Is Bret Bielema really a top candidate to be Southern Miss football coach? The latest
There always seems to be a point in the search for a new college football coach where an off-the-wall name comes to light, and Monday’s buzz popped out an intriguing candidate for the Southern Miss job: former Arkansas and Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.
Bielema’s name first emerged for the USM job in a Nov. 23 report by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and he tweeted Monday that Bielema was considered a top candidate along with a couple of other names under consideration — Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall and Baylor defensive coordinator Ron Roberts.
Also on Monday, Steven Godfrey of Banner Society tweeted that Bielema had “interviewed for multiple openings, including Southern Miss, where he’s considered a top candidate.”
From what I’ve heard on the ground in Mississippi, Bielema isn’t currently considered a top candidate for the USM job. The reporting of Bielema as being in the running for the job instantly created chatter among the Southern Miss faithful, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll go further than that.
Bielema is currently on the staff with the New York Giants, serving as an outside linebackers coach/senior assistant.
How many USM candidates are there?
The situation can always be fluid, but the list of remaining candidates is likely no longer than three or four.
USM athletic director Jeremy McClain originally told the Sun Herald that he hoped to have a hire made by the end of November, but COVID-19 has complicated things with games being postponed. It seems likely that USM will have a new head coach at some point in early December.
McClain has said that he would like to hire someone who has head coaching experience, but he’s also made a point not to back himself into a corner. Since the start of the search, he’s made clear that he’s open to choosing someone who had either offensive or defensive backgrounds.
I suspect that he won’t eliminate names from the list simply because they don’t have a head coaching stint on their resumé.
Hall was a head coach at a pair of Division II programs, West Georgia and West Alabama, and Roberts had head coaching stints at Division II Delta State and FCS Southeastern Louisiana.
Another name that’s generated support among USM boosters is Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Womack, a 33-year-old former Southern Miss football player who has yet to run a program.
Jamey Chadwell, Blake Anderson draw buzz
Other names who have drawn speculation for the job include Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell, Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson and Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.
Chadwell, who was hired by McClain as a head coach when he was the athletic director at Delta State in 2012, has also drawn speculation for the South Carolina and Vanderbilt jobs, so he may be a tough hire for USM.
Anderson, who was Larry Fedora’s offensive coordinator at Southern Miss, also seems to be a difficult hire for McClain considering Arkansas State would be owed $800,000 if he leaves for another head coaching job.
Whoever takes over the USM football team next will have a significant rebuilding job on their hands. A long list of players have decided to leave the program and transfer, including redshirt senior quarterback Jack Abraham.
The Golden Eagles are 2-7 and have had their last two games, UAB and UTEP, canceled because of COVID-19.
USM and UTEP announced Sunday that Friday’s contest in El Paso was called off because multiple players in the UTEP program had tested positive.
