With any high-profile head coaching job being open there will be plenty of names associated with it. From James Franklin to Mel Tucker to Lane Kiffin, it seems every major head coach in the Power Five is going mentioned. A couple of Group of Five coaches as well with Luke Fickell of Cincinnati and Billy Napier in nearby Lafayette with the Ragin Cajuns.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic mentioned the names of Tucker and more recently Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. On Tuesday when he met with the media Swinney was asked about the job in Death Valley. According to Zach Lentz of All Clemson (Sports Illustrated), the two-time national championship-winning coach played it off.
Dabo on the LSU job: What? I made a big-time list? I'm big time?…this is the only Death Valley I'm worried about.
— Zach Lentz (@ZachLentzSI) October 19, 2021
It appears that just about every coach is being asked about the job in their weekly press conferences, and every single one of them is playing it off. Not surprising at all, it would be in poor taste for a coach to admit that he is interested in the open job. That is a job for representation and agents to do the talking behind the scenes.
Most of the coaches mentioned are in contention for conference championships or chasing a College Football Playoff berth. We have also recently heard from Jimbo Fisher, who has been associated with the job in the last two head coaching searches.
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We likely won’t know who a front-runner candidate is for some time. The early favorites right now are in the Big Ten with Franklin and Tucker.