With Fisher gone, who should replace him?
Oregon’s Taggart seems consensus top choice at moment.
The news that has been rumored all week has finally happened: Jimbo Fisher is leaving Florida State after eight seasons as coach to take the head job at Texas A&M.
After the immediate shock of the news wore off, the obvious question became who would replace Fisher as the coach of the Seminoles. Many names have been suggested but here are eight of the most sensible options to take over in Tallahassee.
■ Willie Taggart, Oregon: The 41-year-old native of Bradenton, who compiled a 7-5 record in his first season with the Ducks, knows the state, having previously coached for four seasons at South Florida, including a 10-2 mark in 2016. The star college QB at Western Kentucky seems to be the consensus top choice at the moment, and there’s a report FSU is already preparing an offer for him.
■ Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech: Another 41-year-old who has already replaced a legend — leaving Memphis to take over for Frank Beamer before the 2016 season with the Hokies — Fuente is another offensive-minded coach with a big future ahead of him. He doesn’t have much in the way of ties to Tallahassee, but he’s brought success to everywhere he’s been, including Blacksburg, where he won 10 games last year and has his squad at 9-3 heading into a bowl game.
■ Kevin Sumlin, fired Sunday from Texas A&M: How ridiculous would it be if Florida State and Texas A&M simply traded coaches? A report earlier this week tied Sumlin to the FSU job if Fisher were to leave, and his $10 million-plus buyout from A&M means the Noles might not have to pay him as much as other high-profile options. He went 51-26 in six seasons with the Aggies.
■ Charlie Strong, South Florida: Another hot coaching name who has gone from Florida (as an assistant) to head-coaching gigs at Louisville, Texas and USF, all since 2009, Strong seemed a more likely choice for the opening in Gainesville that eventually went to Dan Mullen. Still, his ties to the state and the fact he’s rebounded quickly from his rough 16-21 go in Austin to go 9-2 with the Bulls this season suggest he’s back on the up and up.
■ Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic: Speaking of “back on the up and up,” could the former head man at Southern Cal, Tennessee, the Oakland Raiders and current boss at reinvigorated FAU leave Boca after one season to move 480 miles to the north and west? Many expect Kiffin to eventually leave for greener pastures — in other words, pastures filled with more green dollar bills — but it would be surprising to see him leave for the Noles job, especially this quickly. That said, these sorts of jobs aren’t open very often, so anything is possible.
■ Mark Stoops, Kentucky: He’s not exactly the sexiest name being bandied about on the coaching roundabout, but he was the Seminoles’ defensive coordinator under Fisher and has shown signs of improvement with the Wildcats, going 7-5 this season.
■ Scott Frost, Central Florida: The former Nebraska quarterback has Central Florida sitting at 11-0 and playing in the American Athletic Conference Championship game against Memphis today, with a New Year’s Six bowl payoff potentially in the offing. Many believe he’ll take the open head-coaching job with the Huskers in the coming days, but his incredible success in the state makes him a possibility.
■ Jon Gruden, ESPN: The name of the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders head coach pops up every time there’s a high-profile job opening. He doesn’t really have any ties to Florida State, and it’s highly unlikely they’d be willing to pay him as much as he’d need to come out of the broadcast booth, but it’s fun to consider, isn’t it?