Colorado Coaching Search: Super Early Look At Some Possibilities

As soon as it was announced that Jon Embree had been fired, fans immediately started to brainstorm who may be in line to be the next head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. We'll hear all about a lot of different names over the next week or so and eventually we will be able to narrow it down to a few favorites, but for now I wanted to go ahead and put a few of the most likely candidates out there for everyone to chew on.

Troy Calhoun - Head Coach, Air Force Falcons - Bohn wanted him in 2010. Will he make another run at Troy?

Tim DeRuyter - Head Coach, Fresno St. Bulldogs - Certainly did a number on the Buffs this year. Would be an interesting dynamic with the Bulldogs scheduled to head to Boulder in 2013.

Gary Andersen - Head Coach, Utah State Aggies - Former Utah defensive coordinator has turned the Aggies into a solid program.

Mike MacIntrye - Head Coach, San Jose St. Spartans - Quickly turned the Spartans around and has them on the verge of a Top 25 ranking.

As far as a larger list, ESPN's Ted Miller put together a pretty solid, comprehensive one. Some of these are 100% not possible, but it's fun to dream right?

There are plenty of strong candidates out there. Head coaches? What about Charlie Strong, Louisville; Art Briles, Baylor; Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech; Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky; Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State; Gary Andersen, Utah State; and Troy Calhoun, Air Force.

Top coordinators ready to make a jump? Oregon's Mark Helfrich; Washington's Justin Wilcox; UCLA's Noel Mazzone; Alabama's Kirby Smart; Clemson's Chad Morris; Oklahoma State's Todd Monken; and Michigan State's Pat Narduzzi.

Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason also will merit a look.

Another name that is fun to think about, maybe for an offensive coordinator role is Colorado School of Mines' Bob Stitt.

What other names do you like?

By Jon Woods