Iowa State football: Five head coaches that could replace Paul Rhoads
By Brian Spaen
Nov 8, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Paul Rhoads on the sidelines against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s take a different angle on Iowa State football and the Paul Rhoads job security debate. Most of us believe that he has nothing to worry about, but let’s say the Cyclones decide to eat the $5 million buyout and can the head coach after this season.
The biggest question after firing Rhoads would be (and has been in message board discussions and conversations) who is going to take over as the head coach? Who could the Cyclones actually hire to take over? Would anyone be interested in fixing this dumpster fire?
Here are five actual coaches that could get the nod if Rhoads does in fact get the axe. We’ll focus on head coaches at other places, because after the disaster with Gene Chizik, I doubt athletic director Jamie Pollard will go after a young, hot coordinator.
Notable mentions:
- Dan McCarney (North Texas HC) – Is a reunion with the Cyclones in the future? Highly unlikely. Jamie Pollard came in and cut ties with McCarney fairly quickly when the fans were souring on him. It truly was his time to go when the trigger was pulled, and fans wouldn’t be happy with this hire if they’re comparing Rhoads to him.
- Mark Farley (Northern Iowa HC) – No. The Panthers had a huge win against North Dakota State recently, but UNI has actually under-performed in recent years and there were rumors that Farley could be gone at the end of this year.
- Mark Mangino (Iowa State OC) – It could definitely happen considering he had success at Kansas. But honestly, I’d rather have him stay at OC while Iowa State finds a different head guy.