NCAA Football

West Virginia Coaching Search Crawls On

Posted Dec 26, 2007 7:07PM By John Radcliff (RSS feed)

Filed Under: West Virginia Football, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

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Doesn't it seem like this thing should have been over a long time ago? Before he who must not be named got on a plane for Ann Arbor, Terry Bowden was calling the West Virginia coaching position his dream job. But fate smiled on West Virginia and Bowden was not hired right away. John "Doc" Holiday, the associate and safeties coach at Florida seemed to be the early leader.

But not willing to let the process continue, Bobby Bowden apparently contacted West Virginia governor Joe Manchin to step in and give his son another look. And a decision was postponed until a latter date that we are still waiting on. But instead of Bowden, Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher became the lead candidate right before Christmas. He would turn the job down down, however, and leave West Virginia right where they started.

The good news for the Mountaineers is that they have the right man in place to hold things together in Bill Stewart, the interim head coach. Whether he is the right man for the job permanently is a question mark. If he isn't, this is one man that should always have a job at West Virginia for the job he is doing. While most of Mountaineer nation has in been in permanent meltdown mode, Stewart has been able to keep the team focused. And apparently liking the change.

"Coach Stew is a great coach. I think we feel more comfortable with him,'' Devine said. "When we had Coach Rod there was a lot of yelling and all that. Coach Stew's more laid back. Everybody can do what they do and use their skills on the field without getting yelled at.''

Sometimes going from a disciplinarian to a players coach can be a good thing and sometimes not so much. See this years Cowboys and Chargers, although the Chargers will make the playoffs thanks to a weak division. But from all indications Stewart is not being seriously considered. The names that are being considered after the jump.

Terry Bowden- Obviously still being considered for his pull in the state. But in my book he is also the riskiest bet. There was a time when he was considered a solid coach, but that was while he was still at Auburn. And that didn't last long once he got his own players. If I was going to give him a Delta House nickname, it would be Flounder.

Butch Jones- Was wide receivers coach at West Virginia before taking the head job at Central Michigan this year. He's had a great year, winning the MAC championship in his first year. He had a bit of a hand in the molding of that program as he coached there from 1998-2004. He has one of the better quarterbacks you've never heard of in Dan LeFevour. This one could be very possible, but it doesn't sparkle the way I think it should.

Mike Locksley- The offensive coordinator at Illinois should be a very strong candidate for West Virginia, but so far seems to only being given marginal attention. However, he has received quite a bit of support from Mountaineer fans and has responded to at least one emailer. (HT: Let's Go Drink Some Beers) Locksley, of course, runs the spread at Illinois in much the same way West Virginia does, so he would be a great hire for that reason alone. But he is also a strong recruiter in the D. C. area. And given the proximity to West Virginia, he would have an excellent chance of drawing players to the Mountaineers. This one does sparkle and would be a great get for the Mountaineers.

Bud Foster- My personal favorite, and probably the least likely to get a shot because of his association with Virginia Tech. And that is truly a shame because you have to admit that he has put together some incredible defenses over the years at Tech. He comes from a winning program. And that can't be understated. He's seen and done what it takes to be a consistent winner. This one shines the brightest, but fizzles due to stubbornness.

Doc Holiday- Was in the lead, but now seems to be fading with the push for Bowden and the rumors floating around that he had some bad things to say about West Virginia on the recruiting trail. Still a possibility, but not receiving the buzz he once was.

Chris Peterson- Head coach at Boise State. His name is being batted around but I don't know that the WVU administration is seriously considering him. He would be a great hire before this years Fiesta Bowl since he's had some success against Oklahoma, but considering his lack of contacts on the east coast he might not hit the ground running in the recruiting department. This one would probably be considered a good hire, but it just doesn't smell right.

Anyone I'm missing? I left Calvin McGee off the list just because he seems to be headed to Michigan as soon as the bowl is over.

Tags: Butch+Jones, ButchJones, Mike+Locksley, MikeLocksley, Terry+Bowden, TerryBowden

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