Effective this morning, Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson announced the remaining 3 games on the Tigers' schedule will be the last West coaches from the sideline as the leader of the pack.
The firing finishes off a career that was less than stellar, with statistical success shadowed by underachievement.
Did West lead Memphis to its first bowl in 32 years? Yes and No.
Did West lead Memphis to only its second back-to-back-to-back 7+ win season? Yes and No.
You see, while West appears to have an impressive resume as Memphis coach, the majority of his success came on the legs of this guy... DeAngelo Williams.
Factor in the 3 season's since DeAngelo's departure and West is average at best.
2006: 2-10
2007: 7-5 (Bowl loss)
2008: 6-7 (Bowl loss)
For some programs, bowl seasons equal success and happiness. However, given the recent influx of talent Memphis has seen due to the team's publicity in the "Williams Years", West has been blessed with some of the best individuals the squad has ever seen. That said, there's little excuse for nor room for error and major losses.
Currently in a massive mess-up of a fall, where a team expected to contend for the Conference title may not win another game (2-7 record so far), the time has been here for a while and the West era's end was inevitable.
SO WHO WILL MEMPHIS HIRE??!!
Well, going by this comment from Johnson at the press conference Monday, it becomes easier to narrow down qualified candidates...
Well, certainly recruiting because that’s what this business is all about. I have always preferred somebody who has head coaching experience, but that is not absolutely necessary. I think if you do that you limit yourself because somewhere along the line the assistant coach has to have a chance to be a head coach. Certainly recruiting experience at the Division I level is important because I would be hard pressed to bring someone in that has never had any Division I recruiting experience or success.
So let's break this down by priority and assumption of what Johnson has done in the past.
1) Recruiting capabilities
2) Flawless resume (meaning prior sanctions, etc. because Memphis is not in the place to deal with off the field issues)
3) Collegiate experience
4) Southern knowledge
5) Youth and Vigor before Age and Discipline
Factoring in this information and weeding through the quantity of names being thrown out by "Memphis maniacs", here is a Top 5 list where I'm willing to bet the eventual coach will be chosen. (This is a list of my favorite candidates, not a list of the most likely candidates)
- CHARLIE STRONG / Defensive Coordinator/ Florida : Is he the #1 candidate? Likely not. Should he be the #1 candidate? Without question. Strong is far and away the best coordinator on either side of the ball in the country. He's a complete package- young, vivacious, successful, experienced, and eager to move to a head coaching position. It's tough to tell whether Strong would have any interest in a job like Memphis, given the fact that he's qualified to take on an even higher program even though he's never been a head coach. Still, he's definitely on R.C.'s radar because Johnson is the type of athletic director who is always out to hit a home run first before going for a sleeper.
- LARRY PORTER / Running Backs & Special Teams / LSU : Porter seems to be the popular choice among the majority of Memphians and for good reason. If Strong is choice 1A, Porter is easily choice 1B. He's a former standout running back for the Memphis Tigers in the mid 1990's and is a native a nearby Jackson, Mississippi. A disciple of Les Miles since 2002 (also coaching at Wooddale high school out of college), Porter has been groomed and appears prepared to take over a program of his own. Notably, his alma mater. His resume includes preparing the likes of Jacob Hester, Joseph Addai, and Tatum Bell.
- TYRONE NIX / Defensive Coordinator / Ole Miss : I haven't seen Tyrone mentioned much with this opening but personally, I would stand by this hire. I could be because he's a coordinator at rival Mississippi, but fans should look past his current employer and instead at his resume. As a recruiter, he's locked down the likes of Patrick Trahan and Eric Norwood while at South Carolina. As a coach, he's walked the sidelines with the likes of Jeff Bower, Steve Spurrier, and now Houston Nutt. His defenses have been pressure heavy and superior at tackling. Nix is yet another coach on this list who appears ready for the next level.
- GUNTER BREWER / Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks / Oklahoma State : Honestly, Gunter wasn't really a name that I was crazy about early on in this process. But as the hours have gone by, he appears more and more intriguing and word
around Memphis is that he is gaining steam with many big boosters and members of the community. Brewer is the son of former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer and is well known throughout the coaching world for his knowledge of football offenses. His background speaks for itself: coach at Marshall, North Carolina, and now Oklahoma State / position coach for Randy Moss, Adarius Bowman, Dez Bryant, and Zac Robinson. He has southern ties from his days as a youngster around Ole Miss and East Tennessee State. Plus, if this website isn't a showcase for his resume as head coach, I'm not sure what is.
- KIRBY SMART / Defensive Coordinator & Secondary / Alabama : Smart is another name that may not be on the short list of media outlets around Memphis, but he's a valuable target and one R.C. Johnson is sure to at least contact. Simply look at what Alabama has accomplished since Smart and Nick Saban arrived and it's pretty clear at the possibilities Smart has in the future. His coaching resume includes working with and at the best of the best including Valdosta State, Georgia, Florida State, Alabama, and of course a one year stint with the Miami Dolphins. Known as an active and vocal coach, he's been a successful recruiter while with the Tide. The only question marks surround whether he would leave his loyalty with Saban and if he is 100% ready to take over a program of his own.
Besides those candidates listed above, I would definitely keep an eye out for 3 more "Honorable Mention" coaches...
Al Golden - Head Coach / Temple
Turner Gill - Head Coach / Buffalo
Derek Dooley - Head Coach / Louisiana Tech
All are rising stars in the lower ranks. They have resurrected programs that were without a doubt dormant before they arrived and are considered high IQ coaching minds. Given what they've been able to do at the places they coach now, it's intriguing to see what they could do with the resources at Memphis. Will R.C. pull the trigger on a coach like these two though? Not so sure.
SO... if I had to guess the answer the title of this post less than 12 hours after the job opened, I would say -
"The 22nd Head Coach at the University of Memphis is... Larry Porter."
And for option 2? Look out for Brewer.
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