Tuberville, Bowden Surface at Texas Tech

Texas Tech’s hunt to replace Mike Leach could include two Tommys, both of whom have a resume item that’s hard to come by: an undefeated season. Tommy Tuberville, who guided Auburn to a 13-0 campaign in 2004, and Tommy Bowden, who led Tulane to a 12-0 record in 1998, are on Tech’s list of four to five candidates to replace Leach. Tuberville will get an interview with Tech on Wednesday, Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. Tuberville declined to comment Monday, but he told The Avalanche-Journal on Sunday he’d keep the wide-open Leach offense in place. “He expressed some interest in the job, and we talked and we’re going to talk to him,” Myers said. “That’s about all I can comment on.” It’s unknown whether Tech will offer the job before the search process winds around to Bowden, who is another of the four or five candidates under consideration. – Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

FSU hires former Auburn star Dameyune Craig

New Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is adding one of the top young coaches in the country to his first Seminoles staff. Former Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig will join the Florida State staff under Fisher, multiple sources have told NoleInsider.com in recent days. This will be Craig’s third stint as either a player or coach under Fisher, who was his position coach at Auburn. In 2004, he was a graduate assistant at LSU under Fisher. He left in 2005 to coach under Nick Saban as a special teams assistant for the Miami Dolphins. Following two years as the quarterbacks coach at Division II Tuskegee (Ala.), he joined the staff at South Alabama in his hometown of Mobile, Ala., where he currently is the receivers coach. It is not known what position Craig will coach at this time. He could possibly coach quarterbacks or co-coach the receivers with Lawrence Dawsey. – NoleInsider.com

Will Memphis Pick a Bowden?

The Memphis coaching job that came open this week with Tommy West’s dismissal could be an attractive one. The school needs to commit to improving the facilities. The next coach will inherit a solid program and be expected to build Memphis into a consistent bowl team and possibly help the school join a Big Six league.

Here’s a look at some prime candidates:

Tommy Bowden: He is sitting out this year after coaching Clemson for 10 years. Tommy has that Bowden cachet that would resonate with recruits and help raise money among boosters.

Terry Bowden: After being fired at Auburn in 1998, Terry remained out of coaching until taking over Division II power North Alabama. He has the name to attract recruits and help raise money.

Gunter Brewer: The Oklahoma offensive coordinator previously served as Minnesota’s offensive coordinator. Brewer is the son of former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer.

Joe DeForest: The Oklahoma State associate head coach/special teams coordinator annually is lauded as one of the nation’s top recruiters.

Phillip Fulmer: The ex-Tennessee coach said he wants to coach again, but he also has said he only wants to work somewhere that he can win.

Gus Malzahn: Back in 2005, Malzahn was head coach of Springdale (Ark.) High School. Now, the Auburn offensive coordinator is coveted. His offense has been prolific at Arkansas, Tulsa and Auburn.

Jim McElwain: He’s done good work in two seasons as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.

Rick Stockstill: He has made Middle Tennessee State one of the top Sun Belt programs. Stockstill is a persuasive recruiter and coach who is ready for the next challenge.

Charlie Strong: The standout Florida defensive coordinator seems destined to land a top job at some point. If Strong doesn’t earn this job, he could be a candidate at Central Florida if that post opens.

Tommy Tuberville: The former Auburn head coach led the Tigers to some success for 10 years before losing his job after last season.

– Rivals

Dabo Swinney’s cash grab

OK, now we know why Dabo Swinney is one excited coach these days. His hot team is on the verge of playing in its first ACC championship game. And then there’s this: If the Tigers win the ACC, his salary jumps from $800,000 a year to $2 million a year. The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., reported the specifics of Swinney’s performance-laden contract: • If Clemson wins the Atlantic Division—something the Tigers never did under former coach Tommy Bowden—Swinney’s guaranteed compensation increases from $800,000 to the median of all ACC coaches. That number is $1.7 million. If the Tigers win the ACC, his salary increases to the average of the top seven coaches in the ACC—or $2 million. Swinney currently is the ACC’s lowest-paid coach, and if the Tigers win the ACC, he will join Bobby Bowden ($2.5 million), Paul Johnson ($2.3 million), Frank Beamer ($2.1 million) and Butch Davis ($2 million) in the $2 million-a-year club. This, of course, is assuming Clemson continues to buck a recent history of underachieving. If so, the administration’s hire of a relative unknown assistant coach—who had never been a coordinator—looks brilliant. – Sporting News

Florida State’s Bobby Bowden laughs off UAB rumors

Bobby Bowden laughed on Tuesday after Florida State’s practice when he was asked whether he’d heard the latest Internet speculation about his future ? that he’s going to coach at UAB after he leaves FSU. The Bowden to UAB rumor has spread on Internet message boards in recent days amid questions about Bowden’s future at Florida State beyond this season. “I have heard that,” Bowden said of the UAB rumor, laughing. “I have heard that. And [Bowden's son and former Clemson coach] Tommy’s going with me. Have you heard that? Yeah, I’ve heard that. “I’ve even had people from Birmingham call. I don’t know where it started ? there or here or what.” Bowden shook his head and said, “You know, you hear so many different rumors, you get immune to them.” – Orlando Sentinel

Tommy Bowden weighs in on FSU

Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said he was disappointed by the comments of Florida State Board of Trustee chairman Jim Smith, who earlier this month called for FSU coach Bobby Bowden to step down after this season. ” [Smith] is a highly-educated man and those matters usually are handled behind closed doors,” Tommy Bowden said. “I have done this a long time and have worked with a lot of presidents, ADs and trustee members and I never have seen something like this handled that publicly by a person of his background. “My father will sit down at the end of the year and make a decision. Obviously, he has made a lot of good decisions over the course of his career. I get a little discouraged that some people don’t have enough faith in him to know that he’ll sit down and make a decision that is best for the university after the season. I don’t think he would jeopardize FSU’s chances to move forward.” – Yahoo!

Tommy Bowden Wants Back Into Coaching

The former Clemson coach wants back in the business. He is living in Panama City Beach, Fla., but he’s staying busy with various speaking engagements. “If the right situation comes up, I would be interested,” he said. “I will wait and see what opportunities come open. I had a chance to talk to a couple of schools after last season, one below I-A and the other in the Northeast. But I just decided to sit out this year.” Tommy Bowden, 55, coached Clemson from 1999-2008, compiling a 72-45 record (43-32 in the ACC). He led the Tigers to eight bowls but never was able to lead the program to an ACC title. – Yahoo!

Tommy Bowden on Bobby Bowden

So when Jim Smith, chairman of Florida State’s board of trustees, publicly stated recently he believes it’s time for the Bobby Bowden era to end at FSU in favor of Jimbo Fisher, it didn’t shake the foundation of the Bowden family. “It’s a big boys game,” said Tommy Bowden, one of Bobby’s coaching sons, prior to serving as guest speaker at Monday night’s CellularSouth 1st and 10 Club meeting at Heron Lakes Country Club. “Terry (North Alabama head coach), myself and my father always understood that. If you can’t handle criticism, then you don’t need to get into (coaching).” As for Smith’s statements, Bowden — who was fired in the middle of last season at Clemson — said there’s no one better prepared to handle such a situation than his father. “At 80,” Bowden said of his father, “you don’t feel much pressure. Maybe his bladder,” he joked. – Mobile Press-Register

Dabo Swinney the Wrong Hire at Clemson?

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Last fall, Clemson had a chance to completely remake its program following Tommy Bowden’s departure. Starting in mid-October, athletic director Terry Don Phillips traveled the nation, talking with seasoned coordinators and sitting head coaches in search for Bowden’s optimal replacement. In the end, he settled on a choice he had available all along — interim coach Dabo Swinney — who had never been a head coach, much less a coordinator. Five games into Swinney’s first season, that decision threatens to turn the Tigers’ 2009 campaign into a learning experience, but not a winning one. Following Saturday’s disastrous 24-21 loss at Maryland, Clemson is 2-3, 1-2 in the ACC, heading into this week’s much-needed open date. And unless an anemic offense improves soon, even six wins and an Emerald Bowl trip might be a stretch. It’s time to admit the truth: like it or not, Swinney and much of his offensive staff are learning on the job, and that’s no way to win college football games. Right now, the Tigers have a rookie head coach, a 30-year-old, first-time offensive coordinator (Billy Napier) and a rookie quarterback (redshirt freshman Kyle Parker). Their offense has scored two offensive touchdowns in its last 13 quarters. – Independent Mail

Bowdens, Bower Among Candidates at Memphis?

With the sharks already circling Memphis football coach Tommy West, fans and members of the media have begun to create a list of potential replacements. West’s team is 1-3 and 0-2 in conference with the Tigers’ only win coming over Tennessee-Martin. His five bowl games in the last six years may not be enough to allow West to stay in the job past his eighth season. Former Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower immediately comes to mind as a potential replacement, and other names I’d include in my list would be:

* Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden

* Current North Alabama coach Terry Bowden

* Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson

* Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix

* Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn

* Arkansas assistant John L. Smith

* Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville

– Hattiesburg American

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