DraftAce: Potential Replacements for Willingham | DraftAce Blog

So the Tyrone Willingham era is just about over in Washington. Willingham announced today that he would step down at the end of the season. What a long, long fall it has been for him. Who would have imagined on January 1, 2000 when Tyrone Willingham was coaching in the Rose Bowl that less than a decade later he would be out of not one, but two jobs. In three-plus seasons at Washington, Willingham has won only six conference games, only two of which came at home. Who would have believed that when he took over the program in 2005 that he would win just TWO Pac-10 home games in three-plus seasons. It's to imagine the Huskies next coach having a better resume than Willingham's, but you can't blame the school for wanting to try something new. This program isn't that far removed from a national title (1991), yet they're staring a potential winless season in the face.

So who could replace Willingham? Here's a potential wish list for the Huskies:

1. Bobby Hauck, Montana
Never heard of Hauck? Well, he may actually be one of the more realistic choices for the Huskies. Hauck has led the Montana Grizzlies to 59-15 record over the past six-plus seasons, which includes a 7-1 mark this year. The Grizzlies have made the playoffs every year under Hauck, including a trip to the 2004 Division I-AA National Championship Game. And where Hauck was an assistant coach before taking over at Montana? You guessed it, Washington.

2. Chris Petersen, Boise State
Petersen has done nothing but win with the Broncos. Boise isn't too far from Seattle, and he will already be familiar with many of the local high schools since (sadly for UW) Boise State is now recruiting many of the same caliber players.

3. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
Mendenhall is originally from Utah, so maybe he's content to stay at BYU. However, he did play his college ball at Oregon State, making the jump back to the Pac-10 a possibility. He also had two stints as an assistant at Oregon State

4. Lane Kiffin, former Raiders head coach
Kiffin certainly appears to be better suited for the college game. He is familiar with the Pac-10 already, as a former USC assistant under Pete Carroll. He knows the league, schools, the coaches - many of the same reasons Washington was attracted to Willingham, a former Stanford head coach.

For more from Ryan McCrystal, visit DraftAce.com

Comments (1) Add A Comment

October 28, 2008 04:24 PM ET

Report Abuse | QUOTE

I could see Bronco taking the Oregon State job due to his ties but he's got a good thing at BYU so I can't see him taking the Washington job.

Kiffin isn't bad but I'm not sure he wants this job.

Hauck and Petersen are great candidates and Washington should be happy if they landed one of them.