Who replaces Charlie Strong at USF? Here’s our list of possible (and impossible) candidates

TAMPA ― Chances are, USF athletic director Michael Kelly arrived on campus two summers ago with a briefcase in hand and list of prospective football coaches in his back pocket.

Considering the volatility of the coaching profession, especially at the Division I-A level, any AD worth his vehicle stipend has such a list ready when needed. Problem is, we don’t know which names Kelly has jotted down.

Now that Charlie Strong has been dismissed, in which direction does Kelly gravitate? Is he partial to more grizzled guys seeking a second act in their respective careers (much like Strong did at USF), or does he favor the 30-something wunderkinds who have shown promise and precociousness as coordinators?

No one can say; Kelly never has hired a football coach before. All we can do is make an educated guess at the names potentially under consideration. We’ve divided our guess-list between the oldies and the newbies.

The retreads

Jim Leavitt, FSU assistant

Let’s address this right up front: The guy who built the Bulls program from scratch got a $2.75 million settlement from USF a year after his 2010 firing. When it was announced, the Tampa Bay Times reported the settlement stipulates that Leavitt cannot apply for any job at USF “in any capacity,” and that if he does, USF “is free to reject and disregard it.”

Willie Taggart, former USF coach

We’re told Taggart, who loved Tampa (and was raised in Palmetto) would seriously entertain an offer to return. If he comes, he almost certainly will bring his son Will, a three-star quarterback prospect at Tallahassee’s Florida High. Would an encore performance succeed? Probably, given time. Taggart would be inheriting a bleak situation not unlike the one that greeted him in late 2012. Only this go-round, he wouldn’t have Quinton Flowers to help orchestrate the transformation.

Bret Bielema, Patriots defensive line coach

A lack of in-state recruiting connections might hurt this former Wisconsin/Arkansas coach, but who better than a former Badger to instill the proper toughness and technique to USF’s foundering offensive and defensive lines?

Lane Kiffin, FAU coach

Yes, USF (American Athletic Conference) would be a step up from FAU (Conference USA). The Owls have fallen off sharply since winning 11 games (and the C-USA title) two seasons ago in Kiffin’s first season in Boca Raton, but this 44-year-old coaching journeyman remains an astute offensive mind. Say this: Things would never be boring with him in charge.

Kerwin Bell, USF offensive coordinator

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Explore all your options

Lots of pros and cons to sort through here. Bell’s sophisticated, pro-style offense never clicked in his lone season in Tampa, though the loss of only experienced quarterback early in the season didn’t help. On the other hand, he has won a national title as a head coach (albeit at the Division II level), is a folk hero of sorts to many in the bay area (as a successful former Gators QB), and likely would be a very inexpensive option for Kelly. The Bulls offensive players seem fond of him, too.

The rising stars

Larry Scott, Florida tight ends coach

Michael Kelly could hire no one more familiar with USF and the challenges indigenous to the program. An offensive tackle on the inaugural Bulls team, Scott, 42, has built a solid resume as a collegiate assistant. In 2015, he led Miami to a 4-2 record and Sun Bowl berth as the Hurricanes interim coach following Al Golden’s dismissal.

Kendal Briles, FSU offensive coordinator

Honestly, we see the school hiring Leavitt before Briles. For all his play-calling chops, Briles’ well-chronicled baggage that accompanied him from Baylor to FSU can’t be ignored. For a USF program that has aligned itself closely with sexual-assault survivor Brenda Tracy, it would be an awful look.

Joe Brady, LSU passing game coordinator

A 30-year-old Florida native (who attended high school in Miramar), Brady has emerged as one of the profession’s hottest young names since helping transform Tigers QB Joe Burrow into a Heisman front-runner. Though USF would seem a more practical place to cut one’s head coaching teeth, we wouldn’t be shocked if a Power Five opportunity arose for Brady.

Marcus Freeman, Cincinnati defensive coordinator

If you want a guy who knows how to beat UCF, this 33-year-old former Ohio State linebacker is your man. Did you see how Freeman’s unit completely flustered the Knights in October?

Shaun King, USF running backs coach

This beloved former Bucs QB, Strong’s ace recruiter in the bay area, wants to be a head coach. A pupil of Taggart’s Gulf Coast offense, King was USF’s quarterbacks coach of record in Flowers’ best season (2016). Promoting him to the top job likely would prevent a significant player exodus to the transfer portal.

Jeff Scott, Clemson co-offensive coordinator

Scott, 38, was born in Arcadia and practically raised in Tallahassee, where his father, Brad, spent more than a decade on Bobby Bowden’s staff. In his second year as a head coach, he led Blythewood (S.C.) High to a state title in its inaugural varsity season at age 25. At Clemson, he has coached no fewer than 10 receivers who have reached the NFL.

Jimmy Lake, Washington defensive coordinator

Even with the Huskies’ 2019 struggles, Lake is regarded as a great assistant with head-coach potential. He also has Tampa ties after a pair of two-year stints with the Bucs