Three days after former Duke head coach Ted Roof was dismissed from his position, the list of potential replacements has become more concrete. In his press conference Monday, Director of Athletics Joe Alleva stressed that he was looking for someone with head-coaching experience and an offensive approach. Given those criteria, The Chronicle offers an idea of where Duke stands as the national coaching carousel makes a stop in Durham.
Top-Dollar Candidates
Mike Shula - The Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterbacks coach and former Alabama head coach has had his name tossed around as a possible candidate for Duke's head coaching gig. In his press conference Monday, Alleva said one of his criteria for a new coach was head-coaching experience. Shula amassed a 26-23 record with the Crimson Tide, but was fired midway through his fourth season when his team failed to win more than half its games for the third time in his tenure.
Bill Cowher - The North Carolina State alumnus and current Raleigh resident's name has surfaced in regards to multiple job openings since he resigned from his head-coaching post with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007. At one point the longest-tenured active head coach in the NFL, Cowher has won a Super Bowl, but has never coached at the college level. In a radio interview earlier this year, the current CBS football analyst said he did not plan on entertaining any coaching offers until the graduation of his youngest daughter, who is currently a high school junior.
Paul Johnson - One of only four coaches to win at least 50 games in his first four seasons as a Division-I head coach, Johnson led Georgia Southern to two consecutive Division-IAA national championships before receiving an offer to take over the top spot at Navy. After a disappointing two wins in his inaugural season, the Midshipmen qualified for a bowl in each of his next five years, compiling a 43-29 overall record in that span. Although his name has been mentioned for the Duke job, it has also been reported that he will be meeting with Nebraska Director of Athletics Tom Osborne to talk about the Cornhuskers' head coaching vacancy following Navy's final regular season game against Army this weekend.
High-Profile Coordinators
David Cutcliffe and Gary Crowton - These two offensive coordinators, from Tennessee and Louisiana State, respectively, are facing off this weekend in the SEC title game. Cutcliffe, a former Ole Miss head coach, is renowned for his tutelage of talented quarterbacks, including both Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. Crowton is also considered one of the top offensive minds in the collegiate ranks, with previous head coaching stops at Louisiana Tech and Brigham Young. Focused exclusively on the conference title game, both coaches declined to comment on the issue at this time.
Reality Check?
Rod Broadway - The Chronicle learned Tuesday that Grambling State head coach Rod Broadway, whose name has been mentioned repeatedly as a possible candidate for the open position at Duke, is currently not interested in the job. Once an assistant coach at both Duke and North Carolina, Broadway took over as head coach at North Carolina Central in 2003, which led to the speculation that he might be interested in returning to the Triangle area. After an 8-3 record and a nomination for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the Division-IAA coach of the year, however, Broadway does not appear to be leaving his post anytime soon, sources close with the team confirmed.
Skip Holtz - The son of famous Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz has created a buzz from his coaching post just 100 miles away at East Carolina. After learning the tricks of the trade from his days as the Fighting Irish offensive coordinator, Holtz went on to lead then-Division I-AA Connecticut to its first-ever playoff appearance. After another stint under his father at South Carolina, Holtz's merits earned him a head-coaching position with the Pirates, who almost made it into the C-USA title game in just his third season. Currently, he is recruiting out of the state and will not be made available for comment until a later date.
Fred Jackson - University of Michigan associate head coach Fred Jackson is a candidate for Duke's head football coaching vacancy, according to his agent Jim Acho. Jackson, who was a candidate for the position before Roof was promoted in 2003, has expressed his interest in the position and is awaiting word from Alleva to schedule an interview. Although he has no head coaching experience, Jackson won the 2001 AFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year ward and has been instrumental in UM's recruiting success during his tenure.
Chris Hatcher - Inventor of the famed 'Hatch Attack,' a creative passing approach that spreads the field and the ball, Hatcher's name floated to the top when Alleva said he was looking for a more exciting and prolific offense. The Georgia Southern head coach led the Eagles to a 7-4 record in his first year at the helm. Hatcher told The Chronicle Wednesday morning that he had not yet been contacted by Duke officials about the vacancy.
Will Flaherty contributed to this story.
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