Coaching job evaluation: Vanderbilt
What former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin achieved in three years with the Commodores wasn't impossible, but merely implausible.
It wasn't impossible to envision Vanderbilt someday finding its identity in the Southeastern Conference, where it had stood for generations as the annual whipping boy for long-held powers like Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and others. In a word, it was simply implausible - hard to believe, basically, that the Commodores could suddenly trade in decades of futility for a multiple-year run among the upper crust of the nation's premier conference.
That's what Franklin, who agreed Saturday to become the next coach at Penn State, was able to achieve from 2011-13: Franklin made the implausible plausible. In other words, he led Vanderbilt to 24 wins in a three-year span, an average of eight wins a year, and became the first coach in program history to first reach and then win back-to-back bowl games.
But his greatest achievement with the Commodores could be the program he leaves behind. While there's no discounting the impact Franklin's personality, hires and coaching style had on the Commodores' turnaround, he also leaves behind the foundation for continued success in the SEC. However, since the program has tasted success - and enjoyed the flavor - this hire is as crucial as any in its history.
What's good about the job:
This is a young and talented roster. Did Franklin recruit the pieces to win a national championship? Probably not. What the staff brought in does have what it takes to compete with all but the very top of the SEC, with the last two seasons as evidence. The 2013 roster was led by seniors but built around a solid core of true and redshirt freshmen and sophomores, and this group will serve as the centerpiece of the next staff's efforts.
There is no rebuilding needed. Beyond the physical - adding talent to match with the SEC - Franklin was able to quickly reverse Vanderbilt's losing attitude to create a team with the confidence to battle the league's goliaths. His successor won't need to worry about inheriting a flawed psyche with this bunch.
The university has put its financial weight behind the football program. In November, Vanderbilt christened a $31 million indoor facility that might rival any similar construction in the SEC - and in terms of practice facilities, puts the Commodores ahead of SEC East Division rivals Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. As it does with recruits, this sort of investment will help Vanderbilt attract a strong pool of coaching candidates.
This is still the SEC, remember, and these jobs are worth their weight in gold. For many coaches, a spot in the SEC is a career-long ambition; while Vanderbilt might not be Alabama, the job's appeal is still heightened by the Commodores' spot in the most-watched conference in college football.
What's bad about the job:
Expectations are going to be extremely high. Before Franklin's arrival, the university might have been satisfied with occasional runs at the postseason - say, once every other year - and competitive play against most SEC competition. Three years later, and thanks to the program's three-year run, Franklin's replacement will need to maintain a large degree of this recent pace to ensure his job security.
The Commodores are set to lose a large number of contributors from this year's team. One is All-American wide receiver Jordan Matthews, who carried this offense in each of the last two years. Also gone are left tackle Wesley Johnson, secondary receiver Jordan Krause and quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, though the Commodores seem to like Patton Robinette as Carta-Samuels' replacement. More losses come on defense, particularly in the secondary. All four primary starters along the back end were seniors.
Who are the likely candidates:
Vanderbilt needs a younger coach with the strength to recruit tirelessly, the energy to continue rallying the program and the football intelligence to maximize the team's personnel against the SEC's best. A Franklin clone would be nice - because he hit all three factors. That coaches with Franklin's skill set are rare is a concern.
Here are a few names to consider for Vanderbilt's opening, listed alphabetically:
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson
Ball State coach Pete Lembo
Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason
Colorado State coach Jim McElwain
Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris
Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi
North Carolina State tight ends coach Tom O'Brien
Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Bob Shoop
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart
Louisville offensive coordinator Shawn Watson
Utah State coach Matt Wells
The ideal candidates:
Vanderbilt found a star in Franklin despite the fact his experience hadn't extended beyond the coordinator level. One would think that Franklin's success will keep Vanderbilt from focusing solely on current FBS head coaches; instead, the school's search will include coordinators from some of the nation's top programs from coast to coast.
Kirby Smart is a big name, but convincing him to leave behind the opportunity to serve as Nick Saban's replacement will be extremely difficult. Chad Morris is well overdue for his own shot, though he could be similarly picky and choosy as to when he leaves a great situation at Clemson.
Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, coming off an Orange Bowl win vs. Ohio State, could be a strong candidate at Vanderbilt.(Photo: Joshua S. Kelly, USA TODAY Sports)
Derek Mason is intriguing. He has worked under two superb coaches in Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw, beginning as Stanford's secondary coach before becoming Shaw's co-defensive coordinator in 2011. His time at Stanford has given Mason experience with a football program within a school with strong academic credentials. Mason could be hired elsewhere before Vanderbilt can make a move, however.
A number of current FBS coaches are also in play. Two are from the Mountain West: Matt Wells and Jim McElwain have done impressive work at Utah State and Colorado State, respectively.
Ball State coach Pete Lembo needs to be considered a player for this open spot due to his successful turns at each stop in his coaching career: Lehigh, Elon and Ball State. Like Franklin, Lembo is a younger, energetic coach with a background on offense and an ability to turn unheralded recruits into team leaders. He'd be a good fit at Vanderbilt, which should be more willing than other schools with recent openings to look beyond flash - winning the initial press conference - to find the coach who best fits its needs.
Here's one thing to consider: Thanks to Franklin, Vanderbilt is eyeballing a far more impressive slew of candidates than at this point three years ago - even if that search did end up on Franklin, of course. That may be Franklin's lasting achievement: he made Vanderbilt attractive.
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