KU has completed their interviews and I'd expect them to make a move within the next three weeks. Our friends at Oread Boom Kings have the skinny on the replacement for the Fat Man.
According to the estimable HipHop, the preferential public pecking order appears to be:
Harbaugh
Holtz
Gill
I like Harbaugh a lot as a coach and as a loose cannon. The Stanford alums that Barking Carnival knows believe Harbaugh ain't going anywhere (this will be his second Top 25 recruiting class in a row and Luck is a sophomore next year), but Stanford alums also try to engage you in talk about men's water polo so what can I say? Harbaugh isn't a particularly money motivated dude either.
I'm not sure on Thkip Holth other than the fact that his Dad gleeks on him every Thanksgiving when they debate the merits of Tony Rice, but I've admittedly not been a careful student of the East Carolina Pirates. If someone in the know wants to debrief me on him beyond what is publicly available, I'd be indebted.
I like Turner Gill and I think he's a smart hire on a number of levels. How he hires his staff would be crucial to making the move to the big medium time.
I'm glad Kevin Sumlin isn't among those names. We don't need another Stoops bootlick plotting our demise and he would be better positioned at Kansas than Houston to crap on us on the DFW recruiting trails.
AD Lew Perkins conducted a number of interviews (10+ allegedly) and you're hearing some really interesting names thrown around like Tommy Tuberville and even Brian Billick. Now that would be entertaining. What's very clear is that even though Kansas is a basketball school, they're making a serious financial commitment to the gridiron and when you hear them bandying about 3 million per, free Escalades, and private jet use for their #1 choice - like what Alabama offers their five star recruits - it's clear that there has been something of a culture change in Lawrence. They can thank Mangino for that - he served his purpose.
Should be fascinating to track as this hire is a delicate thing for a program like KU - hire well and you're poised for a bright future of bowl games and the occasional break through Cinderella year; hire poorly and 4-8 is just around the corner. Judging from their list, they're talking to the right folks. Although KU loses some iconic players like Reesing and Briscoe, they do have a manageable Big 12 schedule next year:
at Baylor Waco, Texas TBA
10/16/10 vs. Kansas State Lawrence, Kan. TBA
10/23/10 vs. Texas A&M Lawrence, Kan. TBA
10/30/10 at Iowa State Ames, Iowa TBA
11/06/10 vs. Colorado Lawrence, Kan. TBA
11/13/10 at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. TBA
11/20/10 vs. Oklahoma State Lawrence, Kan. TBA
11/27/10 vs. Missouri Kansas City, Mo. TBA
No Texas, no OU. The new coach has a shot to get it started with a minor bowl.
Thoughts?