Possible Head Coach Candidates for Kentucky

Prior to Oregon he was the OC at UTSA where Jeff Traylor had his best seasons. It would be not surprising to see Stein get a head coaching job elsewhere this offseason, if he doesn’t land this one. Especially if Oregon makes a run in the College Football Playoff. He has never been a head coach. 

Chip Kelly

Former Offensive Coordinator, Las Vegas Raiders

Kelly’s stint with the Raiders lasted roughly half a season but his multiple stints in college have largely been successful. Last year he won a national title at Ohio State. Prior to that he had been head coach at UCLA, two NFL teams and the Oregon Ducks. He is a known commodity and a place like Kentucky with a limited ceiling might do well in hiring a veteran who has seen it all.

Some fans might not like this one and see it as short term. Maybe it is. But I would counter that the main criticism of Stoops lately has been a stagnant offense. There are few men I would trust to remedy that more than Kelly.

Buster Faulkner

Offensive Coordinator, Georgia Tech

Faulkner is a big reason that Brent Key and the Yellow Jackets (9-3, 6-2 ACC) have turned it around so quickly. He won national titles as an assistant at Georgia prior to this stint. He has extensive experience in the Group of 5 before that at Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State and Southern Miss.

His name is hot right now and has popped up in head coaching mentions the last couple cycles. We have heard rumors he has turned down G5 offers to stay an OC, but I can’t confirm that. Identity wise he fits here. 

Dan Mullen

Head Coach, UNLV

The Rebels (10-2, 6-2 Mountain West) will play for their second consecutive MWC title, and first under Mullen this weekend. He took over this year for Barry Odom and has kept the success rolling after two decades of failure in Las Vegas. Kentucky would be his third head coaching job in the SEC after stints at Mississippi State (69-46 in nine seasons) and Florida (34-15 in four seasons).

It looks like a “when” not an “if” he gets back in the Power Four. He is a top-notch schemer and on-field coach, but he struggled with recruiting. He won with less at Mississippi State. Kentucky might bank that he can do it again. 

Charles Huff

Head Coach, Southern Miss

Huff came to USM from Marshall and before that was Nick Saban’s RB coach at Alabama. He went to a bowl game every year and won the Sun Belt in year four. Southern Miss (7-5, 5-3 SBC) has far eclipsed last season’s win total of one. He is a winner who the now out of work Marshall AD should have convinced to stay.

Southern Miss is ahead of schedule, but this job might be too much for him to turn down and I think he is ambitious enough to take it if offered. He seems like a proven winner who’ll do a good job and then get a better job, maybe you have to accept that as a G5 team now.