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Barry Odom, Jeff Traylor, and Other Head Coach Candidates for Arizona

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mike Huesmann | Last updated 1/14/24

By: Mike Huesmann

The carousel is in full effect, folks. Saban retires, DeBoer goes to Alabama, and Jedd Fisch leaves for Washington, leaving an opening in Tucson. Fisch is one of the underrated gems of the college game.

His overall record wasn’t great until this year but only looking at that would neglect the overhaul and improvements we’ve seen from the Wildcats under him. In 2020, Kevin Sumlin’s final season, the Cats were winless. That 0-5 season was followed by a 1-11 season, then a significant jump to 5-7 in 2022, leading up to this season's 10-3 record. Moving to the Big 12, there are many who pick Arizona to be among the conference favorites in the Fall. Keeping the roster that Fisch built intact will be critical. Here are five options for the Wildcats to target.

Barry Odom

Head Coach, UNLV

Odom is leading a resurgence in Las Vegas, a place where few have been able to win games. The Rebels played for the MWC title and made a bowl game. He had an average stint at Missouri, which was surrounded by much turmoil that was not his doing.

The job he is doing this year will dispel all notions about his ability, though. Odom spent time before UNLV at Arkansas as the DC. His Rebel team this year played stout defense and were deadly in the run game, using all kinds of guys to carry the ball. He could be a solid hire.

Jeff Traylor

Head Coach, UTSA

If you want a coach with roots and connections who can recruit Texas then look no further than Traylor. He had tremendous success as a high school coach in TX before jumping to SMU and later Arkansas as a Chad Morris lieutenant.

At UTSA he has proven adept in all areas of running a program. 43-13 over three years plus and a bowl game every year speaks for itself. A slower start this year at 4-3, in part due to injuries, was improved greatly which saw the Runners finish 9-4.

Kliff Kingsbury

Offensive Analyst, USC

I have been very slow to praise Kingsbury in the past, for good reason, but given the right circumstances, he could be a good hire in the state where he coached in the NFL. The former Texas Tech head coach knows quarterbacks, had significant offensive success as a coordinator, looks the part, and can recruit.

It would be critical that he gets the right defensive coordinator hire, I’d like to see a veteran with head coach experience, but in trying to keep the Fisch momentum moving, this hire wouldn’t be a bad one.

Jamey Chadwell

Liberty, Head Coach

Liberty head coach and former Coastal Carolina boss, Chadwell, has barely set a foot wrong as head coach in recent years. His Flames finished 13-1 with the sole loss coming to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.

It is a mystery to me that he isn’t a P5 head coach yet, but Liberty certainly has the resources to keep him happy. Could this be the P5 job he finally lands? Arizona has a roster that would appeal to him and being a playoff contender, which he will be at Liberty, might be enough to get him to Tucson.

Garret Riley

Offensive Coordinator, Clemson

Riley is the only name on this list who hasn’t been a head coach, but he will be soon. He spent time as Sonny Dykes’ OC at both SMU and TCU, guiding them to the title game in 2022. Along the way, he coached Max Duggan to a Heisman runner-up finish.

This past season he was tabbed by Dabo Swinney with getting the Clemson offense back on track. They finished 9-4 with a bowl win over Kentucky. There were some offensive struggles but that doesn't seem to have diminished his reputation. Garret, the younger brother of Lincoln, has all the tools and skills to make his name at the top levels of the game. If they want to replicate the Jedd Fisch hire of a young, new, offensive-minded coach, he’d make sense.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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