My Thoughts On Brandon Walker's College Football Coaching Carousel Predictions
Never one to not speak his mind, Brandon Walker went on X yesterday to give out predictions for the big open college football jobs.
A LOT to unpack here. Let's break it down job by job and I will make predictions as well….
LSU
Brandon Walker-Lane Kiffin
Mintzy-Jimbo Fisher
Lane ain't leaving Oxford for this…..
LSU is an ELITE job. Three different coaches have already won national titles in the 1st quarter of this decade.
BUT….
The governor is meddling. There's an incoming new president AND an interim athletic director is running the search. Hardly the foundation of stability to add an expensive coach especially when the governor is saying no more draconian buyouts.
I am more worried about Lane Kiffin going to Florida than LSU at this point.
My choice is Jimbo Fisher which is definitely a wild call after he bombed out of Aggieland.
Here are the reasons.
1) Jimbo Knows The Culture
He was Nick Saban's OC of the 2003 National Title Team and almost got the job once already.
2) Staff Continuity
LSU would be able to keep ace recruiters Frank Wilson (interim head coach), Corey Raymond (DBs Coach), Blake Baker (Def Co-Ordinator) & Austin Thomas (GM) on the staff.
3) Finances
Jimbo would LITERALLY crawl back to Baton Rouge to take this job. He has already made a fortune from A&M. It ain't about the $$$. No crazy buyout would be needed in his contract.
Penn State
Brandon Walker-Eli Drinkwitz
Mintzy-Brian Hartline
I agree that Coach Drink is going to be on the move from Mizzou but my choice is later.
What is the old adage? If you can't beat 'em…. join 'em.
That is exacty what Penn State would be doing by poaching Ohio State OC Brian Hartline. As WR coach, he has sent a factory of top tier NFL WRs from Ohio State. JSN, Egbuka, Olave and the list goes on and on. Jeremiah Smith & Carnell Lake are both 1st rounders on the way too.
Hartline is doing a damn fine job as OC leading the development of Heisman front runner QB Julian Sayin.
Although he has no head coaching experience, the upside here is too big for Penn State to pass up and the Nittany Lions shoot for the moon.
Florida
Brandon Walker-Lane Kiffin
Mintzy-Eli Drinkwitz
BFW clearly wants Lane out of Oxford for obvious reasons. Florida does concern me more than LSU for Lane. Rumors of a 6 year 81 million dollar offer have been floating around social media. Steve Spurrier is Lane's hero and he even rocks the visor on the sidelines as a tribute.
I wrote a blog about why Lane will stay in Oxford last week.
Lane is clearly Florida's #1 option but he's gonna stay in Oxford.
Eli Drinkwitz has done a mighty fine job at Mizzou and would not turn down this job. Coach Drink has excelled in the NIL era and has proven he can win in the SEC.
If Drink can win in Columbia, Missouri, one would think he could excel in Gainesville too.
Virginia Tech
Brandon Walker-James Franklin
Mintzy-James Franklin
Stop the presses. BFW and I finally agree on something.
Franklin is a perfect fit to restore the glory in Blacksburg. He rebuilt Vandy from the gutter to a solid SEC program and turned Penn State around after the massive Joe Pa scandal.
Why can't he do the same at Virginia Tech in a watered down ACC?!?!?
Auburn
BFW-Fran Brown
Mintzy-Brent Key
WILD call by BFW with Syracuse falling off a cliff this season. Just can't see Auburn taking Brown at this point.
Brent Key has rescued Georgia Tech from the college football toilet and the Ramblin' Wreck even have a shot to win the ACC. Atlanta is only 90 short minutes from Auburn too.
While Key is a Georgia Tech alum, Auburn would double his salary and give him a shot to win in the SEC. His stock will never be higher and it makes sense to bounce with outgoing star QB Haynes King.
Auburn interim DJ Durkin has a real shot at this job if he can beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl too. But that involves scoring points which has been a big problem for the Tigers.
Oklahoma State
Brandon Walker-A 3rd Lane Kiffin
Mintzy-Zach Robinson
This is on obvious troll by Brandon and no need to comment on it.
Zach Robinson is a former Oklahoma St QB and is currently the OC for the Atlanta Falcons. It makes a ton of sense for Oklahoma State to hire one of their own and he's been mentioned as a front runner for the job since Mike Gundy was fired. Other names to watch are Eric Morris (North Texas) and Jeff Traylor (UTSA).
Wisconsin
Brandon Walker-Pat Fitzgerald
Mintzy-Pat Fitzgerald
God only knows why Wisconsin is still employing Luke Fickell. They lose by 30 every single week. You know it is bad when Big Cat speaks out publicly about the state of the program.
Fitzgerald is finally ready to re-enter coaching after his 140 million dollar lawsuit against Northwestern was settled out of court. He got royally screwed by his alma mater and is a proven head coaching commodity ESP in the Big 10.
Fitz would fit the hard nosed culture of Wisconsin football and is a seamless fit.
Kentucky
Brandon Walker-Jon Sumrall
Mintzy-Mark Stoops Stays
I definitely understand BFW's prediction here as Sumrall is a Kentucky alum and almost got the job two years ago. But my read is that Jon loves it at Tulane and is waiting on a better SEC job than Kentucky.
It has definitely gotten bad in Lexington for Stoops the last two seasons but his buyout is huge after signing an extension when Texas A&M tried to poach him.
With Kentucky fans basketball obsession, will someone pony up the big money to get Stoops out? And does Kentucky want to hire a coach with so many better jobs open?
Stoops gets one more year and UK makes a move after 2026 season.
Arkansas
Brandon Walker-Houston Nutt
Mintzy-Ryan Silverfield
Another obvious troll by Walker here as there's NO CHANCE IN HELL the Right Reverend goes back to Arkansas.
Memphis Coach Ryan Silverfield on the other hand just beat Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl and has Memphis primed at an AAC Title and playoff berth.
Silverfield is a heckuva offensive mind and also led the Tigers to 10 wins last season. Arkansas is in a BAD spot right now and could do far worse than taking a shot on the rising Memphis coaching star.