Coaching Carousel (Texas)

Despite some good early success as head coach a disastrous 4-7 season in 1997 lead to head coach John Mackovic being removed as head coach and reassigned within the Athletic Department.  Their search lead them to North Carolina head coach Mack Brown who had turned the Tar Heel program into an ACC power.

Mack Brown's ability to relate with everybody and recruit made him very popular and allowed the Longhorns to quickly turnaround a sleeping giant of a program.  After almost leading Texas to a National Title in 2001, Brown brought home the title in 2005 behind the stunning play of QB Vince Young.  From then on the Longhorns were one of the hottest programs in the National.  They were back in the National Title Game in 2009 but an injury to QB Colt McCoy early into the game put them into a hole they just couldn't get out of.  That loss turned out to be the beginning of the end for Brown.  They finished 5-7 the next year and only won nine games once since then.  Not only were they not winning, but they were also miss evaluating on the QB position seeing Texas high school quarterbacks like Matt Stafford, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin, Nick Foles, and Andy Dalton leading other schools to success.  After an 8-4 season in 2013 amid some pressure Mack Brown stepped down.

Where will Texas go with this hire is all speculation.  No matter who you ask, the Texas job is considered one of the top jobs in all of college football.  They have everything you want:  Recruiting hot bed, tradition, money, facilities, and kids want to go there.  But the Texas job also has a lot of things that other jobs don't have.  There is a ton of media, speaking engagements, and politics that most coaches don't have to deal with. Even at other big time jobs.  Whoever gets this job (I think the person will come out of nowhere) has a lot to handle.

Coaching Candidates

Gus Malzahn (Auburn Head Coach)
My favorite to get this job.  Yeah Texas would have to wait till after the National Title Game, but they are one of the few schools that can actually wait that long and not suffer in recruiting.  Malzhan is a proven recruiter and his unique spread rushing attack would be very attractive to the recruits and translate well to the talent in state.

Jimbo Fisher (Florida State Head Coach)
Fisher seems to be the favorite in many people's eyes.  I wouldn't be shocked if it happened, but I doubt it. Fisher is already at a spot that is very similar to Texas.  You really don't leave one top 5 job to go to another.  Unless he wants to be paid a boat load of money.

Todd Graham (Arizona State Head Coach)
If new Texas AD Steve Patterson didn't sign an agreement with former school Arizona State that he couldn't hire anybody from ASU, Graham would probably be their new coach by now.  Graham is a Texas native and has won everywhere he has gone.  Currently he turned Arizona State around to win the Pac 12 South and has them pointed in the right direction.  Now I still think he's in the running because even with that agreement money and some negotiations could change things.

Art Briles (Baylor Head Coach)
If I was the AD of Texas I'd do anything to get Briles at Texas.  Briles is one of the best coaches in the nation and would kill it at Texas.  But he won't go there.  He just signed a 10 year extension at Baylor which locks him there.  But even without that Briles seems more comfortable in Waco.  He's been described as a country boy and the extra stuff at Texas wouldn't appeal to him.  He'll be at Baylor till he retires.

Jim Mora Jr (UCLA Head Coach)
Another popular choice by many and somebody who'll probably be the new coach.  Mora was a lifetime NFL coach before going to UCLA.  At UCLA he's changed the Bruin's culture and has them as one of the brightest teams in the nation.  He relates well the players and his NFL past would allow him to fit in well in Austin.

Mark Dantonio (Michigan State Head Coach)
A real sleeper here is another Texas native in Mark Dantonio.  Dantonio has the Michigan State Spartans in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988 and before that was successful at Cincinnati and as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State.  He's a prove winner and a great leader.  But even with his talents as a coach, he isn't considered a sexy hire and that could scare off the Texas brass.  Also add in that he's spent his entire coaching career (aside from Kansas State) in Big 10 country, that could hurt his chances.

Kirby Smart (Alabama Defensive Coordinator)
It's out of left field and you aren't hearing his name many places for this job.  But it wouldn't shock me at all if they hired the Alabama defensive coordinator.  I firmly believe that for a job like this you hire somebody whose a proven head coach, however there is a infatuation with Nick Saban at Texas and that could lead them to hiring his protege.  It's crazy, but could happen.  Especially if they were to get turned down by their top choices.