Who Should Clemson Hire to Be Head Football Coach?

Former Oakland Raider head coach Lane Kiffin reportedly interviewed for the vacant head coaching job at Clemson recently. While Kiffin would be an attractive candidate, he has no recruiting ties to the South Carolina-Georgia area and Kiffin might have trouble putting a staff together since Al Davis chose most of the Raider assistants, Kiffin has no other head coaching experience and no way many Southern California assistants leave for the opposite coast.

Bobby Johnson of Vanderbilt is a Clemson alum, his teams always give maximum effort, Johnson would be able to recruit better players than would be able to get into Vanderbilt. Problems: Johnson's Vanderbilt teams haven't really had an offensive identity and his teams always seem to collapse in the second half of seasons, even when Jay Cutler played for the Commodores. In a state where the top rival is coached by the "Ol' ball coach", it might be better to get an offensive minded coach.

Todd Graham of Tulsa has been mentioned and Graham certainly has had much offensive success. It would be interesting to see the two prickly personalities of Spurrier and Graham square off in recruiting and their annual game. However, even as a former defensive coach, Graham's defenses at Tulsa have been nearly non-existent. The big question is: could Graham shore up Clemson's greatest weakness from this years' Clemson squad? Admittedly, I have only seen Clemson once this season, vs. Alabama, and it appeared that they were a "soft" team. "Soft" being a relative term, of course, any of their players would not be someone I'd want to tangle with, but 'Bama bloodied the noses of the Tigers in that game and appaered to make them like it, as former Arkansas and Clemson head coach Danny Ford might say.

So, who does Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips and the movers and shakers turn to? Good question. Tommy Bowden had an undefeated season at Tulane on his resume before joining Clemson. Surely Bowden could win big at a school with a much larger recruting base, better facilities, etc, right? Not exactly. Late last year, when rumors abounded that Tommy Bowden was coming to Arkansas, many Hog fans wondered how much Clemson fans had to pay our poobahs to take him. If any coach equals Houston Nutt in terms of mediocrity, Tommy Bowden's the guy.

Now, I have no dog in this hunt Clemson fans, this is just a suggestion, but I think Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp would be a great fit. I know Muschamp has no track record as a head coach, who knows who he would bring in to run the offense? However, all that can be covered in a job interview rather quickly. Will Muschamp has a background with Nick Saban at LSU, as DC at Auburn, his defense held Darren McFadden and Felix Jones well under a hundred yards, the only defense in 2007 to do so.

Lack of toughness would not be a problem with Will Muschamp as head coach. As a former Georgia Bulldog, if you can get past that, Muschamp would have recruiting contacts in the Georgia-South Carolina area. Don't forget, Clemson favorite Danny Ford came from Alabama. Muschamp wouldn't take anything off the "Ol' ball coach" either, if Steve Spurrier sticks around at USC, that is. If Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips hires Will Muschamp, any gratuities or finders fees would be greatly appreciated, T.D.

For my next act, maybe I can find a real loser for Tennessee....