According to a report in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, five names have emerged from an initial list of 50 as leading contenders to replace Tommy West as the head football coach at Memphis.
Perhaps most surprising, though, are a couple of names that are not on the whittled-down list.
In the immediate aftermath of West’s dismissal, former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville and, in particular, current Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn were named as potential replacements. However, those two names do not appear in the Commercial Appeal‘s latest report.
Instead, the five names currently believed to be front runners are former Auburn and current Div. II North Alabama head coach Terry Bowden, LSU assistant and former Tigers running back Larry Porter, Oklahoma State co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer, Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill and, the newest name in the speculative mix, Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster.
Even as the list has been pared, athletic director R.C. Johnson says he’s not done taking recommendations for potential candidates.
“Obviously I have some people I am thoroughly checking, but I haven’t told people to quit calling with recommendations or names because you just never know,’' Johnson said. ''It’s kind of like the basketball search. We kept having different names pop up and because the program is what it is, it was worth checking out.”
There has been a lot of speculation in a few circles that Porter may have an edge at this point in time, in part because of his history with the school and in part because of his success as a recruiter -- he has twice been named as Rivals.com‘s recruiter of the year.
When West was fired earlier this week, Johnson said that head-coaching experience was not an absolute prerequisite, but that the ability to recruit will be paramount.
