The University of Texas might be the most sought after head coaching job in all of college football. So, it will be no surprise over the next few weeks to hear some very high-profile names associated with the soon-to-be-open position.
Nick Saban is the obvious first choice for the position, as rumors have been swirling about the Longhorns’ pursuit of the Alabama coach for months now. However, he’s not the only coach high on Texas’ wish list, according to Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com, who first broke the news of Mack Brown‘s reported resignation on Tuesday.
Texas will also be looking at other big-name candidates within the NCAA as well as the NFL landscape, Chip Brown said during an interview on FOX Sports Live on Tuesday night, with guys like Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and former Stanford and current 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh already popping up on the radar.
“I’m sure Texas hopes there’s a chance there. I think there’s no question Texas is going to aim high here,” Brown said. “I’ve been told they’re going to aim for a coach that’s won a national championship or a Super Bowl. And I think Nick Saban’s at the top of the list. I think Urban Meyer would probably be second. I’ve heard maybe Mike Tomlin could be approached in this. I think you have to look at guys like David Shaw — even though he hasn’t won a national title — and Jim Harbaugh. Both had success at Stanford and school president Bill Powers is a Cal graduate and wants Texas to be seen in the same light as Cal and Stanford.”
Tomlin hasn’t coached in college since he was the defensive backs coach at Cincinnati in 2000, making the connection somewhat obscure. He’s also already won one Super Bowl and made it to another in his seven seasons with the Steelers, making it even less likely that he’d be willing to bolt the NFL for the college ranks. Harbaugh, on the other hand, just left Stanford three years ago in pursuit of an NFL job, not to mention the fact that he’s built a perennial Super Bowl contender in San Francisco, so he doesn’t seem to be a likely fit either.
Coaches already in the college ranks like Shaw, Louisville’s Charlie Strong and even Auburn’s Gus Malzahn all seem like better potential candidates for the job. Even so, this probably isn’t the end of the speculation surrounding Harbuagh, Tomlin and a number of other NFL coaches.
Have a question for Luke Hughes? Send it to him via Twitter at @LukeFHughes or send it here.
