Next Minnesota Gophers Football Coach
Update (11/5/10): Minnesota would prefer a “sitting coach“, and is aiming high, targeting Chris Peterson, Jim Harbaugh and Gary Patterson. Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press also mentions Marc Trestman, and Jeff Jagodzinski as candidates (not mentioned below), while the Star Tribune says Dan Mullen is the “the hot rumor of the day.” Phil Fulmer is not interested, but Tony Dungy is helping solicit coaches.
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The Tim Brewster era apparently will end after this season. It will be steep uphill battle for the next Gopher head coach, but Glen Mason showed Minnesota can be competitive in the Big Ten. Plus, with a sparkling new stadium to boot, the Gophers should attract some quality coaching candidates. Here are some of the names we may see:
Kevin Sumlin: It’s a matter of time before this up-and-coming coach is snatched. The coach knows Minnesota, previously serving as an assistant on the U’s staff, but more importantly, he know Texas, which could serve him well on the recruiting trail.
Mike Leach: Might this offensive guru just be taking a Tommy Tubberville-ish sabbatical? Minnesota likes seasoned coaches with proven track records a la Tubby Smith.
Phil Fulmer: Is it just me or does Phil seem to be itching to get out of the that broadcasting chair? He may welcome a new landing pad with realistic expectations.
Leslie Frazier: The hometown fans would love and hate this hire. That’s because the Gophs would gain a respected NFL coach, but loose their Vikings defensive coordinator. By the way, where did Tim Brewster come from? Minnesota isn’t scared to hire from the pro ranks. The Viking Age says Frazier may be interested.
Dan McCarney: Head coach experience? Check. Midwest coaching experience? Check. The former ISU coach has had some time to soak up Urban Meyer’s offense. After all didn’t MarQueis Gray come to the U for the spread offense?
Jeff Horton: Though an unlikely hire, you always have to include the interim coach on the list of candidates, especially if there is a remarkable turnaround.
Glen Mason: He’s not looking too bad now, don’t ya know?
Tony Dungy: He is an alum, and it never hurts to dream. Dream hard, but sorry.
Also visit our Hot Coaches and Hot Coordinator pages, as well as a longer list from the Daily Gopher. ESPN’s Big Ten Blog and the Pioneer Press also weigh in.
The Coaching Carousel 
No one has yet to metion Brian Billick the former head coach of the Baltimore Rvens and former offensive coordinator of the Vikings. Heck of a resume, proven winner and familiar with the college game having been at San Diego State, Utah State (offensive coordinator), Stanford (assnt. head coach)the Vikings ( offensive coordinator ) and Ravens. Add in a Super Bowl championship.
Any feed back here?
“Minnesota likes seasoned coaches with proven track records a la Tubby Smith” – Please, if this were true then why was Brewster hired with no head coaching experience?
Good question. This is a new priority in light of their Brewster experiment.
Top candidates on my list are Jeff Horton for where the team ended up at the end of the season which we should give him credit for. Plus, no buyout needed for this guy. Another is Glen Caruso at St. Thomas for his knowledge, track record, etc. Third is Marc Trestman of Montreal who has deep Minnesota roots. Those are my top three and I think we should stay away from certain coaches that we have to buyout.