College coaching targets to keep an eye on

No sooner is the ink dry on the Rivalry Week scoresheet, than the coaches' heads start rolling. But even before the vacancies begin to pile up, clear candidates for job upgrades start to emerge. Here's our look at the most coveted coaches in the 2018-19 carousel.

Dino Babers

Syracuse football is good. That's basically all you need to know to understand that should he want to, Babers will move on up this offseason. After predicting in his introductory press conference three years ago that Orange football would be restored to relevance, Babers produced a nine-win season and the team's first bowl berth since 2013. His name has been mentioned in connection with nearly every high-profile vacant job, but it may be a moot point — Babers has stayed mum on whether he’s willing to entertain offers.

Brent Venables

Thanks in large part to Clemson defensive coordinator Venables’ brilliant schemes and recruiting, the Tigers are on the verge of a fourth straight appearance in the College Football Playoff. Cue the ringing phones. However, Venables may be reluctant to answer — he just signed a lucrative contract extension with Clemson over the summer and has said he’d like to stay in his post while his son, a freshman on the team, completes his Clemson career. It would no doubt take the right offer, but Venables is one of the top coordinators in line for a first head coaching gig.

Ryan Day

If there was any doubt that Day knows how to run an offense and execute a game plan, it evaporated when his Ohio State Buckeyes embarrassed Michigan’s lauded defense on rivalry weekend. Most of the other candidates in the mix this year are already head coaches or are defensive minds, so as an offensive coordinator (of one the nation’s top offenses, at that), Day should be highly sought after.

Matt Wells

If Gary Andersen got the Utah State football program on the right track, then Wells has truly taken it to the next level. The Aggies are about to head to their fifth bowl game in six years; prior to this run they’d played in only eight bowls all time. There’s also the matter of the stat sheet — Utah State is at or near the top in multiple offensive and defensive categories this year. Finally, Wells’ reputation for developing quarterbacks makes him an attractive candidate.

Jim Leavitt

The circumstances surrounding his departure from the South Florida head coaching job notwithstanding, it’s baffling that Leavitt hasn’t been more sought after for a head role since being fired from USF in 2010. He’s simply been paramount to the achievements at every subsequent job, from coaching linebackers for the 49ers to helping orchestrate the only successful season at Colorado in years. His name has been floated for a number of head coaching scenarios; a return to Boulder to take over the Buffs seems like it might make the most sense.

Bryan Harsin

Boise State has long been a launch pad for future Power 5 coaching jobs, and Harsin is no exception. First of all, the timing is right — he’s finishing up his fifth season with the Broncos, who are hoping to secure a contract extension. But because nothing has been finalized, Harsin will likely be willing to entertain superior offers. Secondly, he’s performed admirably in the wake of the departure of the most successful coach in BSU history, in a conference that has become much more competitive. Those who thought the program would fall off without Chris Petersen are wrong — Harsin has coached the Broncos to two conference titles and three bowl wins.

Neal Brown

In four seasons at Troy, Brown has won nine or more games three times, earned the team its first-ever appearance in the AP poll and engineered a steady rise in the Sun Belt conference culminating in a 2017 league title. But it was last season’s win over LSU that really put the nation on notice. It’s a far cry from Sun Belt to Power 5, or even a stronger Group of 5 conference like Mountain West, but it’s hard not to fantasize what Brown could do if given the resources at such a program.

Jeff Tedford

One thing that’s never been in doubt is Tedford’s coaching ability. Perhaps his time at Cal had run its course, but Tedford picked up right where he left off and has reinvigorated Fresno State football. The Bulldogs were at the bottom of the barrel in the post-Derek Carr era. It took Tedford just a single season to turn things right around, reaching the conference title game and snapping a six-year streak of missing bowls. This year the Bulldogs are back in the title game, and Tedford is back in the Power 5 conversation.