Updated 2025. Not listed in order of preference:

Jon Sumrall (Troy Tulane)
At Tulane
9-5 (7-1 in conference) first year at Tulane
6-1 (3-0 in conference) year two

At Troy:
12-2 his first season at Troy and won a Conference championship.
11-2 his second season, won a conference championship pounding App St.

If we want this guy we need to move on him now bc he'll be in demand, especially with so many openings in the sec this year.


Jason Candle (Toledo)
Been there since 2015
76-43 overall, (48-25 in conference)
2 Conference Titles
9 full seasons, finished 2nd or higher 6 times. Gone to bowl game each season.

We need to bring him in for an interview. My only real concern with the guy is he's been coaching in the midwest his entire life. Can he recruit Texas? Bowl record is poor (3-6), not sure how much that matters but it may raise concern


K.C. Keeler (Temple)

At Temple:
4-3 (2-1 in conference) first year at Temple

At SHSU
coached at SHSU for 11 years, has a title and is 97-39 overall and 65-21 in conference.

He's older (66) so we will need to get him now so that we can get 6-7 years out of him. We don't have 2-4 years to see if he can turn temple around due to this age.


Jamey Chadwell (Liberty)
Won conferences titles at 3 different programs

Liberty took a bit of a step back in 2024 and appears to be going sideways this year, but the fact is he's won at 3 different stops. That's impressive no matter how you cut it. I'd be curious to know if he's lost staff over the past 2 years due to poaching or retirement.


WILDCARDS

Dan Mullen
I really don't know much about his character or what kind of offense/defense he runs, other than he had a couple good years at Miss St and did pretty well at Florida.
His conference record at Miss St was below 500, but that may have more to do with things out of his control. He did much better at Florida before getting the heav-ho in year 4. His successor at Florida has done far worse.

He's currently at UNLV with a 6-1 (2-1 in conference) record. If he takes them to 1-2 conference titles a P4 will undoubtedly call his number.

Mike Gundy
He had a track record of success at OK-Lite.
What led to OK-Lite being so bad the past 2 years? Lack of NIL? Gundy's aversion to the new college landscape?
Those questions would have to be answered.


GUYS I WOULD PASS ON (but others have requested)

Tyson Helton (WKU)
Moderate success at a lower level school doesn't equate to big success at a higher level. Pass.


Jeff Taylor (UTSA)
-Never really been high on this guy. He had two really good seasons with super seniors. Ever since losing his 7-years-of-eligibility-QB and others, the offense has been pedestrian.
-2024 7-6 overall, 4-4 in conference.
-2025 3-3 overall, 1-1 in conference. The program doesn't look any better this year compared to last.
-If he wins a conference title this year or next, he deserves a call.

Eric Morris (UNT)

18-15 (9-11 in conference) at UNT. Presumably, the buzz around him is that he's 7-1 (3-1 in conference) this season.

-was 24-11 (20-11 in conference) in 4seasons at Incarnate Word.
-Finished first in conference twice. In 2 trips to playoffs, lost in 1st and then 2nd round

NEED MORE TIME IN THE MINORS

Bob Chesney (Holy Croass / James Madison)
-He did pretty well at Holy Cross but never got past the quarter finals. So..no title on his resume.
-Followed Cignetti at James Madison, so he was handed the keys to an established program.
-needs to show me something for a few years at JM before I'd interview him. Pass for now but keep an eye on him.

Jimmy Rogers (Washington State)
3-3 Washington State - First year
27-3 (15-1 in conference) at FCS South Dakota St from 2023-2024

Rogers took over for John Stiegelmeier, who retired in 2022, after 26 years. South Dakota St won a title in Stiegelmeier's last season. Rogers continued the success in 2023, winning an FCS title.



***If you guys would like me to add candidates, let me know and I'll put them up***


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OLD

We lost 4 in a row to end 2022 and were just shoved around by TX ST to start 2023. The wheels have fallen off. Brace yourself for 3-4 wins this year because it's coming.

2024:
- We lost to CO due to poor game management and poor play calling.
- We've lost 17 of 22 games since the end of 2022.

I'll update a a list of prospects in case the next season or two go full Steele.
Musts for me: Proven winners as a HC. Not listed in order of preference.
Who would you guys add? I will add guys.

Jamey Chadwell (Liberty)
Finished 13-0 this year (first year).
3 conference titles in two different conferences since 2015.

Jeff Traylor (UTSA)
2 +10-win seasons and 2 conference titles in first 3 seasons as a college HC. 0-3 in bowls.
Finished 8-4 (7-1) this year, 3rd place.

K.C. Keeler (Sam Houston)
Guy goes to a school and stays +10 years. That speaks to success and loyalty.
Has two lower division titles.
Been at SHSU for 11 years, has a title and is 91-37 overall and 57-17 in conference.


Paul Chryst (Wisconsin 2015-2022)
- 67-26 overall with a 43-18 conference record while at Wisconsin
- 6-1 in bowl games
- A few blowout losses sprinkled in 2022 and 2023 prompted the administration to make a change .

Tyson Helton (WKU 2019-Current)
Adept at the Portal
Won 9 games 3 times out of 4 seasons.
29-11 in conference in 6 years.
3-1 in Bowls. Won 9 games in 2022 and 8 in 2023 including the bowl win.
3-2 and 1-0 in conference to start 2024.
Solid, but not spectacular.


Prospects that need more time in the minors


Matt Entz (NDSU, FCS; USC LB Coach)
Won FCS titles in 2019, 2021 and lost in the title game in 2022.
11-4 in 2023. NDSU lost in the sem-finals in double overtime to Montana.

Entz was hired as linebackers coach at USC. It will be interesting to see what he does over the next 4-5 seasons

Jimmy Rogers (South Dakota State)
Worked in various roles at SDSU since 2013
Won FCS title at SDSU as AHC/DC in 2022
Took over as HC from Stiegelmeier (retired) in 2023
Won FCS title in 2023 at 15-0

Promoted from within. Inherited the best team in the FCS and took them to another title. If he can reel off some more titles or high levels of success in the future and we are looking, interview him.

GUYS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Curt Cignetti - James Madison / Indiana
He wins everywhere he goes - D2, FCS and FBS levels. I think he has been back east his entire career. We need to hire this guy before someone else does.

James Madison is currently 9-0. If he isn't scooped up in 2023 by a P5, we need to hire this guy next year if he's still around (2024)

Edit: Hired by Indiana as HC after 2023 season.
Edit: First coach in Indiana history to start the season 6-0.

Fritz: (Tulane / UH)
63. A conference championship winner at every stop he has coached: Central Missouri, Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern, Tulane. Overall record at Tulane is average, but it's Tulane.
Hired by UH. I guess he could theoretically still be available and we could poach him from UH if he has a good season or something. However, he's up there in age which could be a deterrent.

Would he leave UH to come to Baylor?

David Shaw
He's a proven HC and won at a place that cripples itself. Sound familiar?
Took an NFL job. May not be interested in going back to the college game.

GUYS REMOVED FROM LIST

Kane Wommack (S. Alabama)
Went from 5-7 to 10-3 from years 1 to 2.
Slid back in year 3 (6-6, 4-4)
Finished 7-6 in year 4 (2023). So basically, he had one good season and 3 average to subpar seasons.

Hired by DeBoer to be Alabama's DC for 2024. Maybe he is better suited as a DC and not a HC. Will likely get a HC shot somewhere if Alabama keeps winning in the post saban era.

Traylor. Has done great things at UTSA and has great connections in Texas.

Maybe at Kinne to the list. He will be interesting to watch.

Pellini ain't passing no litmus test. He cusses too much .

Former Bear Maurice Linquist at Buffalo is one to keep an eye on. Limited experience but maybe couple years down road.

lockednloaded said:

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Maybe at Kinne to the list. He will be interesting to watch.

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He might sign to be the HC at Texas at the last minute instead.


Vague historical reference, I know.

Stefano DiMera said:

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Pellini ain't passing no litmus test. He cusses too much .

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I would attend every home game just to hear him scream at people.

Aranda is not going anywhere. His buyout is $40 million.

MSMBear said:

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Aranda is not going anywhere. His buyout is $40 million.

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Doubt it's $40 million and he isn't making it past next season if we have another one like this

lockednloaded said:

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Maybe at Kinne to the list. He will be interesting to watch.

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Baylor couldn't afford his I hate you price.

montypython said:

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Stefano DiMera said:

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Pellini ain't passing no litmus test. He cusses too much .

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I added him under "not the right fit" section for a reason.




That said, I would attend every home game just to hear him scream at people.

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I laughed my @ss off seeing that picture of him at Baylor

Traylor and Cignetti. If Aranda gets canned in 2024 and either Traylor or Cignetti are available, I don't think you could go wrong as they are both program builders.

Cignetti had James Madison rolling in Division 1 and they moved up to the FBS (Sun Belt) last year. Their first year in the FBS they tied for 1st in their division. Cignetti played QB at Rice and years later was on Saban's staff for 3 years at Alabama. I don't think the move up to the Big 12 would phase him.

Traylor is light on experience but I think his success offsets that. If he continues that success for another 1-2 more seasons I don't see how anyone could not offer the guy.

I suppose this is as good of a way as any to get out some of your frustrations by coming up with a wish list, but there is a 0.000000% chance Dave Aranda will be anywhere but the Baylor sideline as head coach next year and likely for several more after that. Mack and Linda can't stop speaking highly enough of him and Baylor's not gonna come up with that kind of buyout money. Hell, we dont' even have donors who will come up with NIL funding, I'm not sure who people think would come up with the money to buy Dave out.

DanaDane said:

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I suppose this is as good of a way as any to get out some of your frustrations by coming up with a wish list, but there is a 0.000000% chance Dave Aranda will be anywhere but the Baylor sideline as head coach next year and likely for several more after that. Mack and Linda can't stop speaking highly enough of him and Baylor's not gonna come up with that kind of buyout money. Hell, we dont' even have donors who will come up with NIL funding, I'm not sure who people think would come up with the money to buy Dave out.

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I'd give you two stars if I could.

This is a waste of time, but then it's BaylorFans -- OverReactions R Us

Traylor would be the obvious pick if he wanted it. He gets 10+ wins again and he's got pretty much any job he wants. He did just sign a long term deal at UTSA. Could he be the next Chris Petersen and stay G5 for a decade?

Chadwell is intriguing. Runs a modern take on the triple option with more throwing. He's from Tennessee and I don't think has ever left the southeast and mostly the state of South Carolina. I think the lack of P5 experience(none) and funky offense has turned off P5 programs.

Helton would bring offense. He has been hiring air raid coaches and they've put up lots of yards and points in C-USA. P5 experience at USC and Tennessee.

Sumrall is a defensive guy. If firing a coach who is a defensive guy usually teams swing the opposite way and go offense. He's only in his 2nd year at Troy but had success as co-dc at Kentucky his alma mater. If he hit 10+ wins with us I could see him leaving for an SEC opening.

Kane Wommack is a name you left off. South Alabama coach. Another defensive guy like Sumrall. Hit 10 wins last year. Was DC for Indiana during their improbable Covid season.

Trent Dilfer. First season as a head coach in college but the name might open recruiting doors. He's openly religious which the board and admin would like. They won their opener. It was a cupcake but Zeno played very well, so he might be able to coach up quarterbacks.

GJ Kinne because he just stomped our a$$e$. He worked the portal well and had success at the FCS level.

Willie Fritz and Curt Cignetti. They might be older but that also might make them jump at a P5 opportunity. Both have success building programs. Fritz being at Tulane probably recruits Texas a decent amount.

Rhule showed you don't have to be a Texan to recruit the state. Just need a couple staff members to help open the doors.

BigGameBaylorBear said:

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Yells at players

Perhaps the greatest indicator that your team isn't doing well, is when after the very first game.......there's already a thread about head coaching candidates.

I had a good chuckle at this. I'm sorry, it's funny in a painful, ironic sense. It's soooo not a good sign, LOL.

DanaDane said:

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I suppose this is as good of a way as any to get out some of your frustrations by coming up with a wish list, but there is a 0.000000% chance Dave Aranda will be anywhere but the Baylor sideline as head coach next year and likely for several more after that.

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It depends.

If this goes full steele-esque and we finish 2-10 or 3-9 this year and the next, the likelihood of him making it to 2025 is a lot closer to 0 than you think.

Force him out. And people can vote with their wallets. Stop buying season tickets. Period.

PartyBear said:

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lockednloaded said:

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Maybe at Kinne to the list. He will be interesting to watch.

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He might sign to be the HC at Texas at the last minute instead.


Vague historical reference, I know.

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Nice reference, but the better analogy would be him signing on to be a grad assistant at UT last second. There's no chance he was ever going to see the field at Texas. They knew that, we knew that. The only person who didn't know that was GJ Kinne.

TechDawgMc said:

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OverReactions R Us

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I don't think people are over reacting if they think Aranda and Mack need to go.

I'm going to paraphrase Big Tom Callahan from Tommy Boy.

"You are either getting better, or worse. There ain't no third direction".

We've lost 5 in a row dating back to last year.
We lost to Air Force.
We lost to TX ST - a team that has never beaten a P5 program until yesterday.

I thought Mack got an extension in just the past few months didn't he?

PartyBear said:

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I thought Mack got an extension in just the past few months didn't he?

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He got a 10 year deal last year.

It's amazing the amount of new usernames I've seen on this board that never posted before especially when we were winning.

I guess it's.kinda like when you have a great meal at a restaurant or a great stay at a resort people rarely leave a review.

But get your steak cooked wrong..or housekeeping forgets to change your bed....

Best we can hope for is Dave resigns.

Based on his demeanor, he has to feel
Guilty cashing those checks. We know he's not ready. "He knows he's not ready. Mack and Linda are using him for other reasons and are the only ones that seem to not know he's not ready" - kamala Harris

No chance I break my steak of no money to baylor while he's here. They don't care of course but I know there are dozens like me out there. Dozens!!!

Damn .can people stop with the Mack must go? We don't know yet if Aranda is a mistake..but if he is and can't turn this around... doesn't Mack at least get a chance to rectify it?

I'd hate to work under some of you guys.

Stefano DiMera said:

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Damn .can people stop with the Mack must go? We don't know yet if Aranda is a mistake..but if he is and can't turn this around... doesn't Mack at least get a chance to rectify it?

I'd hate to work under some of you guys.

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Don't take any of it seriously - it's just posturing and virtue signaling that has no meaningful impact on the program.

Sometimes 40 million can appear out of nowhere if the rich alums get sick enough of this coach. One can always hope, even if it's a flicker.

Yep you're right. The angrier we get. the more desperate times becomethe greater the possibility Aranda will be bought out.

boykin_spaniel said:

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Traylor would be the obvious pick if he wanted it. He gets 10+ wins again and he's got pretty much any job he wants. He did just sign a long term deal at UTSA. Could he be the next Chris Petersen and stay G5 for a decade?

Chadwell is intriguing. Runs a modern take on the triple option with more throwing. He's from Tennessee and I don't think has ever left the southeast and mostly the state of South Carolina. I think the lack of P5 experience(none) and funky offense has turned off P5 programs.

Helton would bring offense. He has been hiring air raid coaches and they've put up lots of yards and points in C-USA. P5 experience at USC and Tennessee.

Sumrall is a defensive guy. If firing a coach who is a defensive guy usually teams swing the opposite way and go offense. He's only in his 2nd year at Troy but had success as co-dc at Kentucky his alma mater. If he hit 10+ wins with us I could see him leaving for an SEC opening.

Kane Wommack is a name you left off. South Alabama coach. Another defensive guy like Sumrall. Hit 10 wins last year. Was DC for Indiana during their improbable Covid season.

Trent Dilfer. First season as a head coach in college but the name might open recruiting doors. He's openly religious which the board and admin would like. They won their opener. It was a cupcake but Zeno played very well, so he might be able to coach up quarterbacks.

GJ Kinne because he just stomped our a$$e$. He worked the portal well and had success at the FCS level.

Willie Fritz and Curt Cignetti. They might be older but that also might make them jump at a P5 opportunity. Both have success building programs. Fritz being at Tulane probably recruits Texas a decent amount.

Rhule showed you don't have to be a Texan to recruit the state. Just need a couple staff members to help open the doors.

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-Dilfer is a hard pass.
-Kinne has 1 FBS game under his belt. If he wins the sunbelt then I would say he is an interesting prospect. -Never heard of Wommack. I did add him to the op.
-Sumrall is light on experience and needs more seasoning so I moved him to prospects.

That pretty much leaves traylor and Cignetti . I'm getting lukewarm on Chadwell and I would really like to see a conference title by Helton before I could really support the guy.

What about Matt Entz?

He took over for Chris Klineman in 2019 at NDSU (FCS powerhouse) and has done very well.
He won FCS titles in 2019, 2021 and lost in the title game in 2022.
That's 4 years after Klineman left. To me that means he is not riding off Rhules Klineman's players.

I realize Entz has zero FBS experience but Klineman is working out pretty well for KSU.

DAC said:

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BigGameBaylorBear said:

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Yells at players

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Also is a ****ty coach who is likely to embarrass the university with his off-field actions.

Hard pass.

Stefano DiMera said:

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It's amazing the amount of new usernames I've seen on this board that never posted before especially when we were winning.

I guess it's.kinda like when you have a great meal at a restaurant or a great stay at a resort people rarely leave a review.

But get your steak cooked wrong..or housekeeping forgets to change your bed....

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Of course, last night's game was closer to finding a turd on your plate. This was no small gaffe.

Stefano DiMera said:

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It's amazing the amount of new usernames I've seen on this board that never posted before especially when we were winning.

I guess it's.kinda like when you have a great meal at a restaurant or a great stay at a resort people rarely leave a review.

But get your steak cooked wrong..or housekeeping forgets to change your bed....

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Yes, but also before this game was the off-season... Nobody who has a life wastes their time on this board during the off-season unless some hot news drops.

This was Game 1. People were going to come out onto the boards regardless. With the embarrassing loss, people are coming out of the woodwork.

morethanhecouldbear said:

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What about Matt Entz?

He took over for Chris Klineman in 2019 at NDSU (FCS powerhouse) and has done very well.
He won FCS titles in 2019, 2021 and lost in the title game in 2022.
That's 4 years after Klineman left. To me that means he is not riding off Rhules Klineman's players.

I realize Entz has zero FBS experience but Klineman is working out pretty well for KSU.

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Have we ever hired straight from the FCS? Seems like a big risk, even with his success.

After looking them both up, it appears Klineman got his shot because of his relationship with the AD. Klineman also won 4 FCS titles in a 5 year span.

Entz has won 2 in 4 years. I can't help but think he was using Klineman's recruits for those two titles.
If Entz wins another FCS title this year or next, then yeah, maybe he's worth a look. I'll put him under prospects.