The Football Brainiacs

I included a few notes in my post yesterday regarding this D-line coaching search, but now that I’m back in the country things have understandably been a little easier to try and track down. As such, I have been able to gather more information on who OU may be considering and wanted to pass along some of what I have been able to gather.

– First, as most of you would expect, things continue to be very tight lipped around the program. I reiterate that only to remind you that in the process of gathering information, it’s hard to find anyone with a complete picture of everything single aspect of what is going on. And that on many occasions even when one is able to get information, it’s usually just clues.

– While I’m not certain at the moment who OU/Stoops view as the leading candidate for the job, I have been told that OU was interested in Boise State defensive line coach, Steve Caldwell.

– I have been told that an announcement could come by the end of this week. My source sounded certain on this point, but I’m a little hesitant about that timeline personally just because there are only a couple days left in this work week. However, I think the take away for me is that OU seems to have identified a candidate — whomever that may be — and perhaps at least an informal agreement is in place.

– I was told, and it was no surprise, that Alabama’s Bo Davis was very high on OU’s list of prospective candidates. I’ve spoken with two Alabama insiders, and they both insist that Davis wouldn’t take the job. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything per se, but it’s all I’ve got at this point. I do wonder if perhaps offering him a co-DC title might help.

– I continue to hear the name Ben Albert from Boston College as a possible candidate. In fact, I stumbled on some information yesterday regarding Albert and OU. A friend of mine was chatting with a D-I coach and the subject of OU’s defensive line hire came up, and the coach told my friend, “don’t be surprised if that coach from Boston College gets the job.” So I checked with someone in Albert’s camp and they are denying any interest in the position, but I would expect a denial like that until things were actually finalized.

– I have been told that going into things OU wanted to make a “splash” hire, which should certainly come as no surprise. But I was also told that “if they get who they want, everyone is going to be very excited.” Again, none of that is surprising or even new information. But I know that guys like the Michigan State defensive line coach, Ron Burton, and others are not interested in leaving their current situations. So the idea of a “splash” hire at this point would probably be limited to someone like Bo Davis. Who, again, I know OU is interested in but that may only be one-sided.

However, my personal feeling is OU doesn’t need a “splash” hire in terms of name recognition. They need someone who yields real results, both on the field and the recruiting trail, and I think a guy like Albert or Eli Rasheed or David Turner are those kind of guys. They aren’t necessarily names folks know, but I think they could do a dang good job. Steve Caldwell is interesting because even though he doesn’t necessarily fit the profile I’ve been told they are looking for, he has a long and successful coaching background.

Anyway, that’s pretty much everything I have at the moment. So know you know what I know.