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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…..happy coaching search season, everybody! With no bowl game to play for, this is a fun time of year to follow – even though the 2019 season resulted in a huge disappointment.
Of course, that is why Missouri is going through a coaching change. For someone who didn’t hire Barry Odom, Jim Sterk did not think a .500 record was good enough at Mizzou – and that’s certainly a good thing for the fan base. Now it’s on him to find someone that is significantly better.
If this ends up with a lot of the fan base saying, “Well, we should have just kept Barry Odom,” then Sterk may very well be in some trouble.
So there are a lot of rumors are flying around (if you didn’t know by now), but that’s the beauty of a coaching search. Charlotte’s Will Healy is a hot name, Tulane’s Willie Fritz has popped up, Central Michigan’s Jim McElwain and Air Force’s Troy Calhoun are possibilities as well. And of course, there could always be that mystery name that no one is talking about. But there’s also my guy Bryan Harsin from Boise State.
Here are the realistic candidates out there that really jump out at me.
Bryan Harsin.
That’s it. That’s the list.
Why? He is experienced and a proven winner. That’s just what Missouri needs right now.
Jim Sterk has emphasized during this coaching search that Missouri has the resources to be a Top 25 program that’s a consistent postseason team and competing for championships. That’s exactly what Bryan Harsin will bring to the table that he has accomplished with Boise State.
A consistent Top 25 program? Every year under Harsin, Boise State has been ranked at one point every season.
A consistent postseason team? Boise State has been bowl eligible in all six seasons under Harsin.
Competing for championships? Harsin has sent Boise State to the Mountain West Conference Championship Game now four times (including this season), and has won twice.
There’s also this:
Here's why Bryan Harsin would be a home-run hire for #Mizzou if Sterk could land him. Boise State is 63-16 during his 6 seasons there. That .797 winning % is 6th-best in CFB during that span. Only coaches w/ higher who have been in one spot during that time? Just Dabo and Saban.
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) December 2, 2019
Out of all of the candidates out there, it’s hard to find anyone that have a better resume than Bryan Harsin. Sure, it’s going to be very difficult to hire him away from his alma mater and there is always that question – how well is he going to transition from the Mountain West to the SEC?
But, that’s going to be the question surrounding every candidate right now, because the chances of Missouri hiring a coach already in the Power Five are…slim.
The bottom line is, Jim Sterk is under some serious pressure with this coaching search. With a fan base that is definitely impatient at the moment (and rightfully so), he better deliver with this football hire. Guys like Will Healy and Billy Napier are certainly intriguing up-and-comers and can pay off in the long run. That risk maybe worth taking, but not now— not with Bryan Harsin out there as a possibility.
All Bryan Harsin does is win. And the numbers don’t lie with his 70-21 career coaching record.
Of course, it’s all a moot point if Harsin isn’t interested, but if he is— Harsin is definitely the one that checks all the boxes. Here’s hoping Jim Sterk can use his former Mountain West connections to pull this off, because Bryan Harsin makes too much sense for Missouri.