Nebraska needs a new offensive coordinator. If you don't know why, then ask a 'Husker fan who's been paying attention or
click here to read my previous post on why Shawn Watson needs to be fired, quit, or just disappear. Even though most Nebraska fans are on board with this, there aren't many names being put forward as possible candidates for the job. Getting anyone to come to Nebraska will be difficult for many reasons, so I think we need to shoot for more under-the-radar candidates in general who are ready for a program that's larger than where they're at now. To be part of the solution instead of just complaining, my good friend and fellow Nebraska-born Big Red fan Steve and I spent a little time throwing some names around. Here's mostly what came out of that conversation.
Scott Frost, Wide Recievers Coach, Oregon
Nebraska fans are already on top of this. With Oregon in the national title game, it's not surprising for people to be looking at members of Chip Kelly's staff anyway, so he's hardly an unknown at this point. Add the fact that Frost was a star quarterback at Nebraska in 1996 and 1997 and has coaching experience on both sides of the ball, and you have an easy choice that fans are gravitating toward.
Kenny Edenfield, Offensive Coordinator, Troy
Mr. Edenfield is a coach who I feel is still mostly unknown. Here is a quote from his bio page at Troy's website:
"In his first season as an assistant coach at Troy, Edenfield was part of the staff that led the Trojans to a national ranking of 26 in total offense with 421.42 yards per game. He also led the Trojans rushing attack to a 36th-place national ranking, while the passing game came in at 32. The Trojans were the 23rd highest scoring team in the country in 2008, averaging 33.25 points per game."
For the record, Troy finished 11th overall in passing yards in the FBS in 2010. Apparently, the only job offer he got in 2010 was at Louisiana-Lafayette, and he turned that offer down. With the running talent we have at Nebraska he could deliver the balanced attack that we need.
https://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17200&ATCLID=1375273
Chad Morris, Co-Offensive Coordinator, Tulsa
Mr. Morris just completed his first year as a college coach. The program that put Gus Malzahn of Auburn on the map is probably going to do the same thing for Morris in short order. Tulsa finished 13th in overall passing yards under him and 15th in overall running yards with Herb Hand still in charge of the run game. Hell, let's take them both. Seriously. The only real problem we'd have with getting him is that he lived a long time in Austin and has close ties to the Longhorns. His family may not like the reception they'd get back in Texas if he became a 'Husker. Morris may be new on the college scene, but if you have any doubts as to his ability to get results, take a look at this page:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/TU/article.aspx?subjectid=94&articleid=20100118_29_B1_IwertA459244&allcom=1
Mick McCall, Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach, Northwestern
Mr. McCall is another offensive coordinator who seems to be on track to a head coaching position, even though he's taken a much longer time to get there than most in his field. His knowledge of how to run the spread offense and adjust to adverse events makes him a prime candidate for the disastrous situation at Nebraska. He's been coaching college and high school football since 1979, and his position at Northwestern is the most prestigious he's had so far. The Wildcats wouldn't be too happy about us taking him away from them, but chances are they don't like us anyway.
http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mccall_mick00.html
Mark Mangino, former Head Coach, Kansas
Yeah, so he got railroaded out of Kansas for hurting some player's feelings. Yeah, he made a bad move by playing Todd Reesing while he was injured and keeping it a secret. Yeah, he's fat. Who cares. He has a specific talent for finding skilled offensive players and finding players who may not have everything ready on the surface but who can be developed. He's a strict coach who gets results, and with some additional supervision and accountability for him to answer to, our problems could be solved in extra-wide order. However, adding his temper to Pelini's could cause a nuclear swear word explosion that could land Nebraska in big trouble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Mangino
Cameron Norcross, Run Game Coordinator & Offensive Line Coach, Nevada
Getting him to leave Nevada would be difficult in my opinion. He's obviously comfortable after playing there from 1997-1999 and coaching from 2001 to the present, where he now coordinates the run game and the offensive line. He's active in other aspects of Nevada's athletic program as well, so convincing him to uproot his family and leave everything he has built for himself would be improbable no matter how much money Nebraska offered. But one can dream.
http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10000&ATCLID=549139
Mike Leach, Former Head Coach, Texas Tech
His name has been popping up all over the place, and Nebraska fans have contributed to the chatter. There's so much to say about him he gets his own post a bit later. Even though he deserves a mention, it's really a waste of time since there's no way he'd take the job.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Leach_%28coach%29
