Back up the Brinks truck! Vanderbilt tries to lure Gus Malzahn with cold hard cash

Jeff Lockridge just slipped into one of his blogs that Vanderbilt has supposedly offered Gus Malzahn $3 million to coach the Commodores. Ah, blogs! That nifty invention that enables journalists to serve up information not quite cooked enough for a so-called real news story.

Still, it's nice to see that Vandy's at least rumored to be making a last-minute run at Malzahn, which would of course take truckloads of cash to pull off. Like a lot of people, I'm just not sold on James Franklin. When Maryland fans say they hope he leaves to go to Vandy because they hate the Terrapins offense, well, that's a little bit disconcerting.

And in case you're wondering, if somehow we did lure Malzahn to Nashville, he'd be the SEVENTH highest paid coach in the nation.

Let's just say Malzahn wants to take the money and also accept the challenge of proving he's the best freaking coach ever by actually winning at Vanderbilt. What would stand in our way?

Urban Meyer. Meyer's departure opens the door for Bobby Petrino to do what he's so good at and jump ship to Gainesville which would open the door for Malzahn in his home state of Arkansas. Oh, and Arkansas currently pays Petrino $2.7 million. Bet they could cobble together another 300 grand.

Anyway, here are all the coaches who currently earn $3 million or more per year:

• Nick Saban, Alabama: $6M
• Mack Brown, Texas: $5.2M
• Bob Stoops, Oklahoma: $4.4M
• Urban Meyer, Florida: $4M
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State: $3.9M
• Les Miles, LSU: $3.9M

Vandy holds out hope for Ken Niumatalolo — or the next Urban Meyer

Late last night, FootballScoop reported that Franklin and Roman are Vanderbilt's head coaching finalists, which was enough to send shock waves through Vandy fans. What, no Jon Gruden? Hey, maybe Urban Meyer would be available!

In this morning's Tennessean, Jeff Lockridge says the Commodores are waiting until after the Army-Navy game to talk to Ken Niumatalolo, the triple option guru. So the rumors started with Navy's OC and have spread to its HC. Now we're cooking with gas!

Lockridge also reports that:

• Wisconsin OC Paul Chryst has interviewed. The Badgers' DC, Dave Doeren, has already talked to Vandy. Maybe we can interview their trainer and their cheerleader advisor too.

• Vandy has interviewed and is still considering Tulsa's HC Todd Graham and nearly every OC in North America not named Gus Malzahn — Michigan State's Treadwell, Nebraska's Watson and of course Franklin and Roman.

• Speaking of Malzahn, Gus has kept the lines of communication open which I suppose means his agent picks up the phone when we call, but he hasn't shown any interest.

• Oh, and Troy Calhoun's staying at Air Force. Dang.

• No mention of Al Golden or Tommy Bowden.

It's kind of funny that Vanderbilt and Florida are looking for a coach at the same time. And educational too. Guys who are waiting around for a big-time coaching job are gonna discover what happens when a really big job opens up. Malzahn, for example, is too good for Vanderbilt but he likely won't get so much as a postcard from the Gators.

This much is clear: We've got to grab a guy who's good but nobody realizes he's good and then we've got to hope he doesn't leave when he shocks the world and wins six games at Vandy.

In other words, Urban Meyer 10 years ago. Yes, 10 years ago Meyer was 34 years old and an assistant at Notre Dame. He turned the Bowling Green program around in two years, jumped to a better job at Utah, where he had an undefeated season and won the Sugar Bowl. Suddenly, four years and two jobs later, he's at Florida. Five years after taking his first HC job and before the age of 40, he's won a national championship.

That's the kind of guy who'd turn our program around. Maybe Roman or Franklin are that guy. But if they're Urban Meyer caliber guys, then they'll be two and done.

We'll see.

James Franklin and Greg Roman named finalists for Vanderbilt job — but the wait has only just begun

FootballScoop, a well-sourced site specializing in sorting out coaching rumors in college football, is reporting that James Franklin, the OC and coach-in-waiting at Maryland, and Greg Roman, the OC and assistant head coach at Stanford, are the two finalists for the Vanderbilt job.

Sorry if you were hoping to get a big-name coach who could give you an immediate sense of false hope. Whoever we get, I'm sitting back and waiting to see what he does. Really, we're not gonna know if this is a successful coaching search for another two or three years. Vandy fans waited, what, 53 years to win another bowl game? We're used to waiting. I can wait two or three years to see if James or Greg or whoever will pan out.

I can call them James and Greg because both of these guys are under 40 years old. Roman has an NFL background but also knows how to win at an academic-minded university. Franklin has coached at a bunch of levels and has even worked with Brett Farve. He's a high-energy guy and a supposedly fabulous recruiter. Maryland fans think he calls too many screen passes and some of them are kind of hoping he goes to Vandy.

Anyway, he was named Maryland's coach in waiting nearly two years ago and has a deal that will pay him $1 million if sticks with the Terrapins and is NOT named Maryland's head coach by early 2012, which is a possibility because Ralph Friedgen just won ACC Coach of the Year and is pushing for an extension on his contract, which ends after next season.

Friedgen agreed to the head coach in waiting thing because other schools were telling recruits that he was going to retire because he was over 60 — or was going to die, because he tipped the scales at a fifth of a ton. But he went on a crash diet and lowered his weight to a sixth of a ton, and now he's coach of the year and the picture of health and he wants an extension.

Not sure if that's a good thing for Vanderbilt or not.

Who are these guys interviewing for the Vanderbilt job?

The Tennessean is reporting that Vanderbilt has talked to six people about its vacant head coaching job. We already know a little bit about Greg Roman, the assistant head coach at Stanford, and also Todd Graham, the Tulsa head coach. But the other four guys? They've only recently jumped onto the radar:

DON TREADWELL, OC, MICH STATE
(Pictured above)
When HC Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack after beating Notre Dame, Treadwell stepped in and led the Spartans to two victories in two tries, including a win over No. 4 Wisconsin. A former high school quarterback and four-year starting wide receiver at Miami-Ohio, he’s spent most of his 15 years as a college coach developing quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs. As an OC, he’s known for running a balanced offense. He’s around 50 years old.

SHAWN WATSON, OC, NEBRASKA
A college offensive coach for the past 28 years, he’s coached nearly every offensive position, but especially quarterbacks. He was the HC at Southern Illinois for three years, inheriting a bad team and posting a 10-12 record after starting his first season 1-10. He’s 51 years old. Worked for Gary Barnett at Northwestern and Colorado, then became recruiting coordinator at Nebraska, where he was one of only two coaches retained by Bo Pelini after the firing of Bill Callahan.

JAMES FRANKLIN, OC, MARYLAND
A rising star at 38 years old, he’s been an assistant coach in Division II, the Danish Football Federation, the FCS, the FBS and the NFL. His FBS teams include Washington State, Kansas State and two stints with Maryland, where he’s currently the offensive coordinator. Has coached receivers for much of his career. Got his current job when Maryland HC Ralph Friedgen gave up playcalling duties. He installed a West Coast offense and is now the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. Considered one of the best recruiters in college football.

DAVE DOEREN, DC, WISCONSIN
Has coached at Drake, USC, Montana and Kansas before joining the Badgers. Has been the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin for about three years and also coaches linebackers. Replaced a veteran defensive coordinator when the Badger defense faltered in 2007, dramatically improving a unit that now consistently holds opposing teams to under 100 yards rushing. Known for being detailed-oriented and business-like. He’s about 38 years old.

And by the way, we're still waiting to hear from Air Force HC Troy Calhoun, Temple HC Al Golden and Auburn OC Gus Malzahn. Tommy Bowden appears to have dropped off the radar.

Stanford's Greg Roman at the top of Vanderbilt's list

Jeff Lockridge at the Tennessean says Stanford assistant Greg Roman had a good interview with Vanderbilt on Friday. He also lists nine more names he thinks might be on David Williams' list of 10 men to interview: Gus Malzahn, Troy Calhoun, Al Golden, Todd Graham, Bud Foster, Tommy Bowden and a trio of coordinators — Paul Chryst and Dave Doeren of Wisconsin and Don Treadwell of Michigan State.

Meanwhile, FootballScoop says Vanderbilt plans to interview a couple of offensive coordinators, Shawn Watson of Nebraska and James Franklin of Maryland.

Don't get your hopes up over Malzahn, Calhoun or Golden. Graham has a longterm contract with Tulsa that Vandy would have to deal with, and Foster has said he doesn't want to take a job where it's a longshot to win. Hmmm. But Roman sees plenty of similarities between Vanderbilt and Stanford, which right now is the No. 4 team in the nation.

Let's shake out some of the names we've mentioned in recent days:
HOT NAMES — AND LEGITIMATE PROSPECTS
• Greg Roman, assistant head coach, Stanford
• Todd Graham, head coach, Tulsa

HOT NAMES — BUT STILL NO WORD
• Bud Foster, defensive coordinator, Virginia Tech
• Tommy Bowden, former head coach, Clemson

HOT NAMES — BUT LONGSHOTS
• Gus Malzahn, offensive coordinator, Auburn
• Troy Calhoun, head coach, Air Force
• Al Golden, head coach, Temple

NEW NAMES — AND STRONG POSSIBILITIES TO INTERVIEW
• James Franklin, offensive coordinator, Maryland
• Shawn Watson, offensive coordinator, Nebraska
• Paul Chryst, offensive coordinator, Wisconsin
• Don Treadwell, offensive coordinator, Michigan State
• Dave Doeren, defensive coordinator, Wisconsin

STILL WAY UNDER THE RADAR
• Mike Haywood, head coach, Miami-Ohio
• Rick Stockstill, head coach, MTSU
• David Lee, quarterbacks coach, Miami Dolphins
• Dana Holgorsen, offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State
• Mark Hudspeth, offensive coordinator, Miss State
• Mark Whipple, offensive coordinator, Miami
• Paul Petrino, offensive coordinator, Illinois

FALLING OFF THE RADAR
• Ivin Jasper, offensive coordinator, Navy
• Skip Holtz, head coach, South Florida
• Ken Niumatalolo, head coach, Navy
• Kevin Sumlin, head coach, Houston
• June Jones, head coach, SMU
• Brady Hoke, head coach, San Diego State
• Randy Shannon, former head coach, Miami
• Mike Leach, former head coach, Texas Tech
• Mark Mangino, former head coach, Kansas:
• Phil Fulmer, former head coach, Tennessee:

TAKING ANOTHER JOB
• Jerry Kill, head coach, Northern Illinois

Bobby Johnson was supposed to replace Tommy Bowden, not the other way around

So Tommy Bowden is a top candidate to become the new head coach at Vandy. Which is kind of funny when you look back to Oct. 13, 2008.

That's the day Bowden got fired from Clemson, and Tiger fans responded by immediately calling for one man to save their program.

That man? Bobby Johnson.

Here's a sample post from a Clemson fan to a Tiger message board:

BOBBY JOHNSON COMES HOME TO CLEMSON!!!! (This has to be the headline the day after Vandy's last game of the season). Former Tiger football player, graduated 1973. Turned Vandy from SEC basement dweller to the team nobody wants to play. BOBBY! BOBBY! BOBBY!

At the time, Johnson's Vanderbilt team was 5-1 and ranked in the Top 25 while Clemson was 3-3 after starting the season ranked in the Top 10. Vandy had recently beaten Auburn, a team that had handled Clemson in its last bowl game, and it had embarrassed Steve Spurrier and the cross-state SC Gamecocks for the second straight year.

We were already trying to psychologically prepare MV! readers for what seemed inevitable: Bobby Johnson was leaving us for Clemson.

Now Bobby Johnson is out of work and Tommy Bowden is a front-runner for the Vanderbilt job.

So what happened?

Bobby Johnson lost to Duke, that's what happened.

He'd just lost his first game of the season to Miss State, which was a let-down but the sort of cowbell-induced let-down that happens to even established SEC teams. Then he suffered a respectable loss to an outrageously talented Georgia team to put Vandy at 5-2. He was still a hot name. But then he got embarrassed by Duke on homecoming. And then spanked by Florida.

Now Vandy was 5-4 and, with a history of losing every game in November, desperate for a win. Fortunately, the Commodores beat Kentucky, but lost to beatable teams from Tennessee and Wake Forest to finish 6-6.

Of course, the Dores finished with a Music City Bowl victory over Boston College, scoring 16 points without a single offensive touchdown. It was a magical season for Vanderbilt fans, and while heartwarming for the rest of America, not particularly impressive to fans and officials from Clemson, which finished with seven victories including a 31-7 win over Duke, and a New Year's Day bowl bid to play Nebraska in the Gator.

So that's what happened. On Oct. 13, Bobby Johnson had five wins in six games. In his next 18 games, he had four wins, counting the bowl victory. And in the 30 regular season games Vanderbilt has played since that Oct. 13, the Commodores have won just five times.

It was unthinkable on Oct. 13, 2008, that Vanderbilt football would be in this state, and even more unthinkable that Tommy Bowden would be considered as part of the solution.

Who'll be the next Vanderbilt head coach? Here are eight good candidates

I heard somewhere that Vandy's looking at interviewing about eight coaches. Right now, there are literally hundreds of names flying around. I have no idea who we're looking at, but I'd start with these eight:

1. GUS MALZAHN
Current job: Offensive coordinator, Auburn
Age: 45
Upside: One of the elite offensive minds in college football; as a high school coach, landed a job as the Arkansas OC in a package deal with two of his blue-chip players, left for Tulsa after Nutt wouldn't let him take the wraps off his spread offense, then became the OC at Auburn, where last season he exceeded expectations with one of the SEC's worst quarterbacks and this season has taken the nation's best quarterback and catapulted a team with a shaky defense into the nation's No. 1 team.
Downside: He's the hottest name in college football right now and is being connected to openings at Miami, Colorado and jobs like Ole Miss that aren't even open.
Bottom line: Vandy would have to pull out all the stops — and all its wallets — to land Malzahn. By all accounts he's a steady, reliable guy who just might find a niche and excel at Vandy. But after having Cam Newton, would he really want to work with the likes of Larry Smith?

2. SKIP HOLTZ
Current job: Head coach, South Florida
Age: 46
Upside: Amassed a 34-23 record at pre-FBS UConn, then led East Carolina to four bowls in five seasons before jumping to South Florida, where his Bulls have a 7-4 record and are headed to a bowl; an overall record of 79-54 in 11 seasons; learned the coaching ropes from Bobby Bowden at Florida State and from his father Lou at Notre Dame and South Carolina; knows what it takes to be an underdog in the SEC; a drawing point for going to USF was the chance to play and beat Florida
Downside: Is biding his time for a bigger job, and while he might jump to Vandy for a chance at coaching in the SEC, he'd be even more likely to leave for a better job; a good recruiter, but can he spot a Vandy kid after recruiting at EC and USF?
Bottom line: A winner who's ready to coach in the SEC, but he knows better than most people how tough it is to win there.

3. TOMMY BOWDEN
Current job: Former head coach, Clemson
Age: 56
Upside: Never had a losing season in 12 years of coaching; went 18-4 with a bowl victory in two seasons at Tulane, then went 72-45 at Clemson; only season at Clemson without a bowl was following a fight with South Carolina when both teams declined a bowl bid; knows how to win at an academic school, taking the Green Wave to a Top 10 finish in his second season as a head coach; he can recruit, which is why he got fired at Clemson — he got blue-chippers that led Tiger fans to believe they'd be national champs in two years
Downside: Has been out of coaching for two years; coached at an academic school in Conference USA, not the SEC
Bottom line: Stop saying he was a loser at Clemson because he's never had a losing season, ever; in fact, he may have better results with scholar athletes than with blue-chip players, as evidenced by his results at Tulane; plus, he'd probably finish his career at Vanderbilt if given another chance to coach

4. JERRY KILL
Current job: Head coach, Northern Illinois
Age: 49
Upside: A winner at four programs, starting with a 49-25 record at Division II Emporia State and Saginaw State, then taking a terrible Southern Illinois team in the FBS from 1-10 to 12-2 in six seasons and amassing a 33-32 record, then taking Northern Illinois from being ranked in ESPN's Bottom 10 to three bowls in three seasons; overall record of 127-71 in 17 seasons; this year's team in 10-2, undefeated in the MAC and ranked in the Top 25; a hard worker and the first member of his family to attend college; cancer survivor
Downside: Was hospitalized this season for dehydration; looks older than 49 and lacks the CEO polish of other SEC coaches; has coached at state colleges with lower academic standards than Vanderbilt
Bottom line: This guy's a winner wherever he goes; his teams score boatloads of points and rack up tons of yardage. He wouldn't be a big-name hire, but he does have a cool name. He'd be a great pick for a program like Indiana, but he'd be a rock-solid pick for Vandy too. He deserves a shot.

5. AL GOLDEN
Current job: Head coach, Temple
Age: 41
Upside: After inheriting a winless football team, he led the Owls to one win in his first season, four wins in his second, five wins in his third, and last season to nine wins and a bowl game; has eight wins this season heading into a bowl game; this year his Temple team won 30-16 over UConn, which clobbered Vandy 40-21; has an overall record of 27-34, but 26-23 if you take away his first season as a head coach; has a master's degree in sports psychology; the former defensive coordinator at Virginia; was a strong candidate for both the UCLA and Cincinnati jobs but took his name out of contention
Downside: A former Penn State player, he's thought to be a front runner to replace JoPa when that day finally arrives; is known more for defense than offense; has never beaten a MAC team with a winning record.
Bottom line: In his first head coaching gig, led a winless team to a bowl bid in less than four years. He's a polished leader who can build a winner from scratch and who'll think hard about leaving. Case in point: He has been contacted by Vanderbilt and has apparently taken his name out of the running, but you never know.

6. TODD GRAHAM
Current job: Head coach, Tulsa
Age: 46
Upside: By season's end, he'll have taken two small private schools (Rice and Tulsa) to four bowl games in five seasons; has a combined record of 42-23; inherited a 1-10 Rice team in his first season as a head coach and led the Owls to a 7-6 record and a bowl berth; hired Gus Malzahn as Tulsa's offensive coordinator (as well as Herb Hand, Vandy's current offensive line coach)
Downside: Left Rice after one season, which inspired the Owls band to create a halftime routine called "Todd Graham's Inferno," in which the coach was forced to pass through the various stages of hell for snubbing them
Bottom line: Graham can quickly build winning programs at small, academic schools that are perennial losers, he can sustain success, and he knows offensive coaching talent when he sees it. So why is his name not being mentioned by other media? But if he wins at a place where winning doesn't come easy, he has been known to jump ship as soon as possible.

7. IVIN JASPER
Current job: Offensive coordinator, Navy
Age: 38
Upside: A master of the triple option who's learned from Paul Johnson and Ken Niumatalolo and has helped sustain the incredible run at Navy begun by Johnson and now sustained by Niumatalolo; a great recruiter and magnetic personality who knows how to spot scholars who are also good athletes; the only black coach in the mix (outside of far-fetched suggestions like Tony Dungy)
Downside: He has no head coaching experience and he's at a lower-level college; oh yeah, and he's not a household name.
Bottom line: People scoff at the idea of getting Navy's offensive coordinator, but there's a lot to be said for running the triple option at a school that can't get top athletes; Johnson and Niumatalolo aren't coming to Vandy, so why not take a shot at their protege? Plus, can you imagine him pitching Vanderbilt to black prospects in the Atlanta area? I can.

8. DANA HOLGORSEN
Current job: Offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State
Age: 39
Upside: He learned the run-and-shoot and maybe a few things about pirates from Mike Leach at Valdosta State and Texas Tech, left to turn Case Keenum into a top QB at Houston, and in one year at Oklahoma State has established himself as one of the top offensive coordinators in America; has tweaked Leach's system, adding more of a running emphasis.
Downside: How's this for a guy who's ready for another job: He lives in a hotel. He also strikes me as a free-spirited guy who speaks his mind and doesn't have time for bureaucracy, which may or may not work at Vandy.
Bottom line: I don't think we want Mike Leach and his baggage. But Holgorsen has learned many of his tricks and would undoubtedly bring offensive improvement to Nashville in a hurry. Plus, he's young, tough-minded and would probably relate well to kids, though not sure about academic-minded kids.

Other names being bandied about include:
• Mid-major coaches: Mike Haywood of Miami-Ohio, Rick Stockstill of MTSU, Niumatalolo of Navy and Troy Calhoun of Air Force, Kevin Sumlin of Houston, June Jones of SMU, Brady Hoke of San Diego State
• Former BCS-conference coaches: Randy Shannon of Miami, Mike Leach of Texas Tech, Mark Mangino of Kansas, Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee
• Assistant coaches: Greg Roman of Stanford, Mark Hudspeth and Manny Diaz of Mississippi State, Bud Foster of Virginia Tech, Mark Whipple of Miami, Paul Petrino of Illinois, David Lee of the Miami Dolphins