In the hours after news broke that Texas Tech had suspended Mike Leach, it was assumed and seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would be fired as the Red Raiders’ head coach at some point in time.
Now that the school has released the rope on the guillotine, where does athletic director Gerald Myers turn to replace arguably the most popular and winningest coach in Tech’s history?
At least two names come to mind right off the bat: Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes and Baylor head coach Art Briles. Dykes is the son of Spike Dykes, the former Tech head coach who led the Red Raiders from 1987 through 1999.
Spike Dykes was replaced as Tech’s by, oddly enough, Mike Leach in 2000.
Briles was on Leach’s staff at Tech earlier this decade.
Another name to keep an eye on? Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin. The outstanding young coach’s prolific spread offense, which he inherited from Briles when he left for Baylor, would help make the transition to a new coach relatively seamless, at least on that side of the ball.
It’s been previously reported that Sumlin and the Cougars were closing in on a contract extension, but it’s been all quiet on the extension front the last week or two. Look for those talks to heat up as Sumlin’s name becomes attached to this new vacancy.
I’m sure Mack Brown and Bob Stoops are pretty happy about this development
In the toilet
Would any higher level coach consider Tech after what the administration has done to Leach?
…they go behind baylor in the standings
They go to the basement of the Big 12 and have to look up to even see Baylor.
What about Jim Leavitt??
oh wait….that might not make sense.
Someone please FIRE Gerald Myers is one piece of s!!!
I must’ve missed something, Brian. Did the administration put the student in the closet and blame Leach?
Brian says:
December 30, 2009 2:00 PM ET
Would any higher level coach consider Tech after what the administration has done to Leach?
Answer: Yes, but I will feel sorry for the Texas taxpayers when the amount of money it took to get a new coach to accept coaching at Tech under the current University leadership becomes public!
“I must’ve missed something, Brian. Did the administration put the student in the closet and blame Leach?”
Not a closet, not even close. Look at the video a few posts before this one.
Whoever Tech hires will be a step UP in the morals depertment.
Leach is a punk, and I’m glad he’s gone!
the Texas public education system is in the toilet exactly for reasons such as this. Why should a good teacher want to aspire to anything other than head football coach, since a winner is the highest paid employee of the school / district? I feel my taxes going up already…damn
Myers will be fired, the new AD (Mike Leach) will hire Mike Leach back. Piece of cake. Oh, and, incidentally, Craig James will lose his cush gig w/ ESPN once all the facts come out and they realize the “little league dad” is behind this mess. That is all.
Sonny Dykes was also a WR’s coach from 00-04 and co-offensive coordinator at Tech in 05 and 06.
might be a good fit.
JCD, so you’re saying the administration fired him simply because he put a student in a giant room?
[...] Fired by Texas Tech in 2009 after allegations that he had “abused” a player of a previously prominent college football “analyst” surfaced, Leach spent two years away from coaching as he sued his former employer for wrongful termination. Hired by Washington State in late November of 2011, and in the midst of what would become a three-win season, Leach was again accused of the “physical, emotional and verbal abuse“ of a player, allegations which were knocked down — for now — by a two-pronged investigation on the part of both Wazzu and the Pac-12. [...]