With Charlie Weis Fired, Who Does Kansas Look to Next?

The Kansas Jayhawks have decided to fire head football coach Charlie Weis after just two and a half seasons. You could potentially make a very weak argument as to keeping him at least through the rest of this season, but the administration wants to get a jump on finding the next guy, and I can’t say I blame them. But now the question arises: who does Kansas turn to now?

Weis’ teams was abhorrent in his two plus years. 6-22 with an unbelievable 1-18 conference record (and it’s not like he was playing in the SEC) is downright putrid. And he wasn’t recruiting at a high level, either. His three classes were ranked 75th, 46th and 55th, each ranking near the bottom of the Big 12. Obviously, the next head coach has his hands full, but this isn’t an impossible rebuild.

There are plenty of tremendous candidates out there for Kansas to look. There’s almost no chance they can persuade an established, big name head coach to Lawrence (in football, anyway), so it’ll more than likely be an assistant. While the Jayhawks would be wise to consider top defensive minds like Pat Narduzzi (Michigan State), Kirby Smart (Alabama), Jeremy Pruitt (Georgia) or Bud Foster (Virginia Tech), they likely won’t, because it wouldn’t be a sexy enough hire to assuage the boosters, alumni and fans. Which leads us to offensive coordinators.

Baylor’s Philip Montgomery and Clemson’s Chad Morris would be A+ hires, but they’ll likely want to wait on a bigger and better job. Rhett Lashlee (Auburn) would also be a home run but he’ll also probably wait for a bigger offer. So what about Josh Heupel (Oklahoma)? He’s a sound offensive mind and knows the conference and recruiting region. Plus, Kansas has done well hiring OU offensive coordinators before (remember Mark Mangino? The guy that led Kansas to a 12-1 record in 2007 before essentially being run out of town?).

Jake Spavital (Texas A&M), the latest young hot shot from the Kevin Sumlin coaching braintrust, is known for his recruiting and has coached in the Big 12 before. The next Kliff Kingsbury, perhaps? Tim Beck (Nebraska) has quietly become one of the best play callers in all of football and has worked at KU before.

But here’s an ‘out there’ suggestion. What about Lane Kiffin (Alabama)? Definitely a longshot, but talk about a great hire. He’s a big name who’s coached some of the premier football teams in American history (Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Volunteers, USC Trojans), and has been reborn in the coaching cocoon that Nick Saban provides in Tuscaloosa. He’s an elite recruiter, can rally boosters and alumni in fundraising and would bring a sound offensive mind to a program in need of one. Plus, he could be intrigued at the idea of coaching at a place where football isn’t king and where there’s little pressure to win championships year in and year out. The only problem would be convincing him to take this job instead of waiting for an opening at a bigger school, likely with a much bigger payday.

This isn’t an easy place to coach football at. Interest in the program, even amongst fans and alumni, isn’t high. This is a basketball school first, second and third, and then football. Resources are nil. The facilities are substandard, especially when you consider the recent upgrades at KSU, Oklahoma, OKSU and Baylor. The history of the program is practically nonexistent. The recruiting region is barren, and the few solid prospects who do pop up usually get snagged by OU or Nebraska.

It’s going to be a tough rebuild. And to get the guy they want they’ll likely have to open up the pocket books (which is already getting trimmed thanks to Weis’ never-ending contract). But it can be done.

With all that said, let the search begin!

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.