Who will UNC-CH pick for their HC?

Brock Huard of ESPN (Washington grad) has UNC as best available job
1. North Carolina Tar Heels


UNC was the landslide winner among those I polled, and this job also scores well because of the area's incredible livability and centralized recruiting base. Butch Davis was able to recruit top-end talent to Chapel Hill before he landed in hot water over NCAA rules violations.



Even though Carolina is still first and foremost a basketball school, the pieces are in place to accomplish what the Texas Longhorns, Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes have done during the past decade: win big in both hoops and football. The school's academic reputation, state-of-the-art facilities and strong alumni base help create the opportunity for the school to break through on the gridiron.




The talent level of this roster is strong as well. The Tar Heels have put together ESPN's 13th-, 24th- and 16th-ranked classes the last three years, the best marks of any of the five teams listed here. Sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner has shown flashes of brilliance, and star freshman running back Giovani Bernard has rushed for more than 100 yards per game. Replacing defensive end Quinton Coples and linebacker Zach Brown's defensive production will be paramount in 2012, but the cupboards are full of enough talent and athleticism to compete for ACC titles in the years ahead.




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2. Arizona State Sun Devils


While North Carolina was the clear-cut winner among the coaches and analysts I asked, the ASU job is desirable for many of the other factors I listed in the introduction. The stadium and facilities help with recruiting, athletic director Lisa Love and the boosters have proved they are willing to spend the necessary money, the Tempe area ranks very high in the livability equation for the staff and the campus environment has the capability to lure in recruits.



This last factor, however, also can make it difficult to succeed as coach of the Sun Devils. As one former college coach put it, "The weather, the campus, the party environment can be a distraction, and difficult to focus the student-athlete." Another challenge for the next Arizona State coach is that Phoenix is a pro sports town, one with many residents who come from other parts of the country, and the Suns, Diamondbacks and Cardinals tend to dominate the conversation, especially when they are winning.



The fact that the past three Sun Devils coaches have all been unceremoniously fired casts a negative cloud as well; however, it's always sunny in Arizona, and with the instability in the Pac-12 South division, the next ASU coach has a chance to win quickly, especially given the talent level currently on the roster. One of the real disappointments for the Sun Devils in 2011 was that a senior-laden team could not seize the opportunity to win the division, especially because the group showed that talent wasn't the issue when it throttled the USC Trojans in Tempe.



ASU will lose more than 10 senior starters heading into next season, but Brock Osweiler and Cameron Marshall return as senior offensive leaders, and the defense will still have some talented players even if Vontaze Burfict departs for the NFL draft. Arizona State is 20th in ESPN's 2012 recruiting rankings with six four-star recruits and nine three-star recruits amid 20 verbal commitments. The Sun Devils will compete with USC in 2012 as the most talented outfit in the Pac-12 South.




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3. Illinois Fighting Illini


Ron Zook and Juice Williams took the Illini to the Rose Bowl in 2008, Ron Turner won the Big Ten in 2001 and ended up in the Sugar Bowl, and in 1983, Mike White led Illinois to Pasadena after winning a Big Ten championship. The point: Illinois has the capability to win championships. The question: Can it be done consistently?



The positives of this job are obvious, and so are the negatives. On the plus side, Champaign is 130 miles from Chicago and its wealth of available recruiting talent, the school possesses strong academics and an updated stadium and solid facilities, and the Fighting Illini play in a prestigious, powerful conference in the Big Ten. The negatives include that Illinois lacks the history and tradition of many of its Big Ten counterparts, Chicago is over-recruited and oversaturated, and Champaign is no Chapel Hill or Tempe.



Further, competing in the Leaders division of the Big Ten really illuminates one of the biggest challenges the Illini face. In Wisconsin, kids grow up wanting to be Badgers; in Ohio, kids grow up wanting to be Buckeyes; in Pennsylvania, kids grow up wanting to be Nittany Lions. In Illinois, kids grow up wanting to be ... what? Fighting Irish? Wolverines? Buckeyes? Hawkeyes?



It will be imperative for the next coach of Illinois to build a fence around the state and keep the seven to 10 elite, difference-making recruits the state annually produces at home in Champaign. The program's previous success proves that you can win games, and even get to Rose Bowls, at Illinois (and Zook leaves behind a decent collection of talent on the roster). But with Urban Meyer now landing in Columbus and Bret Bielema entrenched in Madison with a 59-18 record, the climb will be difficult.




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4. UCLA Bruins


Much like North Carolina, UCLA historically has been viewed as a basketball school. Unlike Chapel Hill, however, facilities are not in place on campus, and as a very urban school, UCLA lacks the small college town environment. As a result, Rick Neuheisel wasn't able to capitalize on playing in the nation's second-biggest media market and in fertile recruiting territory, and the job he hoped would be a Monopoly turned into a sunken Battleship.



The Bruins' talent level isn't bad, as while Neuheisel didn't capture Park Place or Boardwalk on the Monopoly board, he did put together the No. 17 and No. 10 recruiting classes in 2009 and 2010 and left behind a talented young QB in Brett Hundley.



The sanctions and loss of scholarships that follow the USC Trojans for the next few years should open the door a little for UCLA, but the recruiting turf war is fierce in California with the Utah Utes, Colorado Buffaloes and now Rich Rodriguez entering the fray.



The L.A. Times is reporting that Boise State Broncos coach Chris Petersen may be the first to interview for the vacancy, and if the Bruins are able to lure the ultrasuccessful coach away from Boise, look out. The Pac-12 might very well become home to the best collection of coaches in the game.




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5. Ole Miss Rebels


The Ole Miss job comes with a gorgeous campus, solid facilities, a committed fan base and the opportunity to coach in the most dominant conference in America. But did we mention that the Rebels play in the most dominant conference (and dominant division) in America? Even though the school will spend appropriately and support the successor to Houston Nutt, it's hard to see how he'll be able to compete with Nick Saban at Alabama, Les Miles at LSU, Bobby Petrino at Arkansas and Gene Chizik at Auburn to emerge as one of the best teams in the nation.



Nutt leaves behind some talented players, as his past three recruiting classes ranked 22nd, 25th and 25th, respectively, and a lot of young players got experience this season. However, top-25 classes are no guarantee of success, especially when the aforementioned division rivals regularly reel in recruiting hauls that rank among the nation's best. Quarterback development was a major issue in Nutt's four-year tenure, and the quality of running backs and defensive linemen currently on the Rebels' roster isn't at the level they need to be to compete every weekend in the SEC.



Others receiving votes:



Washington State Cougars: The school needs to hire a coach with a proven track record of success, and one with charisma and name recognition would be a bonus. Sounds like Mike Leach could be the perfect fit.



Kansas Jayhawks: The stadium and facilities at KU need upgrades, and the fact that Turner Gill went from one of the hottest coaching prospects in the nation to unemployed after just two seasons in Lawrence likely will serve as a cautionary tale for coaches interested in taking the job.

 

These guys have Peterson, Aubuns O-Coor, and Bama's d -Coord along with Skip Holtz as candidates

 

Been a while but guessing he'd won quite a bit. Anyway, the Heels don't care about State, just national championships.

 

Peterson is happy at Boise State and if he ever did leave it would be for a marquee program. Meanwhile I don't think I would want Malzahn or Skip Holtz. Rich Rodriguez would have been acceptable, but I don't like that offense so I'm not unhappy he's already gone. Jon Gruden would be awesome, but that's pretty pie in the sky.

I don't really know enough about Kevin Sumlin or Dan Mullen to be confident about either, but they seem like the best choices of the names I've heard. I personally don't like the spread and I've greatly enjoyed Shoop's pro-style offense, but I guess I'll get over it.

 

they are doing neither one pretty good

 

The National Championships are in the 22nd century long term plan.

 

They should try to get someone as fiery as Dabo.... http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post?id=34297

 

they might be able to get dabo after tomorrow

 

The fun starts at 1:50.....

 

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