While the Nebraska faithful might have been chanting for Urban Meyer to be their savior this weekend, it looks like the actual search for the head coach to replace Scott Frost is moving in a different direction.
As soon as Nebraska fired Scott Frost, speculation about who would replace him started up immediately. And while Meyer might be the big fish that some think is needed to resurrect the once-proud program, it’s clear that the Fox analyst was just passing through town this weekend.
Meanwhile, The Athletics’ Bruce Feldman reported Tuesday that Lance Leipold, Matt Campbell, and Bill O’Brien are three names atop the Cornhuskers‘ wish list at the moment.
Ten days into Nebraska's coaching search sources tell us that Lance Leipold, Matt Campbell and Bill O'Brien are high on the Huskers list as NU's process begins to unfold: https://t.co/uOUiNXgFhF
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 20, 2022
Campbell makes a lot of sense as he was considered the frontrunner from the jump. He’s built Iowa State into a perennial bowl team, going 9-3 in 2020.
Leipold has been the head coach at Kansas for two seasons and appears to have gotten the program back on track with a 3-0 start following last season’s 2-10 finish. He previously found success building the program at Buffalo, so you can make a case that he’s made a reputation for himself as a rebuilder, though doing that at Kansas is way different than Nebraska.
O’Brien is a bit of a strange pick. He makes sense of paper given that he was the coach who saw Penn State through its post-Joe Paterno phase. His Houston Texans stint ended in disarray but he’s been a reclamation project by Nick Saban at Alabama where he’s the offensive coordinator. It would make sense that “football guys” might like O’Brien but he doesn’t seem like the logical pick for long-term success.
Of course, it’s still early in the season and there’s a long way to go for Nebraska, its football program, and all the potential candidates before they make a decision. Who knows who else will emerge as a potential pick in the weeks ahead?
