CANDIDATEHEAD COACHING RECORD?AGETRENDING
Hugh Freeze
Head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels32-1545
Landon's First Take: Freeze, an excellent recruiter and offensive mind, would be a boost for Florida at the head coaching spot. It may be hard to pry Freeze from Ole Miss, but the young coach could be open to upgrading programs. Freeze is relatively young and does have oodles of potential.
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (9) "Great recruiter making a name for himself at Ole Miss"
The Bottom Line: In any measurable criteria, Florida is without question a better job than Mississippi. It isn't even debatable. The issue here, if the Gators targeted him, would be his ties to the state and his love of the program. He certainly has the Rebels trending upward, but it doesn't feel like he is a top tier candidate.
Todd Graham
Head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils73-3949
Landon's First Take: Throughout past two seasons the Sun Devils have been a high-octane group offensively, and Graham has the Sun Devils now in the Pac-12 title race with a 6-1 record. Graham's strengths lie in developing rather than recruiting, but he's developed a good product in his three seasons in Tempe. He's another option to consider on the list.
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (5) "Has moved around a lot so questions would follow"
The Bottom Line: From the outside looking in, he certainly fits the criteria as a young innovative offensive-minded coach who has built a pretty good track record to this point. What might be the wrench in the works here is how he left Pittsburgh for the Sun Devils.
Mike Gundy
Head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys82-4147
Landon's First Take: Yes, he's still a man and no longer 40, but look from then until now and you'll see Gundy has turned Oklahoma State into a model of consistency. Gundy has finished each of the last six seasons with at least eight wins, losing five contests only once in 2012. Four of those six teams finished the season ranked in the top 20. It would be interesting to see if Gundy can hang in the SEC.
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (7) "A Serious guy who does well in living rooms."
The Bottom Line: Earlier in his career he was known more for his volatile press conference behavior than actual wins on the field. The opinion of him has changed over the years and at his age, he has as an impressive resume as a head coach as you will find.
Dana Holgorsen
Head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers27-1943
Landon's First Take: Holgorsen's 6-2 Mountaineers put Alabama to the test this season, shocked Baylor and then hammered Oklahoma State the following week. He's a young offensive-minded coach with a lot of upside who now has a few years of head coaching experience under his belt. He's a solid option.
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (6) "He doesn't love recruiting, but is boom or bust guy on both sides of ball and his teams are fun to watch."
The Bottom Line: There was some talk of off-the-field issues while at OSU, but he is one of the top up-and-coming young head coaches around who has a flare for building exciting offenses.
Jim McElwain
Head coach of the Colorado State Rams19-1552
Landon's First Take: McElwain certainly knows the SEC, and Nick Saban's former offensive coordinator at 'Bama from 2008-11 has experienced plenty of success this season turning the Rams into a 7-1 team. He's only had a few years under his belt running a program, but McElwain has plenty of experience at multiple stops on his lengthy resume. He could be a dark horse candidate for the job.
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (6) "A great coach, not sure about recruiter though."
The Bottom Line: Florida fans probably most remember him as the offensive coordinator when Alabama rang up almost 500 yards of offense in blowing out the Gators 32-13 in the 2009 SEC Championship Game. He has seen his star steadily rise and should be in line for a better job if not this year then next.
Jim Mora
Head coach of the UCLA Bruins25-1052
Landon's First Take: Mora's fiery personality can be perceived multiple ways, but he's turned around UCLA in pretty short time. The team was expected to be elite this year, though, and has somewhat fallen short of expectations. Florida's next hire will likely be an offensively geared coach, and Mora is another option on the shortlist.
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (9) "He is one of the top head coaching recruiters out there."
The Bottom Line: He currently makes under two-million a year with the Bruins, a number Florida will likely double for their next hire. There could be two drawbacks here. First, except for two NFL stints with the Saints and Falcons, he has been a west-coast guy his entire career. Second, of everyone on this list, he is the one most likely to take an NFL job after putting together several very good seasons.
Hugh Freeze
Head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels32-1545
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (9) "Great recruiter making a name for himself at Ole Miss"
The Bottom Line: In any measurable criteria, Florida is without question a better job than Mississippi. It isn't even debatable. The issue here, if the Gators targeted him, would be his ties to the state and his love of the program. He certainly has the Rebels trending upward, but it doesn't feel like he is a top tier candidate.
Todd Graham
Head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils73-3949
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (5) "Has moved around a lot so questions would follow"
The Bottom Line: From the outside looking in, he certainly fits the criteria as a young innovative offensive-minded coach who has built a pretty good track record to this point. What might be the wrench in the works here is how he left Pittsburgh for the Sun Devils.
Mike Gundy
Head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys82-4147
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (7) "A Serious guy who does well in living rooms."
The Bottom Line: Earlier in his career he was known more for his volatile press conference behavior than actual wins on the field. The opinion of him has changed over the years and at his age, he has as an impressive resume as a head coach as you will find.
Dana Holgorsen
Head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers27-1943
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (6) "He doesn't love recruiting, but is boom or bust guy on both sides of ball and his teams are fun to watch."
The Bottom Line: There was some talk of off-the-field issues while at OSU, but he is one of the top up-and-coming young head coaches around who has a flare for building exciting offenses.
Jim McElwain
Head coach of the Colorado State Rams19-1552
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (6) "A great coach, not sure about recruiter though."
The Bottom Line: Florida fans probably most remember him as the offensive coordinator when Alabama rang up almost 500 yards of offense in blowing out the Gators 32-13 in the 2009 SEC Championship Game. He has seen his star steadily rise and should be in line for a better job if not this year then next.
Jim Mora
Head coach of the UCLA Bruins25-1052
Farrell's Recruiting Rating: (9) "He is one of the top head coaching recruiters out there."
The Bottom Line: He currently makes under two-million a year with the Bruins, a number Florida will likely double for their next hire. There could be two drawbacks here. First, except for two NFL stints with the Saints and Falcons, he has been a west-coast guy his entire career. Second, of everyone on this list, he is the one most likely to take an NFL job after putting together several very good seasons.
