News Flash: Coaching shuffle
By Tom Dienhart, Yahoo! Sports Nov 20, 6:19 pm EST
Expect Memphis to continue to make a push for Middle Tennessee State coach Rick Stockstill to take the job. But he won’t do it. Count on Stockstill remaining in Murfreesboro, where he again will feature a strong team capable of challenging for the Sun Belt title. The Blue Raiders are 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the Sun Belt.
Tennessee running backs coach Eddie Gran already has interviewed, but it’s believed that Memphis may be honing in on LSU assistant head coach/running backs/special teams Larry Porter.
Porter was a running back for Memphis from 1990-93, serving as a team captain as a senior. He has been at LSU since 2005, arriving in Baton Rouge with Les Miles from Oklahoma State (2002-04).
C-USA changes
Looking for the one league that could undergo the most coaching changes? It’s Conference USA. The league could end up having as many as five new coaches.
The Memphis job is open, as the school announced earlier this month that Tommy West won’t be back in 2010. There also is a good chance that Central Florida (George O’Leary), Marshall (Mark Snyder), Tulane (Bob Toledo) and UAB (Neil Calloway) all could make changes.
Bower comeback
Former Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower could be a strong candidate at North Texas or Tulane, if those posts open.
Bower, 56, worked with current North Texas athletic director Rick Villareal at Southern Miss. Bower also would be a good fit at Tulane if a change is made.
One thing to remember: Bower’s wife suffers from multiple sclerosis so her health that could be a factor in his decision.
Bower was head coach of Southern Miss for 17 years, giving way to Larry Fedora after the 2007 season. He compiled a 119-83-1 record, leading the Golden Eagles to 11 bowls and four league championships.
