Same thing with WVU's mens BB coaching search ... will AD Baker value coaches who have a long record of successful program building, roster management, clear-eyed staffing vision and a strong sense of scheme, on both sides of the ball regardless of level. Or current P5 head coach, or one recently out of a job but with a lengthy career resume.
BLOOMINGTON – If Scott Dolson has his way, as much or more of his football coaching search may now be behind him as is ahead.
Consulting with search firm TurnkeyZRG, and working closely with Indiana University President Pam Whitten, Dolson has moved quickly through the process of replacing Tom Allen. There is a growing belief that search could conclude by or before the end of this week, handing Allen's replacement ample time to settle into the job and work his way through the transfer portal, once it officially opens Dec. 4.
What profile of coach is Dolson looking for?
Since its beginning last weekend, there's been a strong sense around the search Indiana will place great value on established head-coaching track record. With the Big Ten getting tougher, player compensation becoming ever more important and the medium-to-long-term future of bigtime college football still unfolding, there exists a strong suspicion Dolson believes the job needs, right now, someone who won't need to grow into it too much.
IU has an established history of difficulty gaining traction in football. It also has Big Ten media rights money, growing NIL resources and an athletic director committed to improving both the Memorial Stadium gameday experience, and also the infrastructural (financial) support for his next head coach.
Indications are Indiana will value coaches who have a long record of successful program building, roster management, clear-eyed staffing vision and a strong sense of scheme, on both sides of the ball. All of which would bend toward either a sitting head coach, or one recently out of a job but with a lengthy career resume.
Both his engagement with Turnkey, and Dolson's own track record of thinking outside the box in his decision to hire Mike Woodson in 2021, suggest he won't limit himself to a rigidly specific candidate profile. But it's also probably fair to say, based on what we've been hearing, any coach who didn't bring a fairly lengthy resume of that nature to the table would need to make up for it in other ways — recruiting bonafides, staffing plans, wider energy and vision — to close that perceived gap.
Again, Dolson appears to have every intention of wrapping this search up by week's end. So while candidates might not be public as of now, it stands to reason he's at least conducted some serious vetting and gauged some interest. Things have the capacity to heat up quickly in any coaching search, and given this one's apparent timeline, clearer direction could become apparent in short order.
With that in mind, we've rebuilt our hot board to group candidates less by classification (proven coach, young coach, coordinator, etc.) and more by their potential appeal to Indiana. This is the third iteration of our board now, 3.0 if you want to call it that. Some fresh intel attached to a handful of the names mentioned below.
Toledo head coach Jason Candle and team hold the championship trophy after the Mid-American Conference championship against Ohio, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at Ford Field.© Carlos Osorio, AP
Candle's name has come up across the Past 48 hours, albeit in a much more theoretical way than in hard intelligence over potential interest from Indiana.
His resume speaks for itself, at least at the MAC level, where he's won multiple conference titles and just finished perhaps his best-ever regular season (11-1, 8-0 in conference). The Rockets can win Candle's third MAC championship if they defeat Miami (Ohio) in the league's title game Saturday in Detroit.
So why doesn't Candle's name appear to be gaining much traction? There are two potential concerns at first blush. First, Candle has never spent any time in his career at the Power Four level, which is a hole in his resume from IU's perspective. Second, no job is foolproof, but Toledo enjoys a lot of advantages relative to its conference, and it's become a place where a lot of coaches found quick and sustained success. Some (Gary Pinkel, Nick Saban, Matt Campbell to some extent) have translated that up to the P4 level. But unlike Indiana, it is a bit of a plush job in its league, and coaches coming out of Toledo might find the transition tricky.
UW football coach Paul Chryst takes the stand during Rose Bowl media day on Dec. 30, 2019© Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Unlike Candle, Chryst does have some juice behind him in this search. His name has been reported in a few places as a candidate, and we've heard similar whispers.
As a potential new head coach, Chryst is a mixed bag. His Wisconsin tenure ended poorly, the Badgers' offenses struggling without All-American running backs and Chryst himself wearing some criticism for a lack of energy in recruiting. On the other hand, he finished his tenure in Madison 43-18, 6-1 in bowl games and 10-4 against rivals Iowa and Minnesota, his teams often performing at their best in their biggest games annually. Chryst also won the admittedly lesser Big Ten West three times in seven full seasons.
As a candidate, Chryst can (and by all accounts will) be picky. Special assistant to the head coach for Steve Sarkisian at Texas now, Chryst reportedly turned down serious overtures from Northwestern before the Wildcats elevated David Braun. Would Indiana be able to turn his head in ways Northwestern did not?
Tulane head coach Willie Fritz celebrates his team's victory over Central Florida with Tulane safety Larry Brooks (31) at the end of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)© The Associated Press
Fritz has tremendous head-coaching experience down to the lower levels of the sport. He was a perennial national title contender at the FCS level with Sam Houston State, and across 10 years as head coach at Georgia Southern and Tulane, Fritz is 54-46 with six bowl appearances.
Comparisons to Kansas' Lance Leipold and perhaps Liberty's Jamey Chadwell are apt. Fritz runs a shotgun option hybrid offense that's bespoke enough to be a headache for opponents given just a few days to prepare for it. That schematic distinctiveness might appeal to Indiana as a way to set itself apart in a difficult conference. There's at least been some smoke around Fritz as a possibility, though nothing concrete.
It's also been reported Fritz would not interview for head jobs until after Tulane plays in its conference championship game this weekend. Couple that to some appealing openings (Houston, primarily) in his neck of the woods, and Fritz might make a little less sense based on IU's priorities and timeline.
Michigan running back coach Mike Hart watches warm up before the East Carolina game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.© Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Hart spent four years as running backs coach in Bloomington, from 2017-20, and left a distinctly positive impression behind him when he departed for his alma mater. His reputation both as a coach (consider some of the records Michigan backs have set lately) and as a person leave more than a few people in Ann Arbor wondering whether Hart will be a head coach in the near future.
There is lingering respect here. Hart's time at Indiana was well-regarded by virtually everyone in the department, and we've heard Hart's name has been discussed at some level in the search. It's even possible IU has contacted him about it in some fashion. Among non-head coaches on this list, his is a name to keep an eye on.
Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis of the Colorado Buffaloes claps after an offensive touchdown in the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at Folsom Field on September 30, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado.© Dustin Bradford, Getty Images
Note: ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Tuesday afternoon Lewis is close to taking San Diego State's head job. If that move is confirmed, he will be removed here.
Lewis is a lot younger than the other names mentioned here, but he's still got five years of head-coaching experience at Kent State. Lewis took the Golden Flashes to two bowl games during that stretch, and his innovative offenses made his teams competitive despite enduring some of the same resource and competitiveness issues, relative to the MAC, that IU faces in the Big Ten.
It would need explained, at least to some extent, why Lewis had playcalling duties taken away midseason at Colorado. But his scheme was putting up yards and numbers just fine before Deion Sanders pulled the plug, and there's a distinct feeling in coaching circles Lewis got a bit of a raw deal with that move. He'll turn 38 in April, and as an Illinois native who played at Wisconsin, he's got Midwest ties from a few career directions.
We're including Lewis here more because he fits the profile rather than because there's clear, confirmable interest. But it's been reported in a couple of places Indiana might have spoken to him, which wouldn't be surprising given Lewis' background.
Head Coach Chris Creighton of the Eastern Michigan Eagles surveys the field during the first half of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against the San Jose State Spartans at Albertsons Stadium on December 20, 2022 in Boise, Idaho.© Loren Orr, Getty Images
Creighton's had commendable success at another MAC job without much in the way of tradition or resources. He's made Eastern Michigan into a perennial bowl contender, and done so through a long, patient build. He also boasts some impressive work at lower levels of the sport, including a successful stint as head coach at Wabash.
Still, there's been precious little noise around Creighton. One glaring potential hangup: his relationship with Tom Allen, whom he hired into college coaching at Wabash and to whom he recommended Kalen DeBoer in 2019.
Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald stands on the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Oct. 23, 2021, in Ann Arbor, Mich.© Carlos Osorio, AP
A new addition to our hot board, Fitzgerald has clear bonafides for a program like IU. He turned Northwestern into a serious player in the Big Ten West, upgrading expectations and facilities along the way. The Wildcats won the West twice in his tenure.
The elephant in the room is easy to spot. Fitzgerald was dismissed last summer in the wake of a hazing scandal that shook his program deeply. Indiana would both have to be confident in Fitzgerald's innocence of the most serious accusations surrounding that scandal, and also sure Fitzgerald would bring the same passion and commitment when he wasn't working for his alma mater.
Truthfully, while the scandal would eat a lot of oxygen around any serious Fitzgerald pursuit, it also shouldn't go unnoticed that while Northwestern won the West during the COVID season in 2020, the Wildcats finished 1-8 in Big Ten play across Fitzgerald's last three full seasons in Evanston. There's been a little noise around Fitzgerald through IU's search, but nothing to take seriously so far.
Marshall head coach Charles Huff walks off the field after the Notre Dame vs. Marshall NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.© Michael Caterina, South Bend Tribune
Sports Illustrated connected Huff to the Indiana job on Tuesday morning. While we haven't heard the same, there are certainly elements of his profile that fit.
He's young, 41 in April, and he has experience from a fistful of Power Four assistant-coaching gigs (Maryland, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Mississippi State, Alabama). Huff, widely respected as an outstanding recruiter, also spent some time in the NFL.
Still, 22-16, 13-11 in conference play, isn't exactly knocking it out of the park at a program that's become a pretty consistent winner at the Group-of-Five level. Parts of Huff's profile make sense. Others, less so.
Indiana Offensive Coordinator Rod Carey talks with Brenden Sorsby (15) during pregame warm-ups before the start of the Indiana versus Rutgers football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 21. 2023.© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
Before returning to his alma mater as an analyst, then interim offensive line coach, then as an analyst again, then as offensive coordinator, Carey authored a successful head-coaching stretch at Northern Illinois. He made that program, one with deep IU ties dating back decades, a regular contender and bowl participant in the MAC.
Carey's move to Temple didn't go so smoothly, but the sum total of his experience as a head coach is impressive. He built solid, powerful run-based offenses at Northern Illinois, and sent his share of players to the next level.
It would at least make sense to hear Carey out, and let an Indiana alum with a strong working knowledge of the program in its present state make his case. Whether Dolson would want carryover from the previous regime is obviously another matter.
Nov 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive line coach Justin Frye takes the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Among alums who might get an interview, Frye would be the favored son. He was a standout offensive lineman in Bloomington in the early 2000s coming to IU out of Elwood High School. Since, he's embarked upon a coaching career that's included some high-profile stops, most notably time spent with Chip Kelly at UCLA and now Ryan Day in Columbus.
Would Frye be a candidate were he not an Indiana alumnus? Maybe not. But the turnabout is he has a confirmed passion for the job, and both his energy and his connections having worked with some serious programs as an assistant would give him bold ideas about staffing and program organization.
It should be said Frye's past two stops have been with well-respected offensive coaches, but also coaches who take hands-on roles with those offenses, so Frye may not have in-depth experience in the wider facets of coordinating a scheme. But he's got major traction within the alumni base — certainly more than someone like Jon Gruden, who you will not see on this board — as an IU-passionate coach with strong ties to the program. It would be a bit surprising if Indiana didn't at least let him make his pitch.
South Alabama Head Coach Kane Wommack during a game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.© Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel
Wommack's Indiana tie is obvious. He was Allen's linebackers coach and then his defensive coordinator, Wommack doing work good enough to parlay into the South Alabama job following the 2020 season. Since arriving in Mobile, Wommack is 21-16, with a 10-win season last year and another bowl-eligible campaign this fall.
Maybe the fairest question to ask about potential interest is, if it's there, why it hasn't materialized in a remotely public way yet. IU would have fewer questions to ask about Wommack than most candidates, given his ties to the department, and if both sides were interested, there's not a conference championship game or anything of that nature holding his attention right now.
It's probably fair to characterize links to Wommack right now as connecting the dots more so than informed by hard information, but that can obviously change quickly.
Curt Cignetti, head coach, James Madison
Ryan Grubb, offensive coordinator, Washington
Brian Hartline, offensive coordinator, Ohio State
Tyson Helton, head coach, Western Kentucky
Sherrone Moore, offensive coordinator, Michigan
Jon Sumrall, head coach, Troy
BLOOMINGTON – If Scott Dolson has his way, as much or more of his football coaching search may now be behind him as is ahead.
Consulting with search firm TurnkeyZRG, and working closely with Indiana University President Pam Whitten, Dolson has moved quickly through the process of replacing Tom Allen. There is a growing belief that search could conclude by or before the end of this week, handing Allen's replacement ample time to settle into the job and work his way through the transfer portal, once it officially opens Dec. 4.
What profile of coach is Dolson looking for?
Since its beginning last weekend, there's been a strong sense around the search Indiana will place great value on established head-coaching track record. With the Big Ten getting tougher, player compensation becoming ever more important and the medium-to-long-term future of bigtime college football still unfolding, there exists a strong suspicion Dolson believes the job needs, right now, someone who won't need to grow into it too much.
IU has an established history of difficulty gaining traction in football. It also has Big Ten media rights money, growing NIL resources and an athletic director committed to improving both the Memorial Stadium gameday experience, and also the infrastructural (financial) support for his next head coach.
Indications are Indiana will value coaches who have a long record of successful program building, roster management, clear-eyed staffing vision and a strong sense of scheme, on both sides of the ball. All of which would bend toward either a sitting head coach, or one recently out of a job but with a lengthy career resume.
Both his engagement with Turnkey, and Dolson's own track record of thinking outside the box in his decision to hire Mike Woodson in 2021, suggest he won't limit himself to a rigidly specific candidate profile. But it's also probably fair to say, based on what we've been hearing, any coach who didn't bring a fairly lengthy resume of that nature to the table would need to make up for it in other ways — recruiting bonafides, staffing plans, wider energy and vision — to close that perceived gap.
Again, Dolson appears to have every intention of wrapping this search up by week's end. So while candidates might not be public as of now, it stands to reason he's at least conducted some serious vetting and gauged some interest. Things have the capacity to heat up quickly in any coaching search, and given this one's apparent timeline, clearer direction could become apparent in short order.
With that in mind, we've rebuilt our hot board to group candidates less by classification (proven coach, young coach, coordinator, etc.) and more by their potential appeal to Indiana. This is the third iteration of our board now, 3.0 if you want to call it that. Some fresh intel attached to a handful of the names mentioned below.
COACHES WHO FIT THE PROFILE
Jason Candle, head coach, Toledo
Toledo head coach Jason Candle and team hold the championship trophy after the Mid-American Conference championship against Ohio, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at Ford Field.© Carlos Osorio, AP
Candle's name has come up across the Past 48 hours, albeit in a much more theoretical way than in hard intelligence over potential interest from Indiana.
His resume speaks for itself, at least at the MAC level, where he's won multiple conference titles and just finished perhaps his best-ever regular season (11-1, 8-0 in conference). The Rockets can win Candle's third MAC championship if they defeat Miami (Ohio) in the league's title game Saturday in Detroit.
So why doesn't Candle's name appear to be gaining much traction? There are two potential concerns at first blush. First, Candle has never spent any time in his career at the Power Four level, which is a hole in his resume from IU's perspective. Second, no job is foolproof, but Toledo enjoys a lot of advantages relative to its conference, and it's become a place where a lot of coaches found quick and sustained success. Some (Gary Pinkel, Nick Saban, Matt Campbell to some extent) have translated that up to the P4 level. But unlike Indiana, it is a bit of a plush job in its league, and coaches coming out of Toledo might find the transition tricky.
Paul Chryst, former head coach, Wisconsin/Pitt
UW football coach Paul Chryst takes the stand during Rose Bowl media day on Dec. 30, 2019© Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Unlike Candle, Chryst does have some juice behind him in this search. His name has been reported in a few places as a candidate, and we've heard similar whispers.
As a potential new head coach, Chryst is a mixed bag. His Wisconsin tenure ended poorly, the Badgers' offenses struggling without All-American running backs and Chryst himself wearing some criticism for a lack of energy in recruiting. On the other hand, he finished his tenure in Madison 43-18, 6-1 in bowl games and 10-4 against rivals Iowa and Minnesota, his teams often performing at their best in their biggest games annually. Chryst also won the admittedly lesser Big Ten West three times in seven full seasons.
As a candidate, Chryst can (and by all accounts will) be picky. Special assistant to the head coach for Steve Sarkisian at Texas now, Chryst reportedly turned down serious overtures from Northwestern before the Wildcats elevated David Braun. Would Indiana be able to turn his head in ways Northwestern did not?
Willie Fritz, head coach, Tulane
Tulane head coach Willie Fritz celebrates his team's victory over Central Florida with Tulane safety Larry Brooks (31) at the end of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)© The Associated Press
Fritz has tremendous head-coaching experience down to the lower levels of the sport. He was a perennial national title contender at the FCS level with Sam Houston State, and across 10 years as head coach at Georgia Southern and Tulane, Fritz is 54-46 with six bowl appearances.
Comparisons to Kansas' Lance Leipold and perhaps Liberty's Jamey Chadwell are apt. Fritz runs a shotgun option hybrid offense that's bespoke enough to be a headache for opponents given just a few days to prepare for it. That schematic distinctiveness might appeal to Indiana as a way to set itself apart in a difficult conference. There's at least been some smoke around Fritz as a possibility, though nothing concrete.
It's also been reported Fritz would not interview for head jobs until after Tulane plays in its conference championship game this weekend. Couple that to some appealing openings (Houston, primarily) in his neck of the woods, and Fritz might make a little less sense based on IU's priorities and timeline.
Mike Hart, running backs coach/run game coordinator, Michigan
Michigan running back coach Mike Hart watches warm up before the East Carolina game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.© Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Hart spent four years as running backs coach in Bloomington, from 2017-20, and left a distinctly positive impression behind him when he departed for his alma mater. His reputation both as a coach (consider some of the records Michigan backs have set lately) and as a person leave more than a few people in Ann Arbor wondering whether Hart will be a head coach in the near future.
There is lingering respect here. Hart's time at Indiana was well-regarded by virtually everyone in the department, and we've heard Hart's name has been discussed at some level in the search. It's even possible IU has contacted him about it in some fashion. Among non-head coaches on this list, his is a name to keep an eye on.
Sean Lewis, offensive coordinator, Colorado
Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis of the Colorado Buffaloes claps after an offensive touchdown in the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at Folsom Field on September 30, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado.© Dustin Bradford, Getty Images
Note: ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Tuesday afternoon Lewis is close to taking San Diego State's head job. If that move is confirmed, he will be removed here.
Lewis is a lot younger than the other names mentioned here, but he's still got five years of head-coaching experience at Kent State. Lewis took the Golden Flashes to two bowl games during that stretch, and his innovative offenses made his teams competitive despite enduring some of the same resource and competitiveness issues, relative to the MAC, that IU faces in the Big Ten.
It would need explained, at least to some extent, why Lewis had playcalling duties taken away midseason at Colorado. But his scheme was putting up yards and numbers just fine before Deion Sanders pulled the plug, and there's a distinct feeling in coaching circles Lewis got a bit of a raw deal with that move. He'll turn 38 in April, and as an Illinois native who played at Wisconsin, he's got Midwest ties from a few career directions.
We're including Lewis here more because he fits the profile rather than because there's clear, confirmable interest. But it's been reported in a couple of places Indiana might have spoken to him, which wouldn't be surprising given Lewis' background.
OTHERS WHO MAKE SENSE
Chris Creighton, head coach, Eastern Michigan
Head Coach Chris Creighton of the Eastern Michigan Eagles surveys the field during the first half of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against the San Jose State Spartans at Albertsons Stadium on December 20, 2022 in Boise, Idaho.© Loren Orr, Getty Images
Creighton's had commendable success at another MAC job without much in the way of tradition or resources. He's made Eastern Michigan into a perennial bowl contender, and done so through a long, patient build. He also boasts some impressive work at lower levels of the sport, including a successful stint as head coach at Wabash.
Still, there's been precious little noise around Creighton. One glaring potential hangup: his relationship with Tom Allen, whom he hired into college coaching at Wabash and to whom he recommended Kalen DeBoer in 2019.
Pat Fitzgerald, former head coach, Northwestern
Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald stands on the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Oct. 23, 2021, in Ann Arbor, Mich.© Carlos Osorio, AP
A new addition to our hot board, Fitzgerald has clear bonafides for a program like IU. He turned Northwestern into a serious player in the Big Ten West, upgrading expectations and facilities along the way. The Wildcats won the West twice in his tenure.
The elephant in the room is easy to spot. Fitzgerald was dismissed last summer in the wake of a hazing scandal that shook his program deeply. Indiana would both have to be confident in Fitzgerald's innocence of the most serious accusations surrounding that scandal, and also sure Fitzgerald would bring the same passion and commitment when he wasn't working for his alma mater.
Truthfully, while the scandal would eat a lot of oxygen around any serious Fitzgerald pursuit, it also shouldn't go unnoticed that while Northwestern won the West during the COVID season in 2020, the Wildcats finished 1-8 in Big Ten play across Fitzgerald's last three full seasons in Evanston. There's been a little noise around Fitzgerald through IU's search, but nothing to take seriously so far.
Charles Huff, head coach, Marshall
Marshall head coach Charles Huff walks off the field after the Notre Dame vs. Marshall NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.© Michael Caterina, South Bend Tribune
Sports Illustrated connected Huff to the Indiana job on Tuesday morning. While we haven't heard the same, there are certainly elements of his profile that fit.
He's young, 41 in April, and he has experience from a fistful of Power Four assistant-coaching gigs (Maryland, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Mississippi State, Alabama). Huff, widely respected as an outstanding recruiter, also spent some time in the NFL.
Still, 22-16, 13-11 in conference play, isn't exactly knocking it out of the park at a program that's become a pretty consistent winner at the Group-of-Five level. Parts of Huff's profile make sense. Others, less so.
COACHES WITH IU TIES
Rod Carey, offensive coordinator, Indiana
Indiana Offensive Coordinator Rod Carey talks with Brenden Sorsby (15) during pregame warm-ups before the start of the Indiana versus Rutgers football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 21. 2023.© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
Before returning to his alma mater as an analyst, then interim offensive line coach, then as an analyst again, then as offensive coordinator, Carey authored a successful head-coaching stretch at Northern Illinois. He made that program, one with deep IU ties dating back decades, a regular contender and bowl participant in the MAC.
Carey's move to Temple didn't go so smoothly, but the sum total of his experience as a head coach is impressive. He built solid, powerful run-based offenses at Northern Illinois, and sent his share of players to the next level.
It would at least make sense to hear Carey out, and let an Indiana alum with a strong working knowledge of the program in its present state make his case. Whether Dolson would want carryover from the previous regime is obviously another matter.
Justin Frye, associate head coach/offensive line coach, Ohio State
Nov 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive line coach Justin Frye takes the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Among alums who might get an interview, Frye would be the favored son. He was a standout offensive lineman in Bloomington in the early 2000s coming to IU out of Elwood High School. Since, he's embarked upon a coaching career that's included some high-profile stops, most notably time spent with Chip Kelly at UCLA and now Ryan Day in Columbus.
Would Frye be a candidate were he not an Indiana alumnus? Maybe not. But the turnabout is he has a confirmed passion for the job, and both his energy and his connections having worked with some serious programs as an assistant would give him bold ideas about staffing and program organization.
It should be said Frye's past two stops have been with well-respected offensive coaches, but also coaches who take hands-on roles with those offenses, so Frye may not have in-depth experience in the wider facets of coordinating a scheme. But he's got major traction within the alumni base — certainly more than someone like Jon Gruden, who you will not see on this board — as an IU-passionate coach with strong ties to the program. It would be a bit surprising if Indiana didn't at least let him make his pitch.
Kane Wommack, head coach, South Alabama
South Alabama Head Coach Kane Wommack during a game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.© Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel
Wommack's Indiana tie is obvious. He was Allen's linebackers coach and then his defensive coordinator, Wommack doing work good enough to parlay into the South Alabama job following the 2020 season. Since arriving in Mobile, Wommack is 21-16, with a 10-win season last year and another bowl-eligible campaign this fall.
Maybe the fairest question to ask about potential interest is, if it's there, why it hasn't materialized in a remotely public way yet. IU would have fewer questions to ask about Wommack than most candidates, given his ties to the department, and if both sides were interested, there's not a conference championship game or anything of that nature holding his attention right now.
It's probably fair to characterize links to Wommack right now as connecting the dots more so than informed by hard information, but that can obviously change quickly.
OTHER POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
We won't go into these names in so much detail, but just to widen the list we'll keep a few on the backburner down here.Curt Cignetti, head coach, James Madison
Ryan Grubb, offensive coordinator, Washington
Brian Hartline, offensive coordinator, Ohio State
Tyson Helton, head coach, Western Kentucky
Sherrone Moore, offensive coordinator, Michigan
Jon Sumrall, head coach, Troy
