*** Thursday, December 6
3:20 pm update
- With Mel Tucker announced, it's now time for assistant coach nuggets...
Just got off the phone with a source who told me of an assistant coach that Mel Tucker is interesting in hiring at Colorado....
Andy McCollum, who is Georgia Tech's linebackers coach. Tech's coach Paul Johnson retired, so McCollum may not have a job there anymore. I'm told Tucker reached out to McCollum. Not sure what the interest level is like, but keep an eye on this one..
http://ramblinwreck.com/coach/andy-mccollum/
*** Wednesday, December 5
10 a.m. update
- Here we go!!! It's happening! Brian Howell reported this morning that "the deal is done" and Troy Renck expects the news to be announced today and a press conference is expected for Thursday.
- Howell also tweeted the following: "Current coaches are scheduled to meet with Mel Tucker on Thursday. No word on who might stay, but at this point most (if not all) of the assistants have not even met Tucker, so it will take some time to figure out the staff."
- Here's my Wednesday morning article on Tucker/Colorado job.
- There's a vibe here that Tucker has already been working on assembling some assistant coaches. It would be huge if when Tucker is announced, some of his assistants are also announced.
- In a talk with one source this week, there has been a ton of uncertainty in the football offices at CU (obviously) but especially in regards to how this weekend will go. The biggest question being who is going to be in charge of the official visit weekend? Howell reported that the current coaches are set to meet with Tucker on Thursday, so that should be settled ahead of the recruits getting in on Friday.
*** Monday, December 3
4:52 p.m.
- Excerpt from BZ article:
BuffZone.com reached Tucker by phone on Monday. He did not deny the reports, but simply said he couldn't comment on the situation.
"I wish I could, but I can't at the moment," he said.
11:20 a.m.
- Nothing really notable to report this morning. My guess is since I just said that, Tucker will be announced soon! Lol.. That's all we're really waiting on here -- for CU and Tucker to finalize things and make an announcement.
- As for any rumblings that Tucker and/or CU have had a change of heart -- there aren't any. Even The Athletic's Georgia writer tweeted that Tucker is going to CU as well.
- In case you missed it, I wrote a story on CU's recruiting outlook for 2019 and updated the scholarship distribution chart.
*** Saturday, December 1
7:33 a.m.
- I reported that Mel Tucker will be Colorado's head coach. To my knowledge, we're the only Colorado outlet that has reported that it's happening. Others are just referencing "reports" (without actually mentioning that we posted it
)
- ESPN's Adam Rittenberg is also reporting here's hearing Tucker to CU. Like I said in a previous thread, things can always change last minute, as coaching in a conference championship game is a very emotional thing. But Tucker to CU is happening as of now and I expect it to be official tonight or sometime tomorrow.
*** Friday, November 30
10:53 p.m.
- It's Tucker. Expect the news to be announced Saturday night or Sunday.
10:20 a.m
- FootballScoop dropped a pretty big update on the search, but I have to say, and not to toot my own horn, but it lines up with everything I've been reporting the past couple of days.
Click here for their full article.
Some takeaways from the article..
- Thought this excerpt was pretty interesting: "Many coaches we have spoken with expected a defensive-minded coach to get the job in hopes that he would retain current co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini, who most feel is the key guy to keep in order to hold recruiting and the base together."
- I posted on Monday that sources thought Leavitt was already a done deal, but it seems that Mel Tucker has given George a second thought.... "Several CU powerbrokers believe Leavitt, a known quantity from his time there as defensive coordinator for Mac, is the right answer. However, George wants to sit down with Mel Tucker before making this decision we understand."
- Leavitt and Tucker may be the lead candidates here. I reported this morning before Football Scoop's report (see below) that Tucker interviewed for the job already.
- They also mention Derek Mason and Jimmy Lake. No mention of Ryan Day.
7 a.m.
- Everyday that passes now sees more and more rumors. I'm going to write a story today about five trending candidates -- guys who are being talked about the most lately for the job. The five are Jim Leavitt, Jimmy Lake, Ryan Day, Mel Tucker, and Derek Mason.
- I was told late last night (I was already asleep) that Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has interviewed for the Colorado head coach position. His name is picking up some steam.
- I'm also told that the Derek Mason (Vanderbilt HC) rumors have some legs. He has been in contact with Colorado.
- Tweet from Troy Renck on the search: Reports have connected #CUBuffs to Georgia D coordinator Mel Tucker, Vanderbilt's Derek Mason and Oregon and former Buffs coordinator Jim Leavitt, but keep an eye on Ohio State's Ryan Day. He would be home run hire IMO. Showed was ready when filling for Meyer. #Denver7
- A radio guy in Tennessee seems pretty confident that Derek Mason will not be coming to Colorado: "Vanderbilt football Coach Derek Mason was reportedly drawing interest from Colorado. He will not be going to Colorado. Derek Mason will remain at Vanderbilt."
- Here's what Ryan Day said yesterday about coaching rumors: “I don't read any of that stuff,” Day said. “I just know that any time you have opportunities, it's because of the guys around you, but more important than that, this is all about winning this championship. I'm so proud of the way these guys came out and played last week after everything we've been through this year. Nothing would be better than to go win this thing here and really play well in this championship game because the way they came out and finished the season, in terms of the regular season with a game like that, really speaks to who these kids are. Couldn't be prouder.”
- Yesterday, Yahoo's Pete Thamel tweeted that three names keep coming up in the CU search -- Mason, Leavitt, and Tucker. That has really added up with what I'm hearing. A few days ago, I wrote in this thread about the Jim Leavitt buzz I was hearing, and like I said in this update already, Tucker and Mason are both real candidates. Thamel and I are hearing similar things.
- Still plenty of buzz around Jimmy Lake and Ryan Day though. My concern with Day is that if he has some success, he may be gone in 2-3 years for another opening. I could see Lake sticking around for a while. IMO
*** Wednesday, November 28
9 a.m.
- The big rumor out there yesterday was Derek Mason to Colorado. I've tried to figure out where that initially came from, and it was from the SB Nation article that I posted in the rumor mill yesterday. Not exactly a publication that's known for coaching search scoop. But Mason was asked about it anyways, and Mason said it would be unfair to his players to comment about it at this time.
"My sole focus at this particular time is on recruiting and preparing my team to win a bowl game for Vanderbilt University," Mason added.
- Thought this was kind of odd but interesting -- Mark Johnson, voice of the Buffs, tweeted out the article I mentioned above about Mason's comments on the CU rumors.
- Kliff Kingsbury has become a pretty popular name the past couple of days, but for OC jobs both in college football and in the NFL. I had one source tell me that Kingsbury has more or less tried to make a play for the CU job, but I doubt he'd be the guy.
- From what I heard from a source earlier in the week, Mike Norvell won't be the guy for Colorado either. But here's what the Memphis HC said about his name being thrown around for P5 openings across the country:
"I think it's always a compliment when people are saying good things about you, your staff, your football team because of what we've been able to accomplish," Norvell said. "There's a tremendous commitment here at Memphis and I think more than any words I can say, I think I've proved with my actions the commitment I have to this community to what we're doing."
- Here's an interesting tidbit... I've heard that Ole Miss is considering Mike MacIntyre for their DC job. Not sure how legit that is though.
- Bleacher Report's Ryan McCrystal thinks the Buffs should go after North Texas' Seth Littrell and bring their talented OC with him.
- ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who is very well connected, tweets that he'd be surprised if Jim Leavitt isn't a head coach in 2019 with the CU, Texas Tech, and potentially Kansas State openings.
- New article from Sports Illustrated on Colorado's coaching search. They mention six names to keep an eye on for the job: Jim Leavitt, Matt Wells, Jeff Tedford, Tosh Lupoi, Eric Bieniemy, and a new name, Georgia DC Mel Tucker.
- Apparently 104.3 The Fan believes CU is hiring Chuck Pagano. More here
*** Tuesday, November 27
9:15 a.m.
- To follow up on my note on Tosh Lupoi yesterday... He's a very interesting candidate with as a great defensive mind who has learned under Saban, but he's had some off the field concerns and hasn't been a head coach before. He doesn't even have much coordinator experience; his first year as a DC was in 2017. So we'll see if anything develops further, but it was an interesting note I was dropped yesterday when a source told me Lupoi has been involved in the search.
- I also want to follow up on my Jim Leavitt notes from yesterday... I'm skeptical that it's going to be Jim. I was surprised that my trusted source was so confident that it was going to be Jim for the CU job. If I were an old-fashioned newspaper reporter, I wouldn't have wrote anything about what I heard about Jim, but I run a private message board, so I'm in the rumor business. Gotta take these things for what they're worth.
- OK, moving on to some updates... Leavitt's name has been mentioned for the Texas Tech job, but that seems to have slowed down. Utah State's Matt Wells is also being discussed for the TT opening -- there is some overlap between CU and TT in coaching targets, it seems.
- Talked to a source on the CU side of things yesterday that said it would be surprised if Jim got the job.
- I'm told Kliff Kingsbury is trying to make a play for the CU job... I'll tell you what, this coaching search stuff can be crazy. Trying to sort through the BS is interesting. I wasn't sure what to make of the Kingsbury note I got yesterday, but hey, might as well throw it on the rumor mill.
- Last night, Darrin Chiaverini was in Southern California to visit Braedin Huffman-Dixon, and Darian Hagan went to Michigan to check in on Jaren Mangham. Not really sure what they'd have to say to those kids other than the truth. You have to wonder if Chev and Hagan get a new job before these recruits sign if they'd try to flip them to their new school.
- SB Nation posted an article yesterday with updates on coaching searches. Here's what was said about the Colorado search:
"Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is drawing attention at Colorado, both for his extensive Pac-12 experience (the Phoenix native spent four years as an assistant at Stanford) and his defensive acumen.
"Other names connected to CU are Leavitt (Colorado’s DC during its surprise 2016 success), Utah State’s Matt Wells, and former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones."
- Colorado will not have any official visitors this weekend and I don't expect that to change, unless a new coach is hired in the next day or so, which seems unlikely at this point. The Buffs would need to have a guy in place next week for the December 7 official visit weekend... We'll see..
*** Monday, November 26
3:19 pm
- I was told that Colorado has been in contact with Alabama DC Tosh Lupoi. The source was under the impression that Lupoi has interviewed for the job already... Lupoi is considered Nick Saban's right hand man at Alabama.
8:42 a.m.
- A lot of stuff on this rumor mill has just been links to other outlets and writing about potential candidates. This morning, I have some "nuggets" of my own, if you will. But at this point, I might just classify them as "informed rumors."
- What I hinted at last night was regarding Jim Leavitt. One trusted source of mine believes pretty strongly that Leavitt will be Colorado's head coach. The source believed that Colorado is already negotiating with him.
- This source of mine is not a Colorado source, but it is someone who is very tied in with coaching search type business. People in coaching circles think that Leavitt to CU is a done deal.
- I do not have enough here to say that Leavitt will be the next HC for sure and try to break the news, but if I were a betting man, I'd say it's Leavitt. This is the first strong lead I've gotten, and I don't think anyone in the media has much on a lead candidate in this search.
- Also... While I put Leavitt in a category of three candidates I don't love for the CU job, I've been convinced otherwise since last night. I thought that Colorado should go for a completely fresh face in this coaching search, and Leavitt is a familiar one. But I was reminded last night how much Leavitt wants another head coach opportunity as it's been nine years since USF fired him and how hard he's going to work when he gets his next job. He's the type of head coach that will push his assistants very hard (maybe too hard) on the recruiting front to make sure CU is the absolute best it can be on the recruiting front. I thought Leavitt may not change the culture, but I certainly thought wrong. He'd be a familiar face but one that Colorado needs.
- Here's one reason I'm hesitant to believe that Leavitt is the guy: the Kansas State opening. Bill Snyder may retire and Leavitt has always wanted that job. He evan had (or has) a clause in his contract that allowed him to take the K-State job under very little or no penalty.
- Here's a new name to throw at you in this search: Missouri head coach Barry Odom. The 41-year-old defensive minded head coach has a 19-18 record at Mizzou in three years as head coach. He's spent the past 15 years at Missouri in various roles and played there as well. I'd be surprised if Odom actually left Missouri, but a source tells me that Odom's agent, Jimmy Sexton, is putting out some feelers on who could be interested in him. I think this is more of a play from Odom's agent to push for Missouri to sign him to a new deal, but we'll see.
- From what I heard yesterday, I don't expect Mike Norvell to be seriously considered. I'll just leave it at that.
- A source on the Colorado side of things doesn't think Eric Bieniemy will be the guy. This source could see it being Leavitt, and thinks Dino Babers would be a good get for CU.
*** Sunday, November 25
9:10 a.m.
- Really not sure of how legit the source is, but check the tweet below. This guy says Lane Kiffin and Ryan Day are interviewing for the CU job. I doubt this guy has this good intel. I'm skeptical.
- Article from Kiszla at the DP... Says that Rick George needs to hire Jim Leavitt for the job. Also mentions Jimmy Lake and Ryan Day
- Benjamin Allbright thinks the Buffs should go get Craig Bohl from Wyoming.
- Interesting read here from USA Today on the Buffs' search:
"Though initial reports about Colorado candidates included several of the Air Raid/Spread offense types like Brown, Arkansas State’s Blake Anderson and North Texas’ Seth Littrell, Colorado athletics director Rick George spent the last week vetting candidates with more of a proven defensive track record. One school of thought is that George believes the Buffaloes’ best chance to compete in the Pac 12 South is to build a top-notch defense rather than try to to out-skill the likes of Southern Cal and UCLA. Colorado doesn’t seem to be as far along in its search as Louisville. Utah State coach Matt Wells, who is an offensive-minded coach but whose teams have had success defensively, could be in play."
- North Carolina's coach got fired this morning. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg listed a few candidates that have also been thrown around for the CU job -- Neal Brown and Mike Norvell.
*** Friday, November 23
7 a.m.
- I missed this from Wednesday, but @ralphie20 posted this link from flightaware.com, that a plane from Kansas City landed in Boulder. I'll be honest, this private plane tracker isn't my expertise. It says the owner of the plane is 49 Papa Hotel. Would Colorado have used this plane to fly Eric Bieniemy out for an interview?
- Tweet from Austin American Statesman's Kirk Bohls: "I'll be very surprised if Kliff Kingsbury survives this season at Texas Tech. Source tells me if he's fired, Tech will look seriously at Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables." ............... (Would Colorado look at Kingsbury if he's let go sooner than later? Would imagine he'd keep Chiaverini.)
- Article from Ralphie Report: Breaking down Jeff Tedford as a candidate
*** Wednesday, November 21
9:51 a.m
- Jeremy Bloom said that Eric Bieniemy is the leading candidate for the CU job in a response to a tweet from a fan. I don't think Bloom had a source tell him that. I think Bloom is just saying that based on what people are saying in the media, but heck, you never know.
- Right after MacIntyre was fired, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg gave a list of candidates he was hearing were potential guys for the CU job. He's also the guy who said that the Buffs would like to hire a guy with HC experience. Here's what Rittenberg said in an interview yesterday:
"From what I hear, Rick George, their AD, wants to make a bold hire, a hire that when he's introducing this person, you're not going to be going on Google and googling the name. We're going to know who that person is.
"Now, whether he's successful or not is certainly up for debate. I've heard Dana Holgorsen's name. I've heard Jeff Tedford's name. Mark Helfrich... Some coaches that we all do know, but it will be interesting to see if that's who they end up hiring.
*** Tuesday, November 20
8:25 a.m.
- Football Scoop, one of the most respected authorities on coaching search news, lists some candidates. Here's the breakdown:
*When rumors started to circulate that Mac would get fired, people in coaching circles thought Leavitt's name would get thrown around, but FootballScoop is not hearing buzz on Leavitt to CU.
* "As for the guys Football Scoop is hearing in the wind": Jeff Tedford, Mike Norvell, Jimmy Lake, Dana Holgorsen, and Matt Wells.
*Then they list others who "might be involved": Helfrich, Babers, Harsin, Bieniemy, Fisch, and even Jim Mora..
- Here is an article from Ralphie Report discussing some potential candidates.. Dino Babers, Chip Long, Holgorsen, Jimmy Lake, Matt Wells, Neal Brown, Ryan Day, Jedd Fisch, Mark Helfrich, Jim Leavitt
- Fansided writes about 5 ideal candidates to replace MacIntyre: Bieniemy, Nick Rolovich from Hawaii, first time I've ever his name... Holgorsen, Troy Calhoun from Air Force, and Matt Wells.
- I'm still working my sources to see which names are for real and which are a pile of crap. WIll take some time as RG sorts through the process.
*** Monday, November 19
10 a.m.
- I posted v1.0 of my hot board. 19 names to look through. Give it a read here.
- Brian Howell lists his potential candidates here.
- SB Nation article breaking down the Colorado job
- Full update from Rivals.com's Josh Helmholdt on DE Darius Robinson. Click here
*** Sunday, November 18
6:20 pm
- Les Miles was officially named head coach at Kansas. Cross him off the list.
- A good source of mine says that Dana Holgorsen is unlikely to consider the CU opening.
- Read my story from Rick George's press conference here. He talks about the coaching staff and decision to remove Mike MacIntyre.
- Story from the national Rivals website on their top realistic target for the Buffs. Utah State's Matt Wells, KC Chiefs' Eric Bieniemy, Oregon's Jim Leavitt, North Texas' Seth Littrell, and Fresno State's Jeff Tedford are listed.
- Article from Dennis Dodd of CBS: He lists Matt Wells, Brian Harsin, Jim Leavitt, Eric Bieniemy, and Jeff Tedford as candidates.
- Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports lists his candidates: Wells, Harsin, Holgorsen, Mike Norvell (Memphis), Bieniemy, Neal Brown (Troy), Ryan Day (Ohio State OC), Jimmy Lake (Washington DC), Tedford, Jason Candle (Toledo)
- Ralphie Report writes that Les Miles to Kansas is a blessing for Colorado.
- If Colorado is going to go with an FCS option, herosports.com lists several candidates: Chris Klieman (North Dakota State), Beau Baldwin (former EWU HC and current Cal OC), Jay Hill (Weber State).
- Recruits have spoken about the MacIntyre news. Read that here.
- Hat tip to @Mile High Buff for finding this: Bleacher Report wrote this --> "It's possible (Steven) Montez will leave after the year, too. I've had conversations with agents who are of the opinion he'll try his luck in the NFL. Of course the team's late struggles could change things for him."
- Athlon Sports lists candidates: The same names as usual. Only new names that were not listed above are Notre Dame OC Chip Long and Tampa Bay Bucs OC Todd Monken,
11:30 a.m.
A quick list of potential candidates to know
Jeff Tedford
Bryan Harsin
Mark Helfrich
Dino Babers
Jim Leavitt
Lane Kiffin
11 a.m.
- Mike MacIntyre was fired by Colorado this morning. To my knowledge, ESPN's Chris Lowe was the first to report the news.
- Colorado is having a team meeting at 11 a.m. to break the news to the players, per Howell.
- Colorado announced the news at 11:06 a.m. Here's the press release.
- Here is Adam Rittenberg's note on some candidates that he's hearing.
"I'm hearing Colorado athletic director Rick George wants a recognizable name with previous head-coaching experience. Possible candidates include Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, former Oregon coach and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, and West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, who may be interested in making a move. Syracuse coach Dino Babers also could be an interesting option."
*** Wednesday, November 14
11:15 AM
- Nothing super notable to report this morning, but now that I've written this, news will probably break! But in terms of new reports, nothing is really out there today. MacIntyre will meet with the local media shortly, and I'm sure he will be asked about if he met with Rick George and how that went. So stay tuned for that. (EDIT: No one asked. So never mind on that)
- I did speak with a source about how this is affecting CU's recruiting efforts. The 7 news report has really put the Buffs in a tough spot. They will not have any official visitors this weekend. Simply put, Colorado is screwed right now trying to land its top targets.
- Priority No. 1 is keeping the current guys committed. As you can imagine, the commits reached out to the CU staff to get answers. And from what I'm told, the staff was just honest with them of the situation, saying that there is uncertainty about their future, but they have not been told that they're getting fired, but if something happens, they will let the recruits know. Even in times like this, the staff is up front and honest with the kids, like they always are, and I've always had a deep respect for this staff for that.
- Datona Jackson decommitted last night, but so far, that's it. He was probably going to decommit anyways after landing the USC offer.
*** Tuesday, November 13
3 pm
- Hopefully this is my last report of the day so I can spend some time with my wife! I wrote up a press conference story with plenty of quotes from Mike MacIntyre about the Denver 7 News story, calling it "gutless" and added that he feels his job is not in jeopardy. STORY HERE
- Press conference videos with Mac, Montez, and Fisher. CLICK HERE
- Nothing totally newsworthy here, but a blog called Saturday Blitz wrote about five potential candidates to replace MacIntyre. All names that have been mentioned here. STORY HERE
11:41 am
I spoke with Mike MacIntyre on the Pac-12 coaches teleconference call and asked him about the news. His response:
"I understand it's false news. The last time I talked to Rick was two weeks ago. He came in and 100% backed me on everything we're doing and likes where we're headed. That's all I know."
On when MacIntyre plans to speak with Rick George next:
"I'll see him this afternoon. I've been here since 6 am this morning. I met with trainers about all of our injured guys. We had meetings, we had practice, and I just walked off the practice field to do this call ... I never see him in the mornings. I'll see him here this afternoon."
11:24 am
- Busy, busy morning. Rick George made a statement saying that he has not made a decision on the future of the program. Story here
- Rivals.com analyst Josh Helmholdt spoke with Buffs' RB commit Jaren Mangham this morning. Here is what Mangham said about the rumors:
"I've talked with the coaches and as of now the reports are not true. If it does end up happening will cross that road then but I do have a lot of schools reaching out and my recruitment is picking back up."
9:30 am
- Here is Brian Howell's updated story -- His source simply said "No" when asked if there's any truth to the channel 7 report.
- I talked to a source this morning that told me that today has just been "another day" in the office at CU. There does not seem to be much, if any, commotion over the Mike MacIntyre situation in the CU football offices.
- College football insider Bruce Feldman says that the CU staff has not been told of any plans of Mac being fired.
7:53 am
- Per Denver 7 News: "Multiple sources have told Denver7 that the University of Colorado will part ways with football coach Mike MacIntyre effective at the end of this season" .... Their report adds that they spoke with a CU official who could not confirm the news, and they were not able to reach AD Rick George for comment.
- Shortly after the news broke, Brian Howell, a very trusted reporter for Buff Zone, posted a story saying that he could not confirm the reports with his sources and that AD Rick George was out of town for Pac-12 meetings.
- On Tuesday morning around 8 a.m., Howell tweeted that the channel 7 report was "not true"
- For those interested on the contract situation, Howell reports that CU will owe him close to $10M but CU would end up paying less, as "any money MacIntyre would make as a college head coach or NFL head or assistant coach over the next three years would reduce what CU owes him" per Howell.
- There have been several articles about MacIntyre posted since Denver 7's report, but nothing that isn't just aggregated content. Football Scoop will have good intel throughout the coaching search but they are not perfect. They've whiffed a few times on reports.
- I have a list of around 20 potential candidates and I will have a coaching hot board article but will not post it until the news of Mac's departure is more confirmed than it is now.
3:20 pm update
- With Mel Tucker announced, it's now time for assistant coach nuggets...
Just got off the phone with a source who told me of an assistant coach that Mel Tucker is interesting in hiring at Colorado....
Andy McCollum, who is Georgia Tech's linebackers coach. Tech's coach Paul Johnson retired, so McCollum may not have a job there anymore. I'm told Tucker reached out to McCollum. Not sure what the interest level is like, but keep an eye on this one..
http://ramblinwreck.com/coach/andy-mccollum/
*** Wednesday, December 5
10 a.m. update
- Here we go!!! It's happening! Brian Howell reported this morning that "the deal is done" and Troy Renck expects the news to be announced today and a press conference is expected for Thursday.
- Howell also tweeted the following: "Current coaches are scheduled to meet with Mel Tucker on Thursday. No word on who might stay, but at this point most (if not all) of the assistants have not even met Tucker, so it will take some time to figure out the staff."
- Here's my Wednesday morning article on Tucker/Colorado job.
- There's a vibe here that Tucker has already been working on assembling some assistant coaches. It would be huge if when Tucker is announced, some of his assistants are also announced.
- In a talk with one source this week, there has been a ton of uncertainty in the football offices at CU (obviously) but especially in regards to how this weekend will go. The biggest question being who is going to be in charge of the official visit weekend? Howell reported that the current coaches are set to meet with Tucker on Thursday, so that should be settled ahead of the recruits getting in on Friday.
*** Monday, December 3
4:52 p.m.
- Excerpt from BZ article:
BuffZone.com reached Tucker by phone on Monday. He did not deny the reports, but simply said he couldn't comment on the situation.
"I wish I could, but I can't at the moment," he said.
11:20 a.m.
- Nothing really notable to report this morning. My guess is since I just said that, Tucker will be announced soon! Lol.. That's all we're really waiting on here -- for CU and Tucker to finalize things and make an announcement.
- As for any rumblings that Tucker and/or CU have had a change of heart -- there aren't any. Even The Athletic's Georgia writer tweeted that Tucker is going to CU as well.
- In case you missed it, I wrote a story on CU's recruiting outlook for 2019 and updated the scholarship distribution chart.
*** Saturday, December 1
7:33 a.m.
- I reported that Mel Tucker will be Colorado's head coach. To my knowledge, we're the only Colorado outlet that has reported that it's happening. Others are just referencing "reports" (without actually mentioning that we posted it
)- ESPN's Adam Rittenberg is also reporting here's hearing Tucker to CU. Like I said in a previous thread, things can always change last minute, as coaching in a conference championship game is a very emotional thing. But Tucker to CU is happening as of now and I expect it to be official tonight or sometime tomorrow.
*** Friday, November 30
10:53 p.m.
- It's Tucker. Expect the news to be announced Saturday night or Sunday.
10:20 a.m
- FootballScoop dropped a pretty big update on the search, but I have to say, and not to toot my own horn, but it lines up with everything I've been reporting the past couple of days.
Click here for their full article.
Some takeaways from the article..
- Thought this excerpt was pretty interesting: "Many coaches we have spoken with expected a defensive-minded coach to get the job in hopes that he would retain current co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini, who most feel is the key guy to keep in order to hold recruiting and the base together."
- I posted on Monday that sources thought Leavitt was already a done deal, but it seems that Mel Tucker has given George a second thought.... "Several CU powerbrokers believe Leavitt, a known quantity from his time there as defensive coordinator for Mac, is the right answer. However, George wants to sit down with Mel Tucker before making this decision we understand."
- Leavitt and Tucker may be the lead candidates here. I reported this morning before Football Scoop's report (see below) that Tucker interviewed for the job already.
- They also mention Derek Mason and Jimmy Lake. No mention of Ryan Day.
7 a.m.
- Everyday that passes now sees more and more rumors. I'm going to write a story today about five trending candidates -- guys who are being talked about the most lately for the job. The five are Jim Leavitt, Jimmy Lake, Ryan Day, Mel Tucker, and Derek Mason.
- I was told late last night (I was already asleep) that Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has interviewed for the Colorado head coach position. His name is picking up some steam.
- I'm also told that the Derek Mason (Vanderbilt HC) rumors have some legs. He has been in contact with Colorado.
- Tweet from Troy Renck on the search: Reports have connected #CUBuffs to Georgia D coordinator Mel Tucker, Vanderbilt's Derek Mason and Oregon and former Buffs coordinator Jim Leavitt, but keep an eye on Ohio State's Ryan Day. He would be home run hire IMO. Showed was ready when filling for Meyer. #Denver7
- A radio guy in Tennessee seems pretty confident that Derek Mason will not be coming to Colorado: "Vanderbilt football Coach Derek Mason was reportedly drawing interest from Colorado. He will not be going to Colorado. Derek Mason will remain at Vanderbilt."
- Here's what Ryan Day said yesterday about coaching rumors: “I don't read any of that stuff,” Day said. “I just know that any time you have opportunities, it's because of the guys around you, but more important than that, this is all about winning this championship. I'm so proud of the way these guys came out and played last week after everything we've been through this year. Nothing would be better than to go win this thing here and really play well in this championship game because the way they came out and finished the season, in terms of the regular season with a game like that, really speaks to who these kids are. Couldn't be prouder.”
- Yesterday, Yahoo's Pete Thamel tweeted that three names keep coming up in the CU search -- Mason, Leavitt, and Tucker. That has really added up with what I'm hearing. A few days ago, I wrote in this thread about the Jim Leavitt buzz I was hearing, and like I said in this update already, Tucker and Mason are both real candidates. Thamel and I are hearing similar things.
- Still plenty of buzz around Jimmy Lake and Ryan Day though. My concern with Day is that if he has some success, he may be gone in 2-3 years for another opening. I could see Lake sticking around for a while. IMO
*** Wednesday, November 28
9 a.m.
- The big rumor out there yesterday was Derek Mason to Colorado. I've tried to figure out where that initially came from, and it was from the SB Nation article that I posted in the rumor mill yesterday. Not exactly a publication that's known for coaching search scoop. But Mason was asked about it anyways, and Mason said it would be unfair to his players to comment about it at this time.
"My sole focus at this particular time is on recruiting and preparing my team to win a bowl game for Vanderbilt University," Mason added.
- Thought this was kind of odd but interesting -- Mark Johnson, voice of the Buffs, tweeted out the article I mentioned above about Mason's comments on the CU rumors.
- Kliff Kingsbury has become a pretty popular name the past couple of days, but for OC jobs both in college football and in the NFL. I had one source tell me that Kingsbury has more or less tried to make a play for the CU job, but I doubt he'd be the guy.
- From what I heard from a source earlier in the week, Mike Norvell won't be the guy for Colorado either. But here's what the Memphis HC said about his name being thrown around for P5 openings across the country:
"I think it's always a compliment when people are saying good things about you, your staff, your football team because of what we've been able to accomplish," Norvell said. "There's a tremendous commitment here at Memphis and I think more than any words I can say, I think I've proved with my actions the commitment I have to this community to what we're doing."
- Here's an interesting tidbit... I've heard that Ole Miss is considering Mike MacIntyre for their DC job. Not sure how legit that is though.
- Bleacher Report's Ryan McCrystal thinks the Buffs should go after North Texas' Seth Littrell and bring their talented OC with him.
- ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who is very well connected, tweets that he'd be surprised if Jim Leavitt isn't a head coach in 2019 with the CU, Texas Tech, and potentially Kansas State openings.
- New article from Sports Illustrated on Colorado's coaching search. They mention six names to keep an eye on for the job: Jim Leavitt, Matt Wells, Jeff Tedford, Tosh Lupoi, Eric Bieniemy, and a new name, Georgia DC Mel Tucker.
- Apparently 104.3 The Fan believes CU is hiring Chuck Pagano. More here
*** Tuesday, November 27
9:15 a.m.
- To follow up on my note on Tosh Lupoi yesterday... He's a very interesting candidate with as a great defensive mind who has learned under Saban, but he's had some off the field concerns and hasn't been a head coach before. He doesn't even have much coordinator experience; his first year as a DC was in 2017. So we'll see if anything develops further, but it was an interesting note I was dropped yesterday when a source told me Lupoi has been involved in the search.
- I also want to follow up on my Jim Leavitt notes from yesterday... I'm skeptical that it's going to be Jim. I was surprised that my trusted source was so confident that it was going to be Jim for the CU job. If I were an old-fashioned newspaper reporter, I wouldn't have wrote anything about what I heard about Jim, but I run a private message board, so I'm in the rumor business. Gotta take these things for what they're worth.
- OK, moving on to some updates... Leavitt's name has been mentioned for the Texas Tech job, but that seems to have slowed down. Utah State's Matt Wells is also being discussed for the TT opening -- there is some overlap between CU and TT in coaching targets, it seems.
- Talked to a source on the CU side of things yesterday that said it would be surprised if Jim got the job.
- I'm told Kliff Kingsbury is trying to make a play for the CU job... I'll tell you what, this coaching search stuff can be crazy. Trying to sort through the BS is interesting. I wasn't sure what to make of the Kingsbury note I got yesterday, but hey, might as well throw it on the rumor mill.
- Last night, Darrin Chiaverini was in Southern California to visit Braedin Huffman-Dixon, and Darian Hagan went to Michigan to check in on Jaren Mangham. Not really sure what they'd have to say to those kids other than the truth. You have to wonder if Chev and Hagan get a new job before these recruits sign if they'd try to flip them to their new school.
- SB Nation posted an article yesterday with updates on coaching searches. Here's what was said about the Colorado search:
"Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is drawing attention at Colorado, both for his extensive Pac-12 experience (the Phoenix native spent four years as an assistant at Stanford) and his defensive acumen.
"Other names connected to CU are Leavitt (Colorado’s DC during its surprise 2016 success), Utah State’s Matt Wells, and former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones."
- Colorado will not have any official visitors this weekend and I don't expect that to change, unless a new coach is hired in the next day or so, which seems unlikely at this point. The Buffs would need to have a guy in place next week for the December 7 official visit weekend... We'll see..
*** Monday, November 26
3:19 pm
- I was told that Colorado has been in contact with Alabama DC Tosh Lupoi. The source was under the impression that Lupoi has interviewed for the job already... Lupoi is considered Nick Saban's right hand man at Alabama.
8:42 a.m.
- A lot of stuff on this rumor mill has just been links to other outlets and writing about potential candidates. This morning, I have some "nuggets" of my own, if you will. But at this point, I might just classify them as "informed rumors."
- What I hinted at last night was regarding Jim Leavitt. One trusted source of mine believes pretty strongly that Leavitt will be Colorado's head coach. The source believed that Colorado is already negotiating with him.
- This source of mine is not a Colorado source, but it is someone who is very tied in with coaching search type business. People in coaching circles think that Leavitt to CU is a done deal.
- I do not have enough here to say that Leavitt will be the next HC for sure and try to break the news, but if I were a betting man, I'd say it's Leavitt. This is the first strong lead I've gotten, and I don't think anyone in the media has much on a lead candidate in this search.
- Also... While I put Leavitt in a category of three candidates I don't love for the CU job, I've been convinced otherwise since last night. I thought that Colorado should go for a completely fresh face in this coaching search, and Leavitt is a familiar one. But I was reminded last night how much Leavitt wants another head coach opportunity as it's been nine years since USF fired him and how hard he's going to work when he gets his next job. He's the type of head coach that will push his assistants very hard (maybe too hard) on the recruiting front to make sure CU is the absolute best it can be on the recruiting front. I thought Leavitt may not change the culture, but I certainly thought wrong. He'd be a familiar face but one that Colorado needs.
- Here's one reason I'm hesitant to believe that Leavitt is the guy: the Kansas State opening. Bill Snyder may retire and Leavitt has always wanted that job. He evan had (or has) a clause in his contract that allowed him to take the K-State job under very little or no penalty.
- Here's a new name to throw at you in this search: Missouri head coach Barry Odom. The 41-year-old defensive minded head coach has a 19-18 record at Mizzou in three years as head coach. He's spent the past 15 years at Missouri in various roles and played there as well. I'd be surprised if Odom actually left Missouri, but a source tells me that Odom's agent, Jimmy Sexton, is putting out some feelers on who could be interested in him. I think this is more of a play from Odom's agent to push for Missouri to sign him to a new deal, but we'll see.
- From what I heard yesterday, I don't expect Mike Norvell to be seriously considered. I'll just leave it at that.
- A source on the Colorado side of things doesn't think Eric Bieniemy will be the guy. This source could see it being Leavitt, and thinks Dino Babers would be a good get for CU.
*** Sunday, November 25
9:10 a.m.
- Really not sure of how legit the source is, but check the tweet below. This guy says Lane Kiffin and Ryan Day are interviewing for the CU job. I doubt this guy has this good intel. I'm skeptical.
- Article from Kiszla at the DP... Says that Rick George needs to hire Jim Leavitt for the job. Also mentions Jimmy Lake and Ryan Day
- Benjamin Allbright thinks the Buffs should go get Craig Bohl from Wyoming.
- Interesting read here from USA Today on the Buffs' search:
"Though initial reports about Colorado candidates included several of the Air Raid/Spread offense types like Brown, Arkansas State’s Blake Anderson and North Texas’ Seth Littrell, Colorado athletics director Rick George spent the last week vetting candidates with more of a proven defensive track record. One school of thought is that George believes the Buffaloes’ best chance to compete in the Pac 12 South is to build a top-notch defense rather than try to to out-skill the likes of Southern Cal and UCLA. Colorado doesn’t seem to be as far along in its search as Louisville. Utah State coach Matt Wells, who is an offensive-minded coach but whose teams have had success defensively, could be in play."
- North Carolina's coach got fired this morning. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg listed a few candidates that have also been thrown around for the CU job -- Neal Brown and Mike Norvell.
*** Friday, November 23
7 a.m.
- I missed this from Wednesday, but @ralphie20 posted this link from flightaware.com, that a plane from Kansas City landed in Boulder. I'll be honest, this private plane tracker isn't my expertise. It says the owner of the plane is 49 Papa Hotel. Would Colorado have used this plane to fly Eric Bieniemy out for an interview?
- Tweet from Austin American Statesman's Kirk Bohls: "I'll be very surprised if Kliff Kingsbury survives this season at Texas Tech. Source tells me if he's fired, Tech will look seriously at Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables." ............... (Would Colorado look at Kingsbury if he's let go sooner than later? Would imagine he'd keep Chiaverini.)
- Article from Ralphie Report: Breaking down Jeff Tedford as a candidate
*** Wednesday, November 21
9:51 a.m
- Jeremy Bloom said that Eric Bieniemy is the leading candidate for the CU job in a response to a tweet from a fan. I don't think Bloom had a source tell him that. I think Bloom is just saying that based on what people are saying in the media, but heck, you never know.
- Right after MacIntyre was fired, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg gave a list of candidates he was hearing were potential guys for the CU job. He's also the guy who said that the Buffs would like to hire a guy with HC experience. Here's what Rittenberg said in an interview yesterday:
"From what I hear, Rick George, their AD, wants to make a bold hire, a hire that when he's introducing this person, you're not going to be going on Google and googling the name. We're going to know who that person is.
"Now, whether he's successful or not is certainly up for debate. I've heard Dana Holgorsen's name. I've heard Jeff Tedford's name. Mark Helfrich... Some coaches that we all do know, but it will be interesting to see if that's who they end up hiring.
*** Tuesday, November 20
8:25 a.m.
- Football Scoop, one of the most respected authorities on coaching search news, lists some candidates. Here's the breakdown:
*When rumors started to circulate that Mac would get fired, people in coaching circles thought Leavitt's name would get thrown around, but FootballScoop is not hearing buzz on Leavitt to CU.
* "As for the guys Football Scoop is hearing in the wind": Jeff Tedford, Mike Norvell, Jimmy Lake, Dana Holgorsen, and Matt Wells.
*Then they list others who "might be involved": Helfrich, Babers, Harsin, Bieniemy, Fisch, and even Jim Mora..
- Here is an article from Ralphie Report discussing some potential candidates.. Dino Babers, Chip Long, Holgorsen, Jimmy Lake, Matt Wells, Neal Brown, Ryan Day, Jedd Fisch, Mark Helfrich, Jim Leavitt
- Fansided writes about 5 ideal candidates to replace MacIntyre: Bieniemy, Nick Rolovich from Hawaii, first time I've ever his name... Holgorsen, Troy Calhoun from Air Force, and Matt Wells.
- I'm still working my sources to see which names are for real and which are a pile of crap. WIll take some time as RG sorts through the process.
*** Monday, November 19
10 a.m.
- I posted v1.0 of my hot board. 19 names to look through. Give it a read here.
- Brian Howell lists his potential candidates here.
- SB Nation article breaking down the Colorado job
- Full update from Rivals.com's Josh Helmholdt on DE Darius Robinson. Click here
*** Sunday, November 18
6:20 pm
- Les Miles was officially named head coach at Kansas. Cross him off the list.
- A good source of mine says that Dana Holgorsen is unlikely to consider the CU opening.
- Read my story from Rick George's press conference here. He talks about the coaching staff and decision to remove Mike MacIntyre.
- Story from the national Rivals website on their top realistic target for the Buffs. Utah State's Matt Wells, KC Chiefs' Eric Bieniemy, Oregon's Jim Leavitt, North Texas' Seth Littrell, and Fresno State's Jeff Tedford are listed.
- Article from Dennis Dodd of CBS: He lists Matt Wells, Brian Harsin, Jim Leavitt, Eric Bieniemy, and Jeff Tedford as candidates.
- Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports lists his candidates: Wells, Harsin, Holgorsen, Mike Norvell (Memphis), Bieniemy, Neal Brown (Troy), Ryan Day (Ohio State OC), Jimmy Lake (Washington DC), Tedford, Jason Candle (Toledo)
- Ralphie Report writes that Les Miles to Kansas is a blessing for Colorado.
- If Colorado is going to go with an FCS option, herosports.com lists several candidates: Chris Klieman (North Dakota State), Beau Baldwin (former EWU HC and current Cal OC), Jay Hill (Weber State).
- Recruits have spoken about the MacIntyre news. Read that here.
- Hat tip to @Mile High Buff for finding this: Bleacher Report wrote this --> "It's possible (Steven) Montez will leave after the year, too. I've had conversations with agents who are of the opinion he'll try his luck in the NFL. Of course the team's late struggles could change things for him."
- Athlon Sports lists candidates: The same names as usual. Only new names that were not listed above are Notre Dame OC Chip Long and Tampa Bay Bucs OC Todd Monken,
11:30 a.m.
A quick list of potential candidates to know
Jeff Tedford
Bryan Harsin
Mark Helfrich
Dino Babers
Jim Leavitt
Lane Kiffin
11 a.m.
- Mike MacIntyre was fired by Colorado this morning. To my knowledge, ESPN's Chris Lowe was the first to report the news.
- Colorado is having a team meeting at 11 a.m. to break the news to the players, per Howell.
- Colorado announced the news at 11:06 a.m. Here's the press release.
- Here is Adam Rittenberg's note on some candidates that he's hearing.
"I'm hearing Colorado athletic director Rick George wants a recognizable name with previous head-coaching experience. Possible candidates include Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford, Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, former Oregon coach and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, and West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, who may be interested in making a move. Syracuse coach Dino Babers also could be an interesting option."
*** Wednesday, November 14
11:15 AM
- Nothing super notable to report this morning, but now that I've written this, news will probably break! But in terms of new reports, nothing is really out there today. MacIntyre will meet with the local media shortly, and I'm sure he will be asked about if he met with Rick George and how that went. So stay tuned for that. (EDIT: No one asked. So never mind on that)
- I did speak with a source about how this is affecting CU's recruiting efforts. The 7 news report has really put the Buffs in a tough spot. They will not have any official visitors this weekend. Simply put, Colorado is screwed right now trying to land its top targets.
- Priority No. 1 is keeping the current guys committed. As you can imagine, the commits reached out to the CU staff to get answers. And from what I'm told, the staff was just honest with them of the situation, saying that there is uncertainty about their future, but they have not been told that they're getting fired, but if something happens, they will let the recruits know. Even in times like this, the staff is up front and honest with the kids, like they always are, and I've always had a deep respect for this staff for that.
- Datona Jackson decommitted last night, but so far, that's it. He was probably going to decommit anyways after landing the USC offer.
*** Tuesday, November 13
3 pm
- Hopefully this is my last report of the day so I can spend some time with my wife! I wrote up a press conference story with plenty of quotes from Mike MacIntyre about the Denver 7 News story, calling it "gutless" and added that he feels his job is not in jeopardy. STORY HERE
- Press conference videos with Mac, Montez, and Fisher. CLICK HERE
- Nothing totally newsworthy here, but a blog called Saturday Blitz wrote about five potential candidates to replace MacIntyre. All names that have been mentioned here. STORY HERE
11:41 am
I spoke with Mike MacIntyre on the Pac-12 coaches teleconference call and asked him about the news. His response:
"I understand it's false news. The last time I talked to Rick was two weeks ago. He came in and 100% backed me on everything we're doing and likes where we're headed. That's all I know."
On when MacIntyre plans to speak with Rick George next:
"I'll see him this afternoon. I've been here since 6 am this morning. I met with trainers about all of our injured guys. We had meetings, we had practice, and I just walked off the practice field to do this call ... I never see him in the mornings. I'll see him here this afternoon."
11:24 am
- Busy, busy morning. Rick George made a statement saying that he has not made a decision on the future of the program. Story here
- Rivals.com analyst Josh Helmholdt spoke with Buffs' RB commit Jaren Mangham this morning. Here is what Mangham said about the rumors:
"I've talked with the coaches and as of now the reports are not true. If it does end up happening will cross that road then but I do have a lot of schools reaching out and my recruitment is picking back up."
9:30 am
- Here is Brian Howell's updated story -- His source simply said "No" when asked if there's any truth to the channel 7 report.
- I talked to a source this morning that told me that today has just been "another day" in the office at CU. There does not seem to be much, if any, commotion over the Mike MacIntyre situation in the CU football offices.
- College football insider Bruce Feldman says that the CU staff has not been told of any plans of Mac being fired.
7:53 am
- Per Denver 7 News: "Multiple sources have told Denver7 that the University of Colorado will part ways with football coach Mike MacIntyre effective at the end of this season" .... Their report adds that they spoke with a CU official who could not confirm the news, and they were not able to reach AD Rick George for comment.
- Shortly after the news broke, Brian Howell, a very trusted reporter for Buff Zone, posted a story saying that he could not confirm the reports with his sources and that AD Rick George was out of town for Pac-12 meetings.
- On Tuesday morning around 8 a.m., Howell tweeted that the channel 7 report was "not true"
- For those interested on the contract situation, Howell reports that CU will owe him close to $10M but CU would end up paying less, as "any money MacIntyre would make as a college head coach or NFL head or assistant coach over the next three years would reduce what CU owes him" per Howell.
- There have been several articles about MacIntyre posted since Denver 7's report, but nothing that isn't just aggregated content. Football Scoop will have good intel throughout the coaching search but they are not perfect. They've whiffed a few times on reports.
- I have a list of around 20 potential candidates and I will have a coaching hot board article but will not post it until the news of Mac's departure is more confirmed than it is now.
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