As is the case every year, positions are opening up as the holiday gifts are given out. The gift of freedom...to find a new place of employment. :-P When this happens it always seems coaches from OU and OSU are always in the mix.

Current Changes/Openings...

Akron (MAC) - Outgoing: Rob Ianello | Incoming Rumors: None yet
Arizona (PAC 12) - Outgoing: Mike Stoops | Incoming: Rich Rodriguez
Arizona State (PAC 12) - Outgoing: Dennis Erickson | Incoming Rumors: Kevin Sumlin (Houston), Mike Belloti (fmr. Oregon), or Mike Leach (fmr. TTU)
Florida Atlantic (SBC) - Outgoing: Howard Schnellenberger | Incoming Rumors: None yet
Illinois (Big Ten) - Outgoing: Ron Zook | Incoming Rumors: None yet
Kansas (Big 12) - Outgoing: Turner Gill | Incoming Rumors: None yet
Memphis (CUSA) - Outgoing: Larry Porter | Incoming Rumors: None yet
New Mexico (MWC) - Outgoing: Mike Locksley | Incoming: Bob Davie
Ole Miss (SEC) - Outgoing: Houston Nutt | Incoming Rumors: None yet
Penn State (Big Ten) - Outgoing: Joe Paterno | Incoming Rumors: None yet
Tulane (CUSA) - Outgoing: Bob Toledo | Incoming Rumors: None yet
UAB (CUSA) - Outgoing: Neil Callaway | Incoming Rumors: None yet
UCLA (PAC 12) - Outgoing: Rick Neuheisel | Incoming Rumors: Kevin Sumlin (Houston), Chris Petersen (Boise St), Paul Chryst (Wisconsin OC), June Jones (SMU), Mike Belloti (fmr. Oregon), or Charlie Strong (Louisville)
Washington State (PAC 12) - Outgoing: Paul Wulff | Incoming Rumors: Mike Leach (fmr. TTU)

Looks like the glorious job hopper, Urban Meyer, is pretty much a done deal to coach at Ohio State.

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/33563952

Looks like there are early rumblings of interest on the part of Illinois in OU's Brent Venables.

Some really wild speculation even suggests the notion of Mike Stoops to Ohio State as their DC, but that's at best wild gossip. Others have said Meyer may keep the current DC there.

Looks like the interim coach at Penn State wants out just about at all costs, supposedly even having queried some contacts in the NFL about an assistant position.

Sad to see Gill get fired at Kansas. Granted they really sucked but it takes more than 2 years to build a team up from the bottom.

Sad to see Gill get fired at Kansas. Granted they really sucked but it takes more than 2 years to build a team up from the bottom.

True, but when you fail to show improvement, and in fact get worse, it's hard to justify keeping him.

http://bruce-feldman.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/31626208/33600760

Mike Leach has been hired as the new coach for Washington State. Good to see him back.

True, but when you fail to show improvement, and in fact get worse, it's hard to justify keeping him.

Yes, but two years isn't even enough time to get him a full class of his own. At that point, none of the players he would have recruited would even have a chance to benefit the team. They didn't improve, but in the first years a new coach is pretty much still bound by the old coach.

True, but when you fail to show improvement, and in fact get worse, it's hard to justify keeping him.

Two wins are McNeese State and Northern Illinois and ya drop your last 10 to end the season...You better have a pretty convincing "but but but" presentation on hand to save your job

It was the fact that Gill's KU teams didn't look competitive in the majority of their games, they were almost pre-Bill Snyder K-State bad.

Lots of unsubstantiated Tweets overnight indicating something is brewing at A&M re Mike Sherman. Last bit of info I heard was that there was no "official" announcement from the University, but supposedly coaches on the road/recruiting were recalled back to College Station in advance of a formal announcement that Sherman was gone. Again, all Twitterverse stuff, so it may all be nonsense, but there were some actual journalists in that mix of tweets last night - there's at least *something* going on at A&M re Sherman's future.

Okedoke, folks, you heard it here first :)

Looks like Texas A&M has, indeed, fired Mike Sherman. They just haven't told him yet.

Story right now is that Sherman met with the A&M AD this morning about his status, and that meeting broke with no promises made and Sherman returning to the recruiting road. Kirk Bohls tweeted about a half-hour ago that whatever support Sherman had with the regents had dissolved, and he was gone. About thirty minutes later (well, within the last five minutes of this posting or thereabouts), Sherman was supposedly contacted and told he was gone. The irony is that he was on a recruiting trip.

Lots of rumors that Kevin Sumlin is high on their list, but its unclear if he's interested.

This may go down as the most poorly handled coach firing in college history. Just more fuel on the fire of things that make you look at A&M and just shake your head.

This may go down as the most poorly handled coach firing in college history. Just more fuel on the fire of things that make you look at A&M and just shake your head.
They should be well versed at it, I still think RC's firing was even worse.

Kansas has hired Charlie Weis.

http://newsok.com/kansas-hires-former-notre-dame-coach-weis/article/feed/325207

ND to Kansas...hum. LOL

Kansas has hired Charlie Weis.

http://newsok.com/kansas-hires-former-notre-dame-coach-weis/article/feed/325207

ND to Kansas...hum. LOL


ND to KC Chiefs to UF to KSU. 4 locales in 4 years.

Kansas has hired Charlie Weis.

http://newsok.com/kansas-hires-former-notre-dame-coach-weis/article/feed/325207

ND to Kansas...hum. LOL

Kansas seems to do well when they have a coach with moobies!

This may be one of the goofiest CFB coaching hires in recent memory.

Let's do a little math.

Weis: Hired by one of the most storied if overrated football programs in all of college sports, virtually limitless resources, nationwide recruiting appeal, and a nationwide fanbase.

He failed.

Now, exactly, how will he do better at Kansas, which has all but four of those things?

Kansas = Clueless.

This may be one of the goofiest CFB coaching hires in recent memory.

Let's do a little math.

Weis: Hired by one of the most storied if overrated football programs in all of college sports, virtually limitless resources, nationwide recruiting appeal, and a nationwide fanbase.

He failed.

Now, exactly, how will he do better at Kansas, which has all but four of those things?

Kansas = Clueless.

I agree, Dave. Just plain weird. Sometimes I think it boils down to the simplicity of they needed a coach and he needed a job. Basketball will always be their baby anyway. But what a strange and, as you said, clueless choice by Kansas.

It's interesting that two former OU quarterbacks have just been named head coaches recently. Justin Fuente is at Memphis and Garrick McGee is at UAB.

It's interesting that two former OU quarterbacks have just been named head coaches recently. Justin Fuente is at Memphis and Garrick McGee is at UAB.

Thanks for posting this. It's good to see these two making good. I just read a little about Fuente, I didn't know anything about what a success he's been since leaving OU. Impressive.

Is Garrick McGee the one that got a concussion at OSU in 1998?

Is Garrick McGee the one that got a concussion at OSU in 1998?

No, he was at OU in the middle 90's. Here is a Barry Trammel column about this story.

http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2011/12/08/ou-football-garrick-mcgee-justin-fuente-prosper/comment-page-1/

Oh, ok. Well, who was that qb?

Oh, ok. Well, who was that qb?

That was Eric Moore.

I sure fear the current sentiment toward Bob Stoops rehiring Mike could be a huge red herring. I appreciated Mike's intensity and thought he was a great complement to Bob, but the old saying "you can't go home again" rings loud in my head when the notion comes up that his return would invariably fix the Sooners' defensive problems. Might, might not, but the notion of "quick fixes" makes me think of bailing water....

That was Eric Moore.

Ahhhh! Thank you!

I sure fear the current sentiment toward Bob Stoops rehiring Mike could be a huge red herring. I appreciated Mike's intensity and thought he was a great complement to Bob, but the old saying "you can't go home again" rings loud in my head when the notion comes up that his return would invariably fix the Sooners' defensive problems. Might, might not, but the notion of "quick fixes" makes me think of bailing water....

I'm thinking Mike wants the Husker DC job that came open.

I'm thinking Mike wants the Husker DC job that came open.

Man, if he wants to get to the Big 10, and that rumor of a DC offer from Meyer at Ohio State were true, why wouldn't you head to Columbus?

It would be really, really weird to see him back at OU. First, what a lot of people don't realize is that to bring him back means you've got to vacate a position on staff. Stoops, to my recollection, has never fired anyone during his tenure at OU. There are some who would like him to jettison Willie Martinez, whom I admit was a hire I viewed with great caution when I first heard it. Beyond that, there would be an implicit demotion of Venables back to "co" DC. Would he be OK with that? He's been at the defensive helm solo for, what, seven years now?

The greater question is whether Mike wants to be an HC again, implying any new position might be thought of as a stepping stone back to a better HC job in a few years. Then again, maybe he had his fill of being top dog at Arizona, and may find being a DC more to his liking. I don't think the "flesh-pressing," fundraising, and related "non-coaching" things that go with being an HC were something he was ever crazy about.

Who knows...