Interesting names to consider for Owls
Coaching candidates could include Fickell Schiano, Shannon.
The Florida Atlantic football program is hoping to create a lasting and powerful identity under new management.
O n S u n d a y, t h e O w l s a n n ounc e d t h e f i r i n g o f coach Charlie Par tridge, who led the program to an underwhelming 9-27 record in his three years. His three consecutive 3-9 seasons did little to rile up a dwindling fan base that has failed to fill FAU’s 29,419-seat, on-campus stadium that opened in 2011.
Athletic Director Pat Chun noted that the university will look for “the best coach possible,” suggesting he hopes to make an impact hire for a program that desperately needs a shot in the arm.
So who will they be considering for the job? And who do the Owls have a realistic shot of courting in the coming weeks?
Here are some of the potential candidates:
Luke Fickell
The name that has come up the most is Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell. The 43-yearold former interim head coach for the Buckeyes has built a powerhouse defense in Columbus.
Getting Fickell to leave Columbus may prove to be challenging, as he has spent most of his life in the city, playing football at an area high school before playing nose guard for Ohio State. He also has never coached outside of Ohio, with his only job away from Ohio St ate coming in 2000- 01 as the defensive line coach at Akron.
Chun, who spent 15 years as a member of Ohio State’s athletic department, would need to rely on his ties to the university and relationshi p wit h Fi c ke l l t o persuade one of college footb a l l ’s most s o u g h t - a f t e r assistants to move south.
Greg Schiano
Yet another Ohio State guy, which may be the “profile” that Chun discussed, S c h i a n o a l s o h a s t i e s t o Florida. The 50-year- old served as the defensive coordinator at the Universit y of Miami from 1999-2000 before taking over at Rutgers for 11 seasons. After his successful run there, he returned to Florida to take the head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons.
Though Schiano is only in his first year at Ohio State, he has the type of name recognition that could recruit South Florida well. And his success as a college coach — especially his track record of turning around unsucce ssful pro grams — may be just what FAU needs.
Mario Cristobal
Another coach with area ties, Cristobal has served as Alabama’s offensive line coach since 2013 under former Dolphins coach Nick S a b a n . T h e 4 6 - y e a r - o l d played at Columbus High School in Miami, went on to play for the Miami Hurricanes and spent six seasons as head coach at rival FIU, recruiting NFL-caliber talent like T.Y. Hilton.
Cri stobal cer t ainly has enough ties to South Florida to make his candidacy legitimate, and his willingness to coach at FIU, a school comparable in size and standing within the NCAA, bodes well for FAU’s chances of luring him from Alabama.
Randy Shannon
Another familiar face in South Florida, Shannon led the Miami Hurricanes for four seasons and served as an assistant for the Dolphins before making stops at TCU, Arkansas and Florida.
A Miami native and former national champion at UM, Shannon also can recruit well in the area and has a recognizable name in the region.
Though he may not be interested in leaving his current gig at Florida, if Jim McElwain were to accept an offer at another school, Shannon may look for a new landing spot.
Jovan DeWitt
DeWitt has ties to FAU, having served as the school’s linebacker coach from 201213, as well as a brief stint as the team’s interim defensive coordinator in 2013.
Though not the caliber name of some other candidates on this list, DeWitt can carve his own path in college football and has been recruiting the Broward area this year as the linebackers coach at UCF.