The Group Chat: Coaching Candidates

The last few weeks have been crazy around the NCAA when it comes to coaching moves. With numerous Director roles and high-level assistant jobs now open, trying to figure out who will land where has been more than challenging.

Below, we gave our TSR writers a handful of notable coaching vacancies around the NCAA and asked them to suggest who they think would be good candidates for those jobs.

Here's what they said...

---

Who could you see taking the Director role at Oregon?

Maura: Texas A&M's Milton Mallard may not be the first pick from many track and field fans around the country, but he makes arguably just as much sense as any other candidate.

Mallard has helped establish a stellar program at Texas A&M in the sprints, middle distances and relays side for both genders. Probably the biggest impact that Mallard has left with the Aggies is the dominance of athletes in the 800 meters following all-time performances from Donavan Brazier, Athing Mu, Sammy Watson, Jazmine Fray, Devin Dixon and Brandon Miller.

With his history of coaching numerous All-Americans and NCAA champions, Mallard clearly has the necessary experience to move from being an assistant coach to a Director.

The Ducks have the distance side taken care of and will, in theory, be looking for someone to continue their strong sprinting and relay history. Mallard just helped the Texas A&M women earn the nation’s second-fastest time in the 4x400 meter relay this past spring. If he can continue to recruit some of the nation’s best athletes, the Ducks could maintain their historical success without a hiccup.

Garrett: Alright, stay with me here: Jerry Schumacher.

Schumacher's name has come up more than once in the speculative conversations that I've had with coaches, athletes and others. Yes, the Ducks already have well-known distance coaches on their roster, but that may not matter in this scenario.

After all, Schumacher has pursued a high-level collegiate coaching role before.

Few people know that Schumacher was going after the North Carolina job a few years ago. In fact, according to a few sources I've spoken to, that job was nearly a lock until it ultimately fell through.

Taking the job at Oregon means that Schumacher would be able to stay in-state and work with a Nike-powered university while having all of the necessary resources for his training professional group, Bowerman Track Club.

And for the Ducks, they would get their iconic coach that they are almost certainly looking for.

Gavin: I feel like we're all sleeping on Alabama's Dan Waters.

It's more likely that the Ducks will pick a name who is recognized across all three levels of competition (high school, college, pro), but why not take a shot on a coach who has turned Alabama into a sneaky-good program?

The hope here would be that Waters’ success in turning the Crimson Tide into a national-caliber stalwart would be replicable at a more iconic locale, albeit one on the other side of the country.

Oregon is arguably unmatched as a track and field coaching job thanks to its history, location and resources. That’s exactly why there may be innumerable prospective coaches lining up to take this job.

But Waters has already shown a unique ability to elevate a Power Five school since he took the reins in Tuscaloosa 11 years ago.

Both the Alabama men’s and women’s teams have finished in the top-15 of the final USTFCCCA outdoor track and field rankings for each of the past three seasons. Not to mention the men have placed in the top-10 at the NCAA Indoor Championships for four-straight years.

While Alabama has long been solid in the sprints -- its status as a larger SEC school with a climate suitable for shorter events makes this natural -- Waters has also managed to oversee the rise of a new distance contender down south.

And when you begin to consider everything that I just said, the idea of Waters venturing to Eugene later this year doesn't seem totally absurd.

Who could you see taking the Director role at Illinois?

Maura: How about J.C. Lambert of Southern Illinois?

The University of Illinois has the distance side, the sprints and the jumps covered, at least in terms of available coaches. That leaves them most likely looking for a throws coach...right?

This means that someone like Lambert would be a good choice for the Director role at Illinois as he has put in his time as an assistant coach, learning from the best at SIU-Carbondale and coaching numerous All-Americans.

Lambert, a graduate of SIU-Carbondale himself, was successful in his own career and has translated that success over to his athletes. The University of Illinois could benefit from someone of Lambert's caliber, especially in an event area like the throws which is extremely competitive each and every year in the BIG 10.

Lambert is young, has momentum, is already coaching within the state of Illinois and has a resume that speaks for itself. What's not to like?

Garrett: Illinois' best option for the Director role is someone they already employ.

Distance coach Sarah Haveman is one of the best in the business. Despite joining the Fighting Illini' in 2018, Haveman is one of the longest tenured coaches on Illinois' current staff. She has also transformed the Illinois women into a midwest distance power, qualifying for multiple cross country national meets after years of mediocrity.

Not only that, but Haveman has actually been in a Director role before! She served as the Director for the Dayton Flyers for one year before venturing to the BIG 10. While serving as the head coach for an A-10 team versus a BIG 10 team holds plenty of differences, that experience should only bolster Haveman's candidacy.

The dismissal of former Illinois head coach Mike Turk was a results-oriented decision. So why not bring in someone who is experienced in this role, is already on your roster and has exceptional results to validate her coaching prowess?

Gavin: So...how about Colorado's Heather Burroughs?

Burroughs would qualify as a veritable home-run hire, and while there’s not necessarily any known outward indication of mutual interest, there’s reason to believe that the Director role at Illinois *could* be appealing to her.

Burroughs has spent over 20 years in Boulder, competing for and coaching her alma mater. Her extensive experience and associate head coach title signify that she’s ready for a Director role if she wants one.

That’s also the biggest reason why this move may NOT happen -- those same elements make Burroughs a very strong candidate to be the head coaching replacement at Colorado once the legendary Mark Wetmore, 23 years her senior, decides to step down.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt for Illinois to give her a call and try to swoop her away. And the Fighting Illini brass should have a solid recruiting pitch...

For one, the University of Illinois is a brand name in a desirable conference. It doesn’t meet the distance prestige of Colorado, but Illinois’ distance program has been solid ever since Sarah Haveman was introduced to the team.

It also helps that the state of Illinois has a strong running history and is rich with prep talent that’s mostly been untapped by in-state universities. It would make sense for Illinois to pursue a distance-oriented Director for its track and cross country programs for those aforementioned reasons and because the midwest region is generally more suitable for distance training than it is for sprints.

Who could you see taking the Director role at TCU?

Maura: I'll say Joel Brown from Ohio State. With Ohio State seeing a change at the top of their coaching hierarchy, elevating Sara Vergote to the Director role, Joel Brown, who has been with the Buckeyes as an assistant coach since 2014, might want to take his career one step higher and reach that Director spot.

Brown is a sprinting and hurdling coach, as well as the primary recruiting coordinator for Ohio State. Coaching under former head coach Karen Dennis doesn't hurt, either. His athletes have earned individual and team conference titles, as well as All-American honors, all of which highlight his resume.

TCU has been a struggling team in the BIG 12 and could use a sprinting coach like Brown who would effectively cover the same areas that Anderson oversaw.

We should also note that the somewhat recent introduction of Lisa Morgan-Richtman as the Horned Frogs' distance coach in 2020 means that bringing in a distance coach for this Director role is unlikely.

Garrett: I'm with Maura, I would find it hard to believe that TCU brings in someone other than a sprints coach (although Gavin may have convinced me otherwise). The problem, however, is that I can't necessarily find a good sprints option for TCU...which is not to say that a good option doesn't exist.

If dismissing Darryl Anderson was a results-based decision -- and one can only speculate that it was -- then I imagine that the Horned Frogs would want to make a big-time hire, likely from the BIG 12 or Texas areas.

But who would that be? When looking at the assistant sprint coaches at Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, they're all accomplished, but they also seem too young and too inexperienced to take on a Director role.

One could argue in favor of Carl Lewis, but it seems unlikely that Lewis would leave behind a Houston head coaching job that could be his for the taking. Staying at Houston also means that he wouldn't have to start from scratch like he would at TCU.

What about Stacey Smith from Baylor? Yes, she coaches jumps and not sprints, and yes, TCU already has that area covered with a 10-year program veteran in Shawn Jackson. Still, she's been with Baylor for 20 years, has coached national champions, has led numerous All-Americans and was an elite jumper during her time in the NCAA.

If TCU wants to recruit within the BIG 12, she could be a fantastic option.

Gavin: This may be wishful thinking, but I could see TCU trying to lure away a veteran coach like Steve Gulley. The current Tulsa coach is currently presiding over an unlikely national distance power, but there is a great opportunity and likely a higher ceiling for Gulley with this theoretical move to Texas Christian.

Gulley, the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country for the Golden Hurricanes, has spent two decades in Tulsa. But before that, he was the head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Baylor. His strong familiarity with the general southwest region may make him more comfortable with a change of scenery at this point in his career.

Gulley would admittedly be leaving a lot behind with this move, but the main incentive for this move would be competing at a higher level by way of joining a more prestigious conference -- especially as realignment for football alters the landscape of every other sport.

Perhaps most importantly, a hire like this would signal TCU’s intentions of filling the dearth of strong Division One distance programs in the state of Texas beyond the Longhorns.

That speaks to the aforementioned opportunity for Gulley. He has built an established winner in Tulsa, so if he could show promise in the first couple years at TCU, then it should be easy to recruit to Fort Worth...in theory.

At Tulsa, Gulley has leaned on top flight additions from the United Kingdom and he wouldn’t have to rely solely on those overseas talents with the depth of young talent in the surrounding state if he went to TCU.

The Horned Frogs have had far more success in the sprint and field events in recent years, but their coaching change could potentially signify a shift in that approach. After the University of Texas, there’s a massive drop off in distance running in the Lone Star state, and TCU could be well-positioned to fill that void with a distance-oriented hire.

Who could you see taking the men’s distance role at Notre Dame?

Maura: I’ve said this before (on the podcast) and I’m sticking with my choice. Trevor Dunbar, who is currently at Virginia, would be a solid pick for Notre Dame's men’s distance role.

Dunbar has done a lot of moving around recently, jumping from Boston University to Florida State to California to Virginia, but one more move wouldn’t be a bad choice. He is an established top-tier distance runner himself and could continue the Fighting Irish legacy of excellence as a head distance coach.

In his first year with the Cavaliers, Dunbar was instrumental in the development of Wes Porter and Yasin Sado, as well as Rohann Asfaw. These three men ran extremely well in the 1500 meters, the 5k, the 10k and the steeplechase, all of which will be events where Notre Dame can shine given the depth on their current roster.

Dunbar has enough experience to coach some of the nation’s best distance athletes and he knows the ins-and-outs of the ACC after stints at Florida State and Virginia.

Garrett: I honestly have no idea. You could throw a dart anywhere on a map and I could probably find a realistic candidate in whatever state it landed on.

That said, I do think Northern Arizona's Jarred Cornfield would be a fantastic option. He has been part of a coaching staff that has helped elevated the Lumberjacks from being a modern-day powerhouse to a historical dynasty.

Not only that, but Cornfield has also played a role in the development of the Lumberjacks' women's program, helping them become a consistent national qualifying squad on the grass.

Cornfield has had great success at Northern Arizona, but Mike Smith is the one who has, understandably, received all of the attention. Smith is also the one who is calling most of the shots.

But after years of learning from one of the greatest distance coaches in the NCAA, this could be Cornfield's chance to leave his mark. He could leave NAU for a position that is somewhat similar, except this time he'll have control of a men's team that is primed for long-term success.

Gavin: It’s difficult to gauge the perceived status of the Notre Dame job, one that is surely more attractive now than it was before Sean Carlson took over.

Would figures in similar head cross country / assistant coaching roles at other NCAA powers consider leaving to take this job in South Bend? Does looming conference realignment factor in and make Notre Dame more appealing? What are the current resources and the expected pay for this job?

The name that makes the most sense to me is Michigan State’s Aaron Simoneau. He’s a young up-and-coming coach who has spent his career thus far in the midwest and seems in line for an elevation.

Like Carlson, Simoneau has boosted the Michigan State men -- a historically successfully program that hadn't always been a contender before their arrival. However, since he took over, Simoneau has led his men’s cross country team to the NCAA XC Championships in nearly every season, including the last two.

Simoneau would be leaving his alma mater, but could stay in the same region, and perhaps the same conference (depending on what the ND decides to do), to coach at one of the newest distance powers and brand names in college sports.