How close we are to reaching the finish line in Jeff Long’s search to find the Kansas football team’s next head coach remains to be seen.
But here at KUsports.com, our tournament-themed quest to land on the best possible candidate is humming right along.
Some coaches with serious promise and/or experience didn’t survive the second-round voting.
Eliminated in Round 2:
Greg Schiano – Ohio State defensive coordinator
Neal Brown – Troy head coach
Jim McElwain – Former Florida and Colorado State head coach
Major Applewhite – Houston head coach
Scott Satterfield – Appalachian State head coach
Matt Wells – Utah State head coach
Troy Calhoun – Air Force head coach
Jim Leavitt – Oregon defensive coordinator
It’s now Day 3 of our KU Football Coaching Search Bracket, and you, the program’s fans, have trimmed the list of candidates down to eight. The tightest Round 2 matchup was between Tulane’s Willie Fritz and Houston’s Major Applewhite, with the veteran Fritz edging the young Applewhite, 51% to 49%.
Thus far, the top seeds from each region, Les Miles, Jeff Monken, Dave Doeren and Seth Littrell, remain in the mix as we’ve reached the regional final round of our interactive hunt for the Jayhawks’ next coach.
Here’s the rundown of our Round 3 matchups. Make your selections Friday, and Final Four voting will begin on Monday.
• Les Miles – Former LSU and Oklahoma State head coach vs. Chris Klieman – North Dakota State head coach
• Jeff Monken – Army head coach vs. Willie Fritz – Tulane head coach
• Dave Doeren – North Carolina State head coach vs. Bryan Harsin – Boise State head coach
• Seth Littrell – North Texas head coach vs. Jason Candle – Toledo head coach
— Now’s your chance. Pick KU football’s next head coach at our bracket: 2018 KU Football Coaching Search Bracket
Eliminated in Round 1:
Mike Locksley – Alabama offensive coordinator
Lance Leipold – Buffalo head coach
Bret Bielema – Former Arkansas and Wisconsin head coach
Mike Norvell – Memphis head coach
Butch Jones – Former Tennessee and Cincinnati head coach
Mike MacIntyre – Colorado head coach
Todd Graham – Former Arizona State and Pitt head coach
Ed Warinner – Ohio State O-line coach
Tim Beck – Texas offensive coordinator
Ken Niumatalolo – Navy head coach
Jeff Tedford – Fresno State head coach
Chris Creighton – Eastern Michigan head coach
Frank Wilson – UT-San Antonio head coach
Brian Bohannon – Kennesaw State head coach
Craig Bohl – Wyoming head coach
Dan Enos – Alabama quarterbacks coach and associate head coach