Now that Tom Herman has made the leap to Texas, we turn to his possible replacement at Houston. It’s one of the better non-Power 5 jobs out there — perhaps the best one — so there’s been no shortage of big names associated with the opening, namely former LSU coach Les Miles and current Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, Houston has contacted Miles about the job while Kiffin has emerged as a candidate.
Houston has shown that it will pay big-boy money for a coach — Herman was making $3 million per year — and has a brand-new stadium and gleaming football facilities, so about the only thing the Cougars don’t have going for them is their conference. Whether that’s a stumbling block for Miles, who just turned 63 and probably is looking for the last coaching job of his career, remains unclear.
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“I think we have some interest in him and he has interest in us,” Houston board of regents chariman Tilman Fertitta told the Houston Chronicle. “I’m not saying he’s No. 5 on the list or No. 1 on the list. He’s just on the list.”
As for Kiffin, his Alabama contract expires after this season and it’s thought by many observers that he’ll be moving on after three seasons in Tuscaloosa. It could be back to a head-coaching job — Kiffin previously coached Southern Cal, Tennessee and with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders — or another stint as an offensive coordinator. Ed Orgeron, recently hired on a full-time basis at LSU, coached with Kiffin at USC and replaced him on an interim basis after Kiffin was fired in 2013. The two are close friends, and Orgeron reportedly wants Kiffin to join his staff as the offensive coordinator in Baton Rouge.
According to the Chronicle, former Baylor coach Art Briles also is believed to have an interest in the Houston job, though he’s basically radioactive after the Baylor sexual assault scandal. The Chronicle reported that Houston planned to contact West Virginia Coach Dana Holgorsen about the opening and interview two in-house candidates: interim coach-defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and offensive coordinator Major Applewhite.
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