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This has been a long week, but not a particularly long Missouri coaching search

Here are today's Mizzou Links.

Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports

I wanted to briefly discuss coaching search timelines:

  • USC: Steve Sarkisian fired on October 12, interim HC Clay Helton assumes job on November 30. That's 49 days.
  • Maryland: Randy Edsall fired on October 11, D.J. Durkin announced as head coached on December 2. That's 52 days.
  • Minnesota: Jerry Kill retires October 28, interim HC Tracy Claeys announced as head coach November 11. That's 14 days.
  • South Carolina: Steve Spurrier announces retirement on Oct 12, still open. That's 52 days.
  • Miami: Al Golden was fired October 26, Mark Richt was reported as head coach on December 2. That's 37 days.
  • Missouri: Gary Pinkel announces retirement on November 13, still open. That's 20 days.
  • Georgia: Mark Richt fired on November 29, still open (sort of). That's 4 days.
  • Virginia: Mike London fired on November 29, still open. That's 4 days.

Missouri's coaching search will probably end either today, Friday or Monday of next week, which means the search will have lasted 24 days at most, or less than half the length of time it took for USC to go with their in-house hire.

Al Golden was fired in the middle of October and Miami had the powerful Korn/Ferry search firm looking for over a month, and ultimately it was the surprise availability of a fantastic alum to that ended the search. SC knew about Steve Spurrier's retirement since the week after the Gamecocks lost to Missouri, and they are still struggling to find a better candidate than Will Muschamp (although Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley is a hot name for them now).

Georgia is reportedly in line to hire Alabama's defensive coordinator and Georgia alum Kirby Smart, and that may happen very soon, but he was also linked to the position basically every time Dawg fans complained about Mark Richt. (Note from Bill: I guess that makes him their mid-2000s Gary Barnett.) Georgia, a top-five or 10 program nationally, is the only open job that is in-arguably better than Missouri's right now, and combined with the fact that Gary Pinkel's retirement came as a surprise for an AD who has only been on the job for a little more than six months, it should be no surprise the search could last more than a week from the actual end of Missouri's season.

Jimmy Sexton is college football's power broker behind the scenes

In many ways, Sexton drives the marketplace when it comes to college football coaches. With a roster so deep, there's a good chance some of his clients are going to be fired and others are going to be hired -- sometimes for the same job.

Sexton is the co-head of the football division of Creative Artists Agency, which represents more than 100 professional players and more than 50 FBS coaches. He personally reps more than a dozen FBS coaches, including Alabama's Nick Saban, Auburn's Gus Malzahn, Florida State's Jimbo Fisher and UCLA's Jim Mora.

... and Barry Odom, for what it's worth.

Proven success by hiring from within - College Football Nation Blog- ESPN

1. Something to consider as USC hires Clay Helton, Georgia hires Kirby Smart and Maryland hires D.J. Durkin: Take the top 10 head coaches in winning percentage among Power 5 schools. Four of them -- Jimbo Fisher of Florida State, Mark Helfrich of Oregon, David Shaw of Stanford and Gary Patterson of TCU -- were coordinators promoted from within. Only one, Bob Stoops of Oklahoma, was a coordinator hired from another school (The other five coaches in the top 10 had been head coaches at other schools, now that Mark Richt is active at Miami). Coincidence? Good sign for Helton? You tell me.

A possible opportunity for a longtime assistant

Mizzou's Hill targeted for FCS coaching job : Dave Matter

Rhoades appointed quarterbacks coach Andy Hill as interim head coach until a new head coach is hired, but the team's longest tenured assistant is expected to interview for the head-coaching job at Montana State, multiple sources confirmed. [...]

The Bobcats athletics director is Peter Fields, who worked at Mizzou as associate AD from 1996-2002. Fields declined comment on possible candidates when reached this week. Fields fired coach Rob Ash after a 5-6 season.

A familiar face and a potential No. 1 pick

Westran grad Tyler Hunt to return to baseball for MU - David Morrison

Hunt, from Westran High School, ran 42 times for 185 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers' football team as a senior this fall while also catching six passes for 203 yards and a score. He was responsible for Missouri's four longest plays from scrimmage. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back will play pitcher for the Tigers' baseball team. He's a righty.

University of Missouri Athletics - @MizzouBaseball’s Houck Tabbed Top 2017 Draft Prospect by PerfectGame

Mizzou Baseball sophomore righty Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) was tabbed as the No. 1 prospect for the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft according to PerfectGame.com, as the website released its annual rankings on Wednesday (Dec. 2). Houck, a consensus Freshman All-American in 2015, was also dubbed as the top-rated collegiate prospect in the 2017 draft by Baseball America earlier this season.

Recruiting News:

Football

Basketball

Garfield Heights Put On A Show Against Bedford - 3CH Game of the Week

...Missouri commit Willie Jackson made sure that the Bedford hype was kept at a minimum as he went on to score 17 of his game-high 25 points in the first half.

Damn

Tigers trounce SEMO, now one win shy of matching program's best start - Columbia Daily Tribune

Missouri limited SEMO to 12 made field goals and 20.3-percent shooting in a 74-32 victory at Mizzou Arena.

Missouri women's basketball defeated SEMO to start 8-0 for first time in two decades columbiamissourian.com

"Our rotations weren't where they needed to be defensively," Pingeton said. "We didn't shoot the ball particularly well. We've still got a lot of work to do, but at some point I've got to pump the brakes and just let these guys breathe a little bit."

University of Missouri Athletics - @MizzouWBB Beats SEMO 74-32; Tigers Start 8-0 for First Time Since 1982-83

With the win, Mizzou improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1982-83. That season, the Tigers established a program record with a 9-0 start.

Mizzou will look to stay unbeaten on Dec. 7 as the Tigers take on Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. CT at Mizzou Arena.

Volleyball in the NCAA Tournament

Tigers take their block party to Lawrence - Blake Toppmeyer

The Tigers (26-5) enter their 4 p.m. Thursday first-round NCAA Tournament match against Missouri State (24-10) in Lawrence, Kan., ranked 20th nationally at 2.82 blocks per set. That’s the best average — by a wide margin — of the four teams at the Kansas Sub-Regional. Ninth-seeded Kansas is next at 2.1 blocks per set.