It seems that West Virginia’s search for a new head coach is heating up, and we may see a hire soon.

Here’s how I would rank the likelihood of some potential candidates to be the ‘guy’ for the Mountaineers. (This is solely based on opinion and should not be taken officially)

Long Shots

Jimbo Fisher

We heard a lot about the possibility of Jimbo Fisher, who is currently a free-agent head coach, returning to coach for his home state during the season, from fans. However, recently, we haven’t heard much about him. Yes, he’s from West Virginia and has won a national championship in the past. Yes, he’s getting paid a hefty buyout by Texas A&M, which would make his cost lighter for WVU and yes he has expressed interest in coaching the Mountaineers in the past. I just don’t see it though. I don’t believe Fisher is what Wren Baker is looking for at this moment.

Anthony Becht

Anthony Becht had a career with the Mountaineers worthy of being inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. He had a decade-long career in the NFL, worked as an analyst and is now the head coach of the St.Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. He’s never coached in college but has expressed interest in the job. The most intriguing part about Becht becoming WVU’s next head coach is his son Rocco, an excellent quarterback for Iowa State, but you can’t hire a guy just based on that. While Becht is doing a great job in the UFL, I just don’t think he’s the right guy for the job in Morgantown. 

Bill Belichick 

Belichick couldn’t land a job in the NFL this past season after mutually parting ways with the New England Patriots. The eight-time Super Bowl Champion (six with New England, two with the New York Giants) interviewed for the UNC job and shared some of what I took as banter with Pat McAfee about the WVU job. Like Becht, Belichick has never coached in college, but seeing him try to navigate this new landscape of college football would be interesting. Belichick is getting up there in age and while he would bring massive national attention to the program, I don’t see it as a long-term fit.

Maybe?

Jason Candle

Here we are, getting into some candidates that I think aren’t complete longshots but aren’t favorites to land the job. Candle has done a great job at Toledo. We haven’t seen his name be brought up a ton, but he should definitely be considered an option. I don’t see him as a complete and home run upgrade from Neal Brown, but he has had profound success in the MAC conference.

Dan Mullen

A former SEC coach who had great success at Mississippi State before getting a job at Florida but was then fired despite a winning record, Mullen is currently working as an analyst for ABC and ESPN. Mullen is a great offensive mind. I don’t have any doubt about that, but college football has changed since the last time he coached. Would there need to be a readjusting period? Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn’t completely rule out Mullen as a viable option, but there are some others who may have the upperhand with this one. 

Shannon Dawson

The first coordinator who makes an appearance on this list, Dawson is currently working for Miami. The Hurricanes were one of the most explosive offenses this season despite not making the ACC Championship or college football playoffs. Dawson, had a past tenure at West Virginia from 2012 to 2014. Another guy whose name hasn’t been floating around a whole lot, but it would make sense. 

Jake Dickert

A defensive-minded head coach, Dickert had some surprising success with Washington State this year. His head coaching record sits just three games above .500, but it is definitely moving in the right direction. Dickert might want to remain with Washington State to keep building up his resume and the program, though. He does have the experience of beating some power conference teams, but I’m skeptical about how he would perform in Morgantown.

Front Runners

Andy Kotelnicki

The second coordinator on this list, Kotelnicki, led Kansas’s complete offensive resurgence before flipping to Happy Valley this past season. Penn State suffered a one-score loss to Oregon in the Big Ten championship and will host a playoff game, which might delay his hire if he is Baker’s guy. Kotelnicki is a well-respected offensive mind, I would say. If hired, it would be his first go as a head coach. I see Kotelnicki as a top-two candidate with either of the next two guys. 

Jamey Chadwell

While he didn’t have the exact season he would’ve hoped for this year, Chadwell has been a grand slam hire for Liberty. Prior to coaching the Flames, he was the head coach at Coastal Carolina. His overall record as a head coach is 119-61. There may be some skeptics of a group of five coaches being a serious candidate based on Neal Brown, but if there had to be one, it should be Chadwell. 

Rich Rodriguez

Here we go. If this were to be the hire, fans would be divided beyond belief. There is no denying that Rodriguez did a great job with Jacksonville State this year though, winning the Conference USA Championship in dominating fashion. Rodriguez knows Morgantown, knows West Virginia and could be one of the biggest storylines in the Big 12. He’s got support from some big names, such as McAfee and could honestly turn the program back around under the right circumstances.