Deep Dive: Industry insiders discuss Ole Miss coaching search

MORE: UPDATED HOT BOARD | SURE THINGS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

OXFORD | By the afternoon of July 19, Ross Bjork knew Hugh Freeze’s tenure at Ole Miss was over.

Freeze, who had led the Rebels to consecutive New Year’s Six bowl games in 2014 and 2015, had also steered the Ole Miss ship into treacherous waters. The program had essentially received two notices of allegations from the NCAA, endured an embarrassing episode on the first night of the NFL Draft in 2016 and now, one week removed from Southeastern Conference Media Days and with the 2017 season just around the corner, national reporters were digging into rumors about Freeze’s personal life.

All those reporters had in the days following Media Days was one cell phone call from Freeze to a Tampa-based escort service, but multiple journalists (including this one) had sources telling them there was more. Much more. And several reporters were digging relentlessly.

They weren't alone. Bjork had spent the first part of that fateful week digging into Freeze’s phone records, and by July 19, he had established a disturbing pattern, one that he knew would be impossible for Freeze to recruit through once it came to light.

On July 20, Freeze chose to resign and keep the details of those phone records as private as possible over being fired by Ole Miss. Freeze left more than $16 million on the table and went away quietly, not making any form of public statement until mid-September. Bjork promoted offensive line coach Matt Luke, a former Ole Miss team captain, to interim head coach.

Bjork gave Luke his full support, but Bjork is pragmatic. He knew there was a strong likelihood he would be conducting a national coaching search during the fall, one that would represent his first major hire at Ole Miss and one that would go a long way toward shaping his legacy in Oxford and charting the course of his career.

Over the past two weeks, RebelGrove.com has reached out to those in and around the coaching industry to gauge perceptions of the soon-to-be-officially-vacant Ole Miss job. We’ve talked to coaches, administrators, people with search firm experience, consultants, agents, national media members and more.

What we wanted to know isn’t complicated. Who wants the job? Who has interest in the job? Who would be a fit? Who would be a risk? What should Ole Miss be looking for? What should Ole Miss be looking to avoid?

In those conversations, other jobs were discussed, for naturally, Ole Miss’ search isn’t going to be conducted in a vacuum. During the course of our research, Florida’s Jim McElwain resigned, starting the coaching carousel on a spin that will continue into December — and possibly beyond.

It’s widely assumed the Tennessee job will come open later this month. Arkansas could. So could Texas A&M, Auburn and Missouri. Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen is coveted elsewhere, so it’s conceivable there will be an opening in Starkville. And that’s just the Southeastern Conference.

“I don’t know what Tennessee is going to do,” a source, one with intimate contacts at multiple programs, said. “A lot of the stuff that comes out of there that is so goofy and makes no sense. I do think (Mississippi State coach Dan) Mullen would be a great candidate at Tennessee. I think he’d be a great fit. He’s an outstanding coach and there are better resources at Tennessee. I think it makes a lot of sense.

“I think (Kevin) Sumlin would leave Texas A&M for Arizona State. I also believe (Auburn’s) Gus Malzahn would leave to go to Arkansas. At this point, I think Malzahn is as good as gone. Beyond beating Georgia and Alabama, I don’t see him surviving. You just can’t paint the full picture yet. There is so much that could happen.”

Oregon State, UCLA, Arizona State, Nebraska and other Power Five jobs could pop open between now and Dec. 1, making for a chaotic rush to fill spots with the right candidates. Those vacancies could and probably will impact Ole Miss’ search, at least in some capacity.

Given the volatility of coaching searches and the desire on virtually everyone involved’s part to keep things secretive, we offered our sources the opportunity to speak anonymously. The result: A frank, candid assessment of the Ole Miss job and the pool of potential candidates who might fill it.

Finally, a caveat: From all accounts, Bjork is conducting Ole Miss’ search, and he’s not giving details to RebelGrove.com or anyone else during the process. So, as frustrating as it may be for you, the reader, we feel compelled to tell you there’s a real chance Ole Miss’ candidate pool doesn’t remotely match the men whose names will appear in this story. Then again, this list _ and Bjork’s _ could change dramatically between now and the day a new coach is introduced in Oxford.

What’s Ole Miss looking for? Again, only Bjork truly knows.

And even Bjork doesn’t know precisely what he’s pitching to prospective candidates. Ole Miss appeared in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions almost eight weeks ago in Covington, Kentucky. As of this writing, the school has not received final sanctions from that committee.

Freeze was charged with failure to monitor his head coaching responsibility and Ole Miss was charged with lack of institutional control. If those charges stand, Ole Miss, which self-imposed a postseason ban in 2017, could face another year of bowl ineligibility. That sanction could, presumably, accompany a provision that would allow current Ole Miss players to transfer out of the program without penalty, meaning they could play at another FBS school in 2018.

“That would represent free agency in college football,” one source said.

Then again, Ole Miss walked out of that Embassy Suites across the Ohio River from Cincinnati feeling optimistic about its chances to avoid a devastating set of sanctions. Much of the NCAA’s second set of allegations against Ole Miss were built around the testimony of Mississippi State linebacker Leo Lewis, who was granted immunity by the NCAA in exchange for his account of his recruitment. Multiple sources told RebelGrove.com Lewis was anything but a believable witness during his appearance in Covington. The details of Lewis’ testimony, once they’re revealed, could represent a damning look for the NCAA’s investigative arm.

Regardless, as the days towards Ole Miss’ Thanksgiving night season finale at, ironically, Mississippi State peel away, Bjork still can’t give prospective candidates a complete picture of what they’d be walking into in Oxford. It’s made an already complicated coaching search even more difficult to conduct.

“The big negative with Ole Miss is the unknown,” one source said. “How deep are the sanctions going to hit? How’s that going to affect my program? Until it’s concrete, you don’t know. How many coaches are going to give up their job with success to go somewhere where they don’t know? Now, Ole Miss can offer a lot of money and money changes the world, but coaches want to control their own environment. At this point, you can’t because you don’t know the environment you’re going to live in next year or the year after that. That’s going to be a tough, tough sell to a coach early on. That’s why financially, this is going to have to be a great deal for a coach.”

Still, sources contacted for this story said there are some qualities Bjork must look for regardless of the severity _ or lack thereof _ of impending sanctions.

“You have to have somebody who knows the landscape of the South,” one source said. “Not necessarily Mississippi or Louisiana or that sort of thing, but you have to have a guy that knows the area real well, that can recruit and also do a really good job with alumni.”

“You need somebody who’s traveled, has head coaching experience, is a stable guy and who understands the culture,” another source said. “If you get someone who doesn’t understand the area, you’re asking for trouble, especially at a sensitive time."

Every source contacted for this story said he would recommend a current head coach to Bjork.

“If you’re Ole Miss, it would be hard to convince me that an assistant would be the best fit,” one source said.

They also said Bjork would have to be on guard during the process. Leaks, they said, are more apt to come from coaching candidates than media.

“Interested and ‘I’d really like that job’ are two different things,” one source said. “Sometimes, it’s a domino effect. Your name gets out there a little more and maybe more people become interested.”

One source said he’d recommend to Bjork that he talk to as many people as possible about the job. Others agreed, noting that while it’s a tumultuous time within the program, the profile of the job has improved dramatically over the past few years. Freeze proved one can compete nationally at Ole Miss, and his $4.8 million salary in 2016 was ninth nationally. Facilities have consistently improved, and the radius around Ole Miss represents fertile recruiting territory.

“It’s an SEC job,” one source said. “The facilities are good. They’ve got quality stuff there. It is an attractive job. They’ll have the wherewithal to pay a lot of money. If you win from 7-10 games a year, you can have that job a long time, and if you compete with ‘Bama and LSU and beat them every now and then, it could be a job you have for a while and maybe it leads to an even bigger opportunity.”

Further, the mess Freeze left behind means the new guy will get time and a modicum of patience from the administration and fans alike to rebuild the Ole Miss program in the manner he sees fit.

“You say, ‘We’re looking for that guy to build us a program and we’re willing to put together all the trappings to make this job better than it’s ever been,’” another source said. “You tell the new guy he’s got time and assurances and a contract that basically says you have time to build it your way, the right way and we’re going to help you with it.

“Ask the candidate, 'What’s your plan for us?' I think you can really see who’s got the vision and I think that’s very often the tiebreaker.”

Another source said he’d woo candidates by offering what he called “The Baylor Package.”

“Woo them with money and security, a seven-year deal,” the source said. “That’s what Baylor told Matt Rhule. They said, ‘It’s yours. Build the program and we’ll give you the the time to do it.”

And, as one source said, Bjork probably has to operate quickly.

“You have to have that guy as soon as the final game’s over with and you’ve got to hit the ground running,” he said. “If not, you’ve wasted a year, so to speak, and we’ve all seen in year One, for every new coach, when he comes in, the recruiting takes a hit — some dramatically, some a little bit. You know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be a feeding frenzy. That cuts the list down dramatically.”

First, before we go further, know this: No one following college football closely truly believes ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden is leaving his cushy TV gig for a college football job. Also, everyone believes no search is going to reach completion without the powers that be at schools such as Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Arizona State feeling out Chip Kelly.

“I think Chip is going to be very selective,” one source said. “Very. I think he knows kind of where he can win and what he can do to get that job. I think there are a handful, even at best, where he could go back to coach."

After that, all eyes are on UCF’s Scott Frost.

“Scott Frost is the hottest name in college football today as far as a young coach,” one source said. “I’ve not heard his name associated at Ole Miss, but he’s one of the bright young minds in the business. He’s an offensive-minded coach, a guy that has shown a lot of innovation offensively from an X and O standpoint. He’s a terrific recruiter. Now, the connection with Scott is Nebraska and I’m sure if one individual would turn down the Florida job, he’d be in the running there.”

That individual, of course, is Kelly. The former Oregon and Philadelphia Eagles coach has taken a year off to survey the landscape. He’s been mum regarding his plans, but most believe he’ll return to football — and likely at the college level.

“I think Chip is the one go-get guy for a college team today because of his success at Oregon,” a source said. “He took a system that had already been in place in the read-option and spread offense and then took it to another level. Listen, the one play they ran the most at Oregon was the dive, and that’s the oldest play in the playbook, but you wouldn’t know it by how he ran his offense.

“Everybody is going to try and pursue Chip. He’s never been known as a great recruiter, but once you get him on the field, he’s a difference-maker. I don’t think there’s a debate. He’s the hottest name out there.”

Yet what one learns when talking to industry insiders about coaching searches is there is always a debate. Always. It might be easier to get people to agree on politics than it is to get people inside the business to agree on coaching candidates and fit.

Take Frost, for example. The former Nebraska quarterback, now 42, has coaching experience at Nebraska, Kansas State, Northern Iowa and Oregon. He’s 14-7 at UCF and has the Knights firmly ensconced in the top 20 and possibly in line for a prestigious bowl game. Florida is believed to be very interested. Tennessee has been mentioned as a possible destination, and Nebraska desperately wants Frost to come home.

“He’s put himself in position where he’s either going to go save his alma mater because he understands everybody or he goes to Florida,” one source said. “He’s going to get a ton of money out of this. He’s kind of a jerk, to be honest with you. He’s not the most approachable human being in the world. As soon as he loses to Georgia or someone, I don’t think he’ll handle the backlash well.”

Frost has company in the Land of Sexy Young Coaches Everyone Wants. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, a 37-year-old Ohioan, has the Cyclones in the Big 12 title race thanks to upsets of Oklahoma and TCU. Campbell had three nine-win seasons at Toledo before leaving for Ames, and his stock is as high as his buyout (reportedly $9.4 million).

“I love him,” one source said. “He’s a Cleveland-area guy. He’s the real deal. He’s done an amazing job at Iowa State. This guy’s got it."

Campbell is on every wish list, but that’s where fit comes in. He’s never been anywhere but the Midwest, and many believe that’s where he’d fare best. If Frost spurns Nebraska for Florida, and Nebraska goes through with firing Mike Riley, Campbell might make a lot of sense in Lincoln, industry insiders believe.

“I don’t think Ole Miss would have a chance,” one source said. “He’s either going to get paid a fortune to stay at Ames or he’s going to Nebraska if Frost does something else. All his ties are in the Midwest.”

Purdue’s Jeff Brohm is much like Campbell. He’s been impressive at one of the worst jobs in the Big Ten, has a strong pedigree and a huge buyout. One source believes Brohm is “the fallback guy at Tennessee after Tennessee pursues the big fish in the water and doesn’t land him.”

Another believes Brohm will be “selective.” No source believed Ole Miss could be a real player for Brohm’s services at this point, due to the unknown sanctions and the financial considerations involved. Brohm’s buyout prior to Dec. 5 is $5 million, and it goes down $1 million each year. There’s also a loan repayment of approximately $750,000 if Brohm were to bolt after this season.

From speaking to multiple sources, several names came up in almost every conversation as realistic fits for Ole Miss. The consensus: Kelly, Frost and Campbell aren’t going to fall to the Rebels, but there are some intriguing options to explore.

One source pointed out there’s also the unknown. You never know, he said, if a current successful coach is quietly looking around.

“Maybe he feels as though he’s topped out and he needs another challenge and wants to look around,” the source said. “I’ll bring up a name — (Texas Tech’s) Kliff Kingsbury. He’s a young coach, a good-looking guy, relates well to kids. He is all about the pitch-and-catch game and his teams have struggled mightily on defense. He’s a good schmoozer in a crowd and he knows how to work a room really, really well. Has he topped out at Texas Tech? Maybe he’d look around. That’s the part you don’t know.

“I recall back when LSU was looking for a head coach when Gerry DiNardo was going to be fired. It was pretty much set they were going to bring in (then-Florida State offensive coordinator) Mark Richt. At the final hours, (then-Michigan State coach) Nick Saban throws his name into the hat. I think Nick felt as though he’d topped out at Michigan State. He was tired of being the No. 2 dog in the state and he comes to LSU. Will there be that guy at Ole Miss? Will there be that guy who says, ‘You know what? I’ve done what I could here. I’ll take that challenge on.”

The names that come up consistently as fits who make sense are predictable. Memphis’ Mike Norvell, UT-San Antonio’s Frank Wilson, Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre, Colorado State’s Mike Bobo, Troy’s Neal Brown, SMU’s Chad Morris and South Florida’s Charlie Strong form a grouping that is mentioned most consistently.

Finding unanimity of opinion on any of the aforementioned candidates, we learned during this process, was impossible. One source said he’d put Norvell and Wilson at the top of his list. Another called Norvell a “home run hire” and agreed on Wilson, saying the former Ole Miss and LSU assistant is “a hell of a recruiter. He’s going to have a bigger job sooner rather than later. He has to be near the top of Ole Miss’ list. He’s going to recruit the hell out of the Southeast.”

Another source was extremely high on Norvell and Wilson’s prospects as extremely likely candidates, going so far as to say Norvell is "going to be pushed by the Memphis faction. However, I think he might not check off the boxes for Ross to feel comfortable. I think it works against him that he’s young.

“Frank Wilson is the best option available as a recruiter and he’s a great program manager. Frank Wilson at Ole Miss is LSU’s nightmare. He’s the king of New Orleans. I’m serious.”

Wilson’s prowess to recruit at Ole Miss is already known. He was on Ed Orgeron’s staff in Oxford and helped recruit standouts such as Kendrick Lewis, Mike Wallace, Kentrell Lockett, Marshay Green and others to the Rebels. One source laughingly told a story about Wilson’s interview with then-LSU coach Les Miles prior to the 2010 season. Miles asked Wilson why he needed a guy known for his Louisiana recruiting prowess when he already had the advantage of being at the flagship school in the Pelican State.

“I out-recruited your ass and you didn’t know it,” Wilson told Miles.

He was the Tigers’ running backs coach and recruiting coordinator by the end of the week.

“Mike Norvell, to me, would be my first choice,” another source said. “I just think of what he’s done. His system would fit very well at Ole Miss. He knows the area. He knows the landscape extremely well and he knows also, too, the mountain he’d be climbing there. It’s not the ideal situation for a new head coach to walk into, but he could hit the ground running.

“Wilson would know the land he’s walking on at Ole Miss. Also, if you have to re-recruit the players there, there’s no one better. I mean, it could be free agency in college football. He’d be near the top of the list, if it were me. He’s not an X and O guy, but he can really relate to players, and that’s a strength.”

Others, however, aren’t so sure either Norvell or Wilson is the right fit.

“I would have to think Norvell would be considered,” a source said. “The only concern there is he’s winning with someone else’s players.”

As for Wilson, that source said, “I don’t know that he’s done enough to warrant that opportunity.”

Bobo, a former Georgia quarterback, has been steady at Colorado State since replacing Jim McElwain. Bobo’s name has also emerged as a potential candidate at Tennessee and Missouri. His name doesn’t come up as often in conversations about the Ole Miss job, but there’s far more of a consensus of opinion regarding Bobo than there is regarding Norvell or Wilson.

“He’d be a perfect fit at Ole Miss,” one source said,. “He has no demons, develops offense, develops quarterbacks and he would need to hire a really good recruiting staff.”

“He absolutely would love the job,” another source said. “No question. He’d love to get back in the SEC and that part of the country. There’s also a nervous part of Bobo. There’s a part of him that seems nervous. He should probably be somewhere on the B-list.”

“He’s done a nice job,” yet another source said. “He’s put his own signature on his program. They’re got a solid to very good Group of 5 team. The question I have on all of these Group of 5 coaches who are going to move up to a football school is they have to understand that the template that worked at a place like Colorado State won’t necessarily work at a bigger place. You have to adjust.”

“He might be holding out for a better job,” another source said. “He can sit tight if he wants to and wait out a better job. He’s a cultural fit at Ole Miss, but he knows the recruiting culture is dramatically different in Mississippi than it is in Georgia.”

“I like Mike Bobo a lot and that’s one I’d really investigate,” yet another source said. “I think his idea is he can get something a little bit better. He can win there in that league and, in his mind, he’s trying to get in on the Tennessee-type jobs. If you’re Ole Miss, you have to go and sell yourself as, ‘Look, you’re coming back towards your roots and this is what we’re going to do.’”

MacIntyre, 52, worked on David Cutcliffe’s staff at Ole Miss from 1999 until 2002. He has turned around programs at San Jose State and now Colorado, earning national coach of the year honors in 2016. Sources have indicated MacIntyre is at least interested in the Ole Miss job and would listen to the Rebels’ overtures, should they come.

“I think he has an interesting name there,” one source said. “He has SEC ties. He’s shown he can take programs in shambles and make them winners. I think if Ole Miss could pull him from Colorado, that would be a huge win. He’s young enough to have energy to handle recruiting and experienced enough to handle an SEC job.”

“I think he’s the guy they think would come and take over if the program is decimated,” another source said. “He told me specifically he’s a big fan of Oxford.”

“I think Mike would absolutely consider it,” another said. “He has poor facilities at Colorado. He might be intrigued by one of those deals where he has five or six years to do something. I think he’s looking to get out of there and I really do think that if he’s somebody they’re really interested in, they’d have a really good shot to get him. He doesn’t have security at Colorado right now. Ole Miss is a tough job, of course, but it’s not easy to do what he did last year in the Pac-12.”

Brown, 37, is a former offensive coordinator at Kentucky and Texas Tech who is wrapping up his third season as the head coach at Troy. Morris, 48, is a former offensive coordinator at Tulsa and Clemson who is wrapping up his third season at SMU. As with Norvell and Wilson, opinions regarding Brown and Morris covered the spectrum.

"Chad Morris is doing a great job,” one source said. “Chad’s gone at the end of the year. SMU was an absolute mess two years ago and he’s done a really good job. There’s no doubt he’ll take Texas A&M before Ole Miss. He’d prefer to stay in Texas.”

“Neal is a fantastic program builder,” another source said. “He probably wouldn’t tolerate all the noise around the Ole Miss program. He’s done a great job as an air raid coach adjusting and becoming a solid defensive program. Morris is going to provide a great offensive system. Does Chad want to get in the SEC? If A&M is remotely available, Chad is going to try to get that job.”

“Brown makes sense, though he would be below others on the pecking order,” another source said. “He’s going to have a big job sooner or later. Chad Morris is interested. He’s definitely a real candidate.”

“I think (Morris) is a really good candidate and really would be a good fit,” another source said. “A lot of people have told me he wouldn’t be interested in Ole Miss but I’ve talked to him and he told me, ‘If you can help me there, please do.’ How legitimately interested he is, I’m not sure, but I think he’d consider it. My gut feeling is (Morris) would be more interested in a Texas A&M or an Arkansas. If Ole Miss put a great package together, I think he might be interested, but I think that Ole Miss interest might be a little bit of play on getting his name out there.

Morris “does a nice job developing the passing game and that’s crucial in college football today,” said another source, who often consulted to evaluate potential coaches by search firms and athletics directors. “It’s certainly the easiest way to win. He’s taken a guy like Courtland Sutton, who was a two-star guy, and he’ll be a first-round pick. Trey Quinn was a backup at LSU and couldn’t see the field and look what he’s done at SMU. The crucial part for him is going to be recruiting the best defensive coordinator he can get his hands on and let him run the show. In that way he’s similar to Frank (Wilson). Frank’s going to have to do that too.”

All of those men have primarily offensive backgrounds and hiring offensive-minded coaches is in style these days in college football. At least one source familiar with the inner workings of coaching searches believes thinking offense first is a mistake.

“All I know is if you can’t play defense in the SEC you’ve got no shot,” the source said. “None. None. Zero shot if you’re talking about getting to the SEC Championship Game. That’s why today you look at the two teams in the SEC that are above the fray and if I’m the athletic director I think about this a lot. Look who’s sitting on top of the mountain. Saban and Kirby Smart. They’re defensive-minded coaches, guys who can recruit defensive players. You might have an exciting offense to watch, but if you can’t stop anybody, you’re in track meets every week.

“Hugh Freeze, Mullen, (Jim) McElwain, (Bret) Bielema, Kevin Sumlin, they all came into the league as offensive-minded coaches, in one specter or another, and everyone of them, with the exception of Mullen, have really struggled in this SEC getting out of their own way. I still think old-fashioned football still wins. That fast-paced football is great. The scoreboard lights up. Fans get excited. But you know what? They get tired of it. When are you going to play defense? When are you going to stop someone?”

Enter Strong. Multiple sources have told RebelGrove.com that despite Strong’s public assertions that he’s happy and content at South Florida, he’s more than intrigued at the idea of being an SEC head coach. Strong is a Batesville, Arkansas, native, and he would covet the Razorbacks’ top post if Bielema is relieved of his duties, sources said. As for Ole Miss, Strong has very positive feelings about the school and Oxford and is quite interested in the Rebels’ job, according to multiple sources contacted for this story.

“Charlie Strong is interesting to me,” one source said. “Would he break after one year and go to Ole Miss? Charlie’s always been known as a great recruiter. Not a good one, but a great one. He’s defensive-minded. He wasn’t a good fit at Texas, but you think of those Louisville teams and he recruited a lot of really good players there. He’s got a good rapport in the recruiting ranks and I would reach out to him, certainly. I don’t know how he feels about being the vagabond coach but he’s intriguing because of his success. He understands and relates well to young players. I would make that phone call.”

“He would take the job,” a source familiar with Strong said. “He wants another big-time opportunity. I think it’d be in Charlie’s best interest to stay in Florida. Charlie isn’t very good at dealing with the outside world day-to-day or massage the egos that need to be massaged at Texas or Ole Miss or those kinds of places. I could see Charlie getting the FSU job if Jimbo (Fisher) leaves Tallahassee.”

“I like Charlie a lot,” another source said. “I think Louisville was an ideal fit. I thought Texas was a square peg in a round hole. I could see him fitting at Ole Miss. To me, whoever goes to Ole Miss is going to be embraced because he’s helping pull them out of this and back to a prideful state. I think Charlie would be a good option, given that. He’s always been well thought-of in the football coaching world.”

“Charlie Strong is a big contender,” another said. “He has an affinity for Ole Miss, for Oxford. Understands the culture and would have a dramatic impact on recruiting. If you told Charlie he’d get meddled with at Ole Miss, he’d just laugh at you compared to what he dealt with at Texas.”

While those names came up most often in conversations, other potential targets came up as well. One source was high on Arkansas State’s Blake Anderson, calling him “the best candidate if you have more than a one-year ban. If you’re decimated and looking for a guy looking to work through a six-year process, Anderson would be good.”

Another was fond of former California coach Sonny Dykes, now an offensive analyst for Gary Patterson at TCU, though he noted, "I think if you’re going to go with Sonny, you look harder at Neal Brown. They’re both Air Raid guys. I think Dykes wants to go back to Texas. He wants total support. He’d have to come away feeling really good about his relationship with Ross and the boosters.”

Toledo’s Jason Candle is a hot name in coaching circles, as the Rockets are 8-1 after a 10-point win over Northern Illinois Thursday night. However, Candle’s ties are almost exclusive to Toledo and he’s considered a fit in the Midwest and a complete unknown elsewhere.

Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables had their names come up in conversations and have been the subject of more than one message board thread this fall.

“I would buy Venables before I would buy Pruitt,” one source said., “Pruitt has done a lot of damage to his reputation in a Lane Kiffin-kind of way. He’s a damn good defensive coordinator but he’s a bit of a loose cannon.”

“Pruitt’s name is going to pop up because he’s a coordinator at Alabama,” another source said. “He’s definitely put his imprint on the defense post-Kirby Smart. Polish is a question mark. Will he play the politics it takes? That would be the question.”

Every source, when asked about Venables, said the former Kansas State player would gauge the situation in Manhattan before he even thought about another head coaching job.

Another source contemplated the idea of giving McElwain a second shot in the SEC. However, other sources believed that idea is flawed.

“McElwain has stagefright,” one source said. “Anytime he’s in public, he’s said things that just aren’t true. He’s going to go back west — to Oregon State or to the Mountain West Conference. He’ll be happy and do a good job and that’ll be it.”

“He’d turn Shea Patterson into a run of the mill quarterback,” another source said of McElwain.

Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, a former head coach at Rutgers and with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wants to get another head coaching gig. Most of the sources contacted for this story believe Schiano would listen to Ole Miss, but none believed he was a very good fit.

“Schiano and Dykes are square pegs in a round hole,” one source said. “That’s not working in the SEC. Schiano is Florida, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. That’s where his relationships are and that’s where he wants to go. Schiano would have a shot at South Florida or UCF.”

"Greg Schiano wouldn’t be the perfect guy to roll around the Square or walk through the Grove shaking hands,” another sources said. “He’s not what you’d call a Mr. Southern Hospitality-type person. I think he wants to be a head coach again. I think he’s hoping he can go back and redo the Tom Herman route. Is it an ideal fit at Ole Miss? Would fans and media grow to love him? No, but the guy’s a no-nonsense guy and he can recruit and teach. I’d see if he has some interest but he’s not an ideal fit.”

"He was so disciplined that there wasn’t a lot of margin for error when it came to NFL scouts or dealing with the intangible elements of the program at Rutgers,” another source said. “I don’t see him as a fit. Would he have interest? Absolutely.”

Kingsbury’s name has come up at times this fall. Mike Detillier, a New Orleans-based college football and NFL analyst, mentioned Kingsbury as a possible target on the Oxford Krystal Beer Garden Podcast last month.

“I would not hire Kingsbury,” a source said when told of Detillier’s mention of the Texas Tech coach. “I don’t think he’s that good. He’s a good-looking guy and all that but I think he’s a bit of an empty headset, to be honest with you.”

Two other names, Washington State’s Mike Leach and Florida Atlantic’s Lane Kiffin, came up in every conversation. Both would likely have interest in the job and both are excellent offensive minds. Neither seem to be great fits, certainly not at this moment in time at Ole Miss, but each produced some fascinating conversation.

“Leach would be interested in the job but I haven’t heard his name with Ole Miss,” one source said. “He talks fondly of the SEC. He loved his time at Kentucky and talks regularly about the passion of the SEC and his fascination with it. He loved that part of the country. I’d be surprised if that happened though.”

“To me, he’s perfect at the outpost-type of school,” another source said. “No program in the SEC really fits that profile. I don’t see how that would happen.”

“Mike’s a guy who’s a little strange,” another source said. “You would have to give him a lot of range if you’re bringing him in as a head coach. That wouldn’t be the best fit for Mike. He’s a system coach and his system has worked and his system has won a lot of games. …I wouldn’t rule him out completely. He’s a guy who’s always looking for another spot.”

Florida Atlantic is 6-3 after a win Friday night over Marshall. The Owls have improved steadily over this season, Kiffin’s first in Boca Raton. Kiffin, 42, has head coaching experience at Southern Cal, Tennessee and with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. He also had a very successful stint as Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama.

However, his name brings controversy.

“Someone said he has the same rolodex as Hugh Freeze,” one source said. “Are you kidding me? He wouldn’t have to leave campus. He is a disaster off the field. He can call plays. I’m impressed with what he’s done at FAU, but any AD who does his research wouldn’t be able to do that. I’m sure Jimmy (Sexton) is trying, though.”

“Kiffin is probably the purest offensive mind available but I think he’s probably the most impure human being available,” another source said.

Another source mentioned Oregon offensive coordinator/former FIU coach Mario Cristobal and Louisiana-Lafayette offensive coordinator Will Hall as candidates he’d at least speak to if he were in Bjork’s shoes.

“I think Cristobal would crawl to Oxford,” the source said. “I may be wrong but I bet I’m not. Hall is a sleeper. He knows Mississippi like the back of his hand. He’s a young guy that wouldn’t be intimidated by anything Ole Miss threw at him. He’d be on my short list of guys I want to talk to… For sure, I’d put him on my staff if I were the Ole Miss head coach.”

In the end, only Bjork knows. People who claim to have some idea of Bjork’s thinking believe he’s still culling a fairly deep list and don’t believe he’s particularly close to a final decision.

They believe he’d prefer an experienced head coach and would prefer to avoid going too young with his selection.

However, Bjork has acknowledged he can’t get to the end game, the act of actually making an offer, until the NCAA COI administers its final ruling. That could come any day, so until then, it’s likely Bjork is doing just what so many of the sources contacted for this story advised — talking to as many people as possible.

“I don’t think Ross is going to go too old and I don’t think he’ll go too young,” one source said. “It’s his decision. How he makes that decision is going to be tough. (Archie) Manning wants Wilson, (Sean) Tuohy wants Morris and (Fred) Smith wants Norvell.”

That may or may not be true, though perceptions involving booster/alumni/donor involvement are impossible to avoid.

Bjork is expected to hold his cards close to his vest, but at some point, likely three weeks or so from now, he’ll show his hand. What’s in that hand? No one knows, but his legacy and, more importantly, the future of the Ole Miss football program will be determined by the cards he plays.