Kevin Sumlin Fired At Arizona

[SuperDuck]

I've read a lot of screaming Arizona fans calling for Kevin Sumlin's resignation this morning after the 70-7 beatdown they just took from ASU yesterday, and rightly so. The program seems to be going backward since he took over 3 years ago.

Update: He was fired today

UA can be competitive in the Pac-12. They just need a decent coaching staff that also are good recruiters.

A few names come to mind as his replacement.

This is in no particular order.

Lane Kiffin - He may want to get back to the west coast and I think UA would snap him up in a heartbeat.

Les Miles - He's done a much better job at Kansas than this year's record shows. They had a lot of opt outs due to Covid, as well as him only having one full year of recruiting so far. He may be a top candidate for the Michigan job, though.

Bret Bielema - I think this could be a reach, but you just never know.

Kyle Whittingham - Yes, as crazy as it sounds, this might be the right time for him to make the jump. He's an excellent coach but it's tough to consistently bring in top talent at Utah. The sky would be the limit at Arizona. All of the west coast, as well as Texas and more. That said, he also may be a top candidate for the Michigan job. One thing's for sure. He's ready to take the next step.

Another name that could pop up is Mike Leach. He built some good teams at WSU and if he can recruit at Wazzoo, he could definitely recruit at UA. Leach also has Texas ties since he coached at Texas Tech. He can't be happy with how his first season has gone at Mississippi State.

Thoughts?

[Everythingsducky]

Whittingham was one game away last year, of possibly making the CFP. I don’t see him leaving a program he has built, for another PAC12 school. Would be a slap in the face to Utah. Especially leaving to rebuild again.

[pdxduck2013]

Jedd Fisch is their new HC. I understand why people are mentioning Big Joe as his DC, but I wonder if he would take someone like Spaziani from NMSU. He was pretty successful as DC at Boston College. Or Don Brown, now that Harbaugh let him go.

[5$]

Jedd Fisch is being torn up on Twitter by their fans yikes

[SuperDuck]

Jedd Fisch is being torn up on Twitter by their fans yikes

I can understand why. He's a virtual unknown and with so many well known coaches available like Urban Meyer, Chris Petersen, Gus Malzahn, Sark, and many others, it seems foolish to not at least "try" for a big name. I know that expectations must be tempered, but still.

[GoDucksTroll]

Weird hire for sure. Fisch has had like 13 jobs in 18 years.

I guess Arizona’s president is a surgeon who did Fisch’s heart operation and liked the guy so much he overruled the AD, who wanted San Jose State’s Brennan.

Who knows, unorthodox can work. I see people mentioning names that Arizona could never attract even if they could pay them. After paying Sumlin his buyout they wound up paying Fisch up to $2.6 million. Kyle Whittingham makes $5 million plus, with all the job security in the world. Sark is going to get a big time gig sooner or later. Coaches like Urban Meyer and Chris Petersen are as realistic as Vince Lombardi or Knute Rockne.

If I was Arizona I would get some unknown with a crazy offensive or defensive system and the best position coaches and recruiters with that saved money.