Nobody was surprised when Purdue finally pulled the plug on Darrell Hazell as the head coach of its football program. The Boilermakers have been perennial underachievers under Hazell over the last four years and eventually something had to give. Purdue has already started the search for Hazell’s successor with the hope that they can find somebody that will bring the type of sustained success that this program hasn’t had in nearly a decade. Here is a look at the top four candidates to replace Hazell as the next head coach at Purdue.
Greg Schiano, Ohio State Buckeyes
Defensive Coordinator
Schiano’s return to the college game as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State caught more than a few people by surprise but the move has worked to this point as the Buckeyes’ defense has shown just enough improvement to give him a passing grade. Ohio State is rolling at 6-0 but the consensus is that Schiano took the job with an eye on building his reputation back up in order to become a head coach at the college level once again. Schiano was in the mix for the head coach job at Miami and USC last winter before both programs went in different directions and it will be very interesting to see if there is a mutual interest between Schiano and the Boilermakers moving forward.
Jeff Brohm, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Head Coach
Brohm has impressed in his first two seasons at Western Kentucky where he has led the Hilltoppers to a 24-10 record including 4-3 record this season. Western Kentucky nearly took down both Vanderbilt and Louisiana Tech in a pair of losses by an average margin of just 2.0 points and there is no doubt that his success with the program has him being talked about as a strong candidate to take over as head coach of a bigger program. Purdue is looking for a younger coach that is already established but could still invest a large amount of time taking this program to where they want it to be and Brohm could be the perfect fit. This would be a big step up for him and would help his profile.
P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan Broncos
Head Coach
Speaking of young coaches that have already established themselves as rising stars in the sport, Fleck is another excellent option that the Boilermakers would likely love to be able to convince to come on board. Fleck is a high-energy coach that understands how to motivate his players and he has done an excellent job with a Western Michigan team that is 15-5 over the past two seasons. Purdue would represent a bigger opportunity for Fleck so the interest could be mutual. Western Michigan is a small program and while Purdue isn’t a sexy spot right now, it would be a step up for Fleck. He might opt to make the move if he feels he can succeed there.
Les Miles
Former Head Coach of the LSU Tigers
If there is a wild card in this discussion it should be Miles, who finally wore out his welcome in Baton Rouge early this season. However, he will still be a hot commodity in free agency over these next couple of months. Remember that there is a dearth of quality coaches ready to take over at college football programs. At the very least, Miles is a proven commodity. He can recruit with the best of them and he’ll make teams competitive. Sure, LSU got a little tired of him because he couldn’t compete with Alabama but a team like Purdue would love to be in LSU’s ranks, being mentioned in the same conversation as the Tide. As of now, Purdue is a doormat in the Big Ten.
Miles would have to take a step down in terms of profile to sign with Purdue but if he joined them, it would also immediately change the level of credibility for the Boilermakers moving forward. Miles has an outstanding track record and it will be very interesting to see if Purdue could convince him that they are the perfect fit for him. They’ll have to throw a lot of money and power his way.
