USF is looking for a new football coach after firing Jeff Scott on Sunday. So who’s next for the Bulls?
Let’s talk about some realistic candidates and some prospects:
Jackson State coach Dion Sanders
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/3MTFKGFTU4PHFRJJE5LDAHXYIU.jpg "Jackson State football coach Dion Sanders could have five top suitors.")
We’ll start here because there are multiple USF fans (and at least one former player) has produced Florida State and NFL legends. He will be a dynamic recruiter and bring the heat USF needs to stand out in the professional market. He’s also 24-5 in three seasons at Jackson State (9-0 this year). But we don’t see him leaving the HBCU for anything other than a Power Five job.
former Houston/Texas coach Tom Herman
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/L3E3AU3S45BA7PCKGJOWDNCIQI.jpg "Tom Herman lost in Texas, but won big in Houston.")
The Bulls have fallen out with a former Longhorns coach (Charlie Strong), but Herman is interesting and is believed to be interested in the job. He finished in a 22-4 Peach Bowl win over FSU at the AAC in Houston. He is a CBS sports analyst this season.
former USF coach Jim Levitt
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/H3IP2VJXPFCMHDCDB72I3LK6FY.JPG "Jim Levitt is the most successful (and controversial) coach in Bulls history.")
A section of Bulls fans will speak out for Levitt, who coached the program from Game 1 until his controversial exit after the 2009 season. In 2007, he led the Bulls to five bowl games and was No. 2 in the country, but it’s hard to see a return to that form for USF. He has not been a head coach since the Bulls fired him after they concluded he hit a player and interfered with the school’s investigation.
former UCF/Nebraska coach Scott Frost
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/R2N7UIMTPRHCXLJFMUT3MZQ6AY.jpg "Scott Frost turned things around at another American Games school.")
Like Herman, he flopped in the top five but dominated the AAC. Just ask the Cavaliers about their national championship titles from 2017. The idea of Frost coaching UCF opponents is interesting.
Georgia Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/MXUCMOXEJFETLPVWZR6FB7UNMY.JPG "Todd Monken, a Jameis Winston-era Buccaneers assistant, was Georgia's No. 1 offensive coordinator.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/HGGIGRRJWZHLROCP7AXKKCJACU.png "Follow the state's college football teams")
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The former Bucs assistant helped the Bulldogs win the entire championship last year and took Southern Miss from 1-11 to 9-5 as head coach. Will he be interested in the job?
indiana coach tom allen
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/OCID3TZZNLXNSAKK3OJZA3FT4E.jpg "Indiana coach Tom Allen has a better job than USF, but his Indiana team has had a poor season.")
No, we can’t imagine Allen leaving a Big Ten job for the Bulls. But if things go south in Indiana — he’s 3-6 this season and 1-5 in the division — maybe he’ll go to USC. He served as the Bulls’ defensive coordinator in 2015 and began his coaching career at Temple Heights, the now-defunct Christian High School in Hillsborough County.
Oregon State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/CNKQ3IYTEAOWNS2Q5IXHG3KULM.jpg "Kenny Dillingham of Oregon is another candidate likely to be pursued by the Power Five program.")
The former FSU assistant has ties to the state and is seen as a rising star in the industry. We expect the Arizona native to be a part of the Sun Devils, though he may need to start his head coaching career in the five-man squad.
Florida Offensive Coordinator Alex Atkins
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/7V6TMKZTOVD57JGP2UUZQU72L4.JPG "Alex Atkins revamped the worst offensive line in FSU history.")
Like Dillingham, Atkins is a promising young assistant who could be the head coach of the future after rebuilding a historically poor offensive line. His name was mentioned in Charlotte’s search, but USF will go further than that.
Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Alex Golesh
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/COS4FN5P7FD5JLZDZP4ZG7DJUI.jpg "Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Goresh was a key figure in the Volunteers' breakout season.")
Golesh was involved in one of the best offenses in years, helping the Volunteers have a breakout season. He’s also Josh Heupel’s joint offensive coordinator at UCF in 2020, so he has some history in the state and in the conference.
Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/37KGHWJNSHNGTMT3FCSFSCCBIA.aspx "Is ex-Miami head coach Manny Diaz interested in returning to Florida?")
He was the architect of Miami’s elite defense in 2017 but was fired after going 21-15 in three seasons as Hurricanes head coach. The Miami native and FSU alum has connections across the state. Will he generate enough buzz and wins for a Bulls program that needs both?
former florida coach dan mullen
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/GTJFGHOFNVBVTFXGWTUVPOCOK4.jpg "Dan Mullen led the Florida Gators to three New Years six games before being fired in Year 4.")
We don’t expect Mullen to be a long-term ESPN analyst. We also wonder if he has his sights set on bigger work.
former Memphis/Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/2MOZZS324FH5PORYCIKZY5D2AQ.JPG "Justin Fuente, left, was doing well in Memphis before being fired from Virginia Tech.")
Like Frost and Herman, Fuente had success in the AAC (he went 19-6 the past two years to a conference title) but failed in the Final Five. Unlike Frost, he doesn’t have any apparent Tampa or Florida ties.
Toledo Joint Offensive Coordinator Robert Weiner
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/4ECYN6NYLNEP3KEJMNAJ475PKM.jpg "Former Plant High head coach Robert Weiner knows the field and has a knack for recruiting.")
He coached Plant High School to four state championships, so he is well known among district coaches. He is in his third season with the Rockets (which ended in October with one of the nation’s top 25 scoring offenses) and is considered one of the best recruiters in the Central American League. Weiner also briefly worked on the USF staff in 2013 before changing his mind.
howard coach larry scott
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/TQXZD2IKR5ECBNZFK7NJ26NL7A.jpg "Howard coach Larry Scott helped build USF from the ground up.")
A member of the Bulls’ inaugural recruiting class, the Sebring native worked at Liberty and Wharton High Schools in Tampa and was a USF assistant from 2005-12. In 2015, he was also an assistant coach of the Gators and interim coach of the Miami team, so he is well known in the state. But since taking over Howard in 2020, he’s only 6 years and 16 years old.
former florida state coach urban meyer
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/KSUOWISFT7QAUB7652HZVP7POM.jpg "Urban Meyer is now an analyst for Fox Sports, but we have to mention him as a potential coaching candidate.")
Mandatory inclusion because we were asked about the three-time national champion. After a tumultuous tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars, it seems highly unlikely that the Bulls will hire him, or that his ego will allow him to take the job.
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