Arizona Wildcats fans are feeling the aftershocks of losing head coach Jedd Fisch to a former conference rival, the Washington Huskies.
Who could Arizona pursue to replace Fisch as the next coach in Tucson?
Speculation immediately turned to potential candidates to become the Wildcats’ next coach, with some familiar names among the possible targets for Arizona’s coaching search.
Whoever gets the job might have some work to do. Fisch went 10-3 in his final season in Arizona, but could face an exodus of players to the transfer portal amid the coaching change.
Here are some possible candidates to succeed Fisch as the Arizona Wildcats football coach, in no particular order.
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Brent Brennan, San Jose State head coach
Brennan was previously a candidate for the Arizona job when Fisch was hired. Maybe he would get it this time? He was a graduate assistant at Arizona under Dick Tomey in 2000. San Jose State was 7-6. 7-5, 5-7 and 7-1 over the past four years.
Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State offensive coordinator
Dunn was Arizona’s running backs coach from 2004-06 and has been at Oklahoma State since 2011. He’s well respected and has already been linked as a potential top target for the Wildcats by some sites.
Brennan Carroll, Arizona offensive coordinator
Could the Wildcats promote their offensive coordinator to head coach? Carroll has coached at Arizona the past three seasons, but doesn’t have any experience as a head coach.
Johnny Nansen, former Arizona defensive coordinator
Nansen is popular among Arizona players and spent two seasons as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator before recently taking a job at Texas as the co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach.
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Jake Dickert, Washington State head coach
Might Arizona poach a Washington State coach after Washington poached Arizona’s? Dickert might be tempted to leave Washington State, which is one of two teams left in the Pac-12, for a more stable Big 12 environment with Arizona.
Troy Calhoun, Air Force head coach
What Calhoun has done at Air Force has been phenomenal. Might he want a new challenge at Arizona? He’s a proven winner and could bring the stability the Wildcats need.
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Jamey Chadwell, Liberty head coach
Chadwell just led Liberty to a 13-1 season, which included a Fiesta Bowl appearance in Arizona. He had a successful stint at Coastal Carolina. Might a step up to Arizona interest him?
Jason Candle, Toledo head coach
Toledo has had two 11-win seasons under Candle, who has led the team to two MAC titles. He might be the way to go if the Wildcats are looking for a coach eager to prove himself at the next level.
Garrett Riley, Clemson offensive coordinator
Riley guided TCU to a national championship appearance as their offensive coordinator in 2022. He’s the younger brother of USC’s Lincoln Riley and has Big 12 roots.
Barry Odom, UNLV head coach
Odom has head coach experience at Missouri and a lot of experience as a defensive coordinator. He guided UNLV to a 9-5 record last season. If he can win at UNLV, could he win at Arizona?
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Justin Wilcox, California head coach
Wilcox has led Cal to three bowl appearances, but Arizona could be considered a better job. His recruiting ties would come in handy in the Big 12 for the Wildcats.
Will Stein, Oregon offensive coordinator
Could Arizona’s colleges have two former Oregon offensive coordinators as their head coaches? Stein took over for Kenny Dillingham and the Ducks’ didn’t miss a beat last season.
Ryan Grubb, Washington offensive coordinator
Many thought Grubb might get the Washington head coaching job. Could Arizona be interested? His Huskies teams impressed the past couple of seasons.
Jeff Traylor, UTSA head coach
Traylor is 39-14 over four seasons as the coach at UTSA. He’s another Group of 5 coach that could be ready to lead a team at the next level.
GJ Kinne, Texas State head coach
Kinne went 12-2 at Incarnate Word in 2022 and 8-5 at Texas State in 2023. He has spent time at Hawaii and UCF, SMU and Arkansas.
Scott Frost, former Nebraska, UCF head coach
Frost coached UCF to an undefeated 13-0 season in 2017. He went 16-31 in five seasons at Nebraska. He was out of football last season.
Bobby Hauck, Montana head coach
Hauck has gone 129-36 in two stints at Montana (with a 15-49 stint at UNLV in between). Still, it might be easier to win at Arizona than UNLV.
Who would you like to see Arizona pursue as its next head football coach?
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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2024-01-15 01:43:11
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