Lost amidst the Michigan coaching search and their ultimately futile pursuit of Les Miles, and the circus that was Pittsburgh’s attempt to replace Michael Haywood, is the fact that UConn is still in need of a replacement for Randy Edsall.
Based on one report, that hunt could be winding toward a surprising conclusion.
The Hartford Courant reports this afternoon that they are “hearing very strongly” that former Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple “has emerged as the leading candidate to replace” Edsall as the Huskies head coach.
Whipple has been on the periphery of the search since it came open -- he told the Courant last week that “I’d be very interested. It’s a great place.” -- but his sudden emergence as the front-runner is more than mildly surprising. The 53-year-year-old coach spent last season as the Hurricanes’ coordinator, and has been a head coach at the collegiate level at New Haven, Brown and UMass.
In addition to Whipple, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been mentioned heavily in connection to the opening. Bradley was expected to interview for the job, but that reportedly did not happen.It’s unclear whether Bradley pulled his name from the mix and allowed Whipple to become the perceived front-runner, or if Whipple became the front-runner and then Bradley dropped out.
A pair of former head coaches at BcS schools -- Boston College’s Jeff Jagodzinski and Louisville’s Steve Kragthorpe -- have also been mentioned as possibilities.