Would O’Brien leave his role as offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots to go back to the Big Ten? For a program that had plans to invest $800 million into their football facility, the answer is probably, yes.

O’Brien has been linked and rumored to take other high-profile Power Five jobs. His NFL credentials, both as a head coach and an offensive coordinator, along with his strong job in rebuilding Penn State will heighten his resume for this job.

In fact, what he did at Penn State following its own scandal is a major selling point for his candidacy.

1. Paul Chryst

There is nothing to not like about Chryst returning to the Big Ten with Northwestern. The former Wisconsin head coach knows how to build a program, develop players, and recruit the Midwest. He hasn’t had a scandal in his coaching career and he knows how to win.

In fact, Chryst as a recruiter should be a selling point for him to be considered for the job. Wisconsin very rarely landed a class with boatloads of four-star recruits. At Northwestern, given their academic constraints, it likely will come down to finding and developing players rather than landing blue chip talent.

Chryst has done that throughout his coaching career. He took Wisconsin to bowl games in his first seven seasons with the program (with six wins). From Wisconsin, he knows how to recruit the area and win in the Big Ten.

One more thing...David Braun

The current interim head coach is likely to be a candidate and get interviewed for the job. He will have an inside track to land this job.

But, given the circumstances, this might be a very tough sell for Braun, who has never been a head coach before. Get the team competitive and playing good football, and he has a shot to land this job.

But it won’t be easy for Braun.

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire