Colorado State Football: Potential Head Coach Hires
With Mike Bobo’s position as CSU head coach up in the air, here are some choices that could replace him.
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Who should the Rams hire to replace Bobo?
Nothing has been officially announced as of yet. But, Football Scoop is reporting that Mike Bobo is going to be let go as the head coach of Colorado State. If that is going to happen here are some potential candidates that could replace him.
ACC: Jay Bateman, Co-Defensive Coordinator, North Carolina
The dream hire would be Brent Venables, the defensive coordinator from Clemson. However that hire would be too much for CSU as Venables has a base salary of $2 million. So next up would be Jay Bateman, the current co-defensive coordinator at North Carolina.
Bateman has come in and improved the defense wherever he has coached at, with Army being his biggest accomplishment. He led Army to a top 10 defense multiple years and he shut out Air Force in 2017 which ended the Falcons’ 306 game scoring streak. He also has head coaching experience, Siena College 2000-03.
Other Options: Dan Enos (Offensive Coordinator, Miami), Phil Longo (Offensive Coordinator, North Carolina)
Big 12: Scottie Hazelton, Defensive Coordinator, Kansas State
This name should sound familiar to Mountain West fans. Hazelton was the defensive coordinator for Nevada (2013) and Wyoming (2017-18). Hazelton has had successful stints at multiple stops in his coaching career. With his main success coming as defensive coordinator for North Dakota State.
Hazelton knows the west and knows the Mountain West so he has a leg up on some other candidates. One knock against Hazelton would be his lack of head coaching experience, but sometimes a shot needs to be taken on a coach if a team wants to change.
Other Options: Alex Grinch (Defensive Coordinator, Oklahoma), Tom Manning (Offensive Coordinator, Iowa State), Sean Gleeson (Offensive Coordinator, Oklahoma State)
Big Ten: Kalen DeBoer, Offensive Coordinator, Indiana
Another name with a Mountain West past. DeBoer was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State for two years (2017-18) and his offense’s have improved at each of his stops. His stop at Eastern Michigan saw them go from 18.8 ppg in 2013 to 29.6 ppg in 2016.
His time at Fresno State saw them averaging 34.6 ppg by the end of his tenure. DeBoer does have head coaching experience at NAIA Sioux Falls. You can knock him for coaching at that level, but you can’t deny his success. DeBoer was 67-3 during his tenure at Sioux Falls, with three NAIA National Championships.
Other Options: Josh Gattis (Offensive Coordinator, Michigan), Greg Mattison (Co-Defensive Coordinator, Ohio State), Tony Alford (Assistant Head Coach, Ohio State)
Pac-12: Beau Baldwin, Offensive Coordinator, California
A coach with a good head coaching resume at the FCS level, who’s offenses are taking a little longer than liked to get up to speed at Cal. This is causing Baldwin’s stock to fade a little. But this could be a good thing for the Rams in that they could avoid a potential bidding war for his services.
Baldwin had a winning record in each of his seasons as a head coach, both at Central Washington and Eastern Washington. In 2010, Eastern Washington had a come from behind win over Delaware for the FCS National Championship. Baldwin is a potential dark horse for the CSU job.
Other Options: Graham Harrell (Offensive Coordinator, USC), Andy Ludwig (Offensive Coordinator, Utah), Andy Avalos, Co-Defensive Coordinator, Oregon
SEC: Pete Golding, Defensive Coordinator, Alabama
Colorado State should probably avoid the SEC for another head coach hire, but if they were to reach into the pot for a third time Golding is a name they should consider. Golding is young, at 35 years old, but he already has 10+ years of experience at the defensive coordinator position.
Each stop Golding has made in his coaching career as resulted in improvement in the defense. Delta State set a school record in turnovers, Southeastern Louisiana had their first ever appearance in the FCS playoffs, Southern Miss had a six win improvement over the previous year, and UTSA set several school records.
Other Options: Bob Shoop (Defensive Coordinator, Missisippi State), Billy Gonzales (Co-Offensive Coordinator, Florida)
G5: Billy Napier, Head Coach, Louisiana
This would basically be an SEC-lite type of hire, but he does have experience outside of the southeast. Even if that experience is only two one year stints, one at Colorado State (assistant head coach/quarterbacks) and Arizona State (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks).
Napier has had a successful stint at Louisiana, He has led them to straight appearances in the Sun Belt. The Ragin’ Cajuns also had eight players named to the preseason all-Sun Belt team. The Rams would need to hire him now, as he most likely wouldn’t be around next time they are looking for a coach.
Other Options: Bob Stitt (Offensive Coordinator, Texas State), Joe Cauthen (Co-Defensive Coordinator, Houston), Mike Sanford (Offensive Coordinator, Utah State)
FCS: Troy Taylor, Head Coach, Sacramento State
Taylor would be the top pick out of the Football Championship Subdivision. Taylor’s teams have set records wherever he has gone. He coached Jake Browning at the high school level to several state and national passing records. He then joined Eastern Washington where they set two all-time FCS records for passing yards (5,160 yards) and total offense (5,766 yards) in a season.
His time at Utah led to offensive improvement and the school’s first Pac-12 Conference south title. He was then hired at Sacramento State, where in his first season he was name Big Sky Coach of the Year an led the Hornets to their first Big Sky conference title.
Other Options: Jay Hill (Head Coach, Weber State), Brian Bohannon (Head Coach, Kennesaw State), John Grass (Head Coach, Jacksonville State)
