The Denver Post

10 candidates to replace Daz, starting with (again) Alford

- — Sean Keeler and Matt Schubert, The Denver Post

Tony Alford, Ohio State assistant head coach/running backs coach: Will the third time be the charm for the most logical candidate out there (again)? A former CSU football running back (1987-90), Alford has recruited and nurtured NFL talent for decades and was a finalist for 247Sports.com’s National Recruiter of the Year in 2011. He was on the Rams’ shortlist when Mike Bobo and Addazio eventually were hired instead.

Billy Gonzales, Florida passing game coordinato­r/wide receivers coach:

Another former Ram (and an Alford teammate), the Thornton native worked with Urban Meyer from 2001-02 at Bowling Green and with Meyer and Addazio at Florida from 200509 before stints under Les Miles and Dan Mullen.

Alex Grinch, USC defensive coordinato­r:

It’s a matter of time before someone hands Grinch the keys to his own program. Grinch was a top lieutenant for Mike Leach (Washington State), Urban Meyer (Ohio State) and Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma) and a recruiting coordinato­r and defensive backs coach at Wyoming from 2009-11.

Sean Lewis, Kent State head coach:

A young (35) offensive mind who has won at Kent State with a high-tempo attack. If you can win with the Flashes (17-12 since 2019), you can win almost anywhere.

Jeff Traylor, Texas-san Antonio head coach: Want to recruit the Lone Star State? He’s your man. And the former Longhorns and Arkansas assistant is off to an 186 start as the head man with the Roadrunner­s.

Jeff Choate, Texas co-defensive coordinato­r,

A longtime member of the Steve Pedersen coaching tree, Choate went 28-22 at Montana State before joining Steve Sarkisian’s staff in Austin. He had stints as an assistant at Utah State, Boise State.

Jay Hill, Weber State head coach:

Former Utah Utes defensive back averaged 11 wins a year with the Wildcats from 2017-20, notching four Big Sky championsh­ips along the way.

Josh Gattis, Michigan offensive coordinato­r and wide receivers coach: Jerry Jeudy’s old mentor at Alabama is going to be getting some calls after successful turns under James Franklin, Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh.

Brent Vigen, Montana State head coach:

Craig Bohl’s former right-hand man at Wyoming has North Dakota State roots, knows the Mountain West and is 8-1 in his first season with the Bobcats.

Jim Mcelwain, Central Michigan head coach: Shark jokes aside, the Rams could do worse than turning to an old friend again. Mcelwain broke hearts in Foco when he bolted for the Florida head job in December 2014, but he’s been a consistent Group of 5 winner, posting a 22-15 mark in three seasons at CSU, a 22-12 record with the Gators and a 19-13 mark through three years in the MAC.

Kevin Wilson, Ohio State offensive coordinato­r.

Wilson’s tenure as Indiana head coach ended poorly, with accusation­s of player mistreatme­nt linked to his sudden resignatio­n, but he was once a candidate for CSU. His Indiana teams were tough, and he did take the Hoosiers to a pair of bowl games in six years. Still, given the allegation­s that sprung up within CUS’S athletic program recently, this might be a longshot.

Matt Lubick, ex-nebraska offensive coordinato­r/receivers coach.

The CSU alum, and son of legendary Rams coach Sonny Lubick, saw his time with NU come to an end in November after getting let go by Scott Frost. That said, the younger Lubick was once a Broyles Award nominee and is considered a top-notch recruiter. If anyone gets what

CSU can be, it’s this guy.

Zach Azzanni, Broncos wide receivers coach.

Personable, sharp and meticulous, you could do a lot worse than bringing in the guy who helped develop Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick into pros worthy of extensions. Would he bite at the chance to run his own show in Foco?

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