What had been a mounting expectation for weeks became a reality on Oct. 2 as Colorado fired Karl Dorrell five games into his third season. The move came less than 24 hours after a 43-20 loss to Arizona dropped the Buffs to 0-5 on this season, a stretch in which they were outscored by a 216-67 margin.
Colorado finds itself in an interesting position. It’s a Power Five program that enjoyed an extended stretch as a national power that occurred in the lifetime of virtually every coach it will consider for this role. Right now, though, things are bleak. There’s the current team, which is 1-8 with games against three ranked opponents remaining on its schedule.. Despite its location in a naturally beautiful and rapidly growing area of the country, it isn’t the easiest place to recruit. And while there’s a national championship in the past 35 years to point back to, the Buffs have made just two bowls in the past 14 seasons. To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Bill McCartney isn’t walking through that door.
So, with Dorrell out, a natural question arises – who’s next? Predicting the directions in which a coaching search will go can be a fool’s errand – after all, who would have predicted Dorrell being the choice back in 2020? – but we’ll give it a try here. Below are nearly two dozen candidates for the Colorado job, divided into tiers.
Before that, though, there’s an all-important caveat – this is who we would prioritize as candidates, not who we believe the school will hire.
RELATED: Karl Dorrell out after dismal 0-5 start | Recruit reaction to the coaching change | WATCH: Press conference with AD Rick George, Chancellor Philip DiStefano and interim HC Mike Sanford | Rick George talks coaching search
Tier 1: Best-case scenarios
Bronco Mendenhall
Current role: Unemployed
Career HC record: 135-81 (BYU and Virginia)
When assessing the kind of qualities Colorado will look for in a new coach, Mendenhall checks many of them. He’s a proven winner, with his teams at BYU and Virginia recording at least eight victories in 11 of his 17 seasons as a FBS head coach. He has familiarity with and roots in the region, as a Utah native who was the head coach at BYU for 11 seasons. Perhaps most relevant for the Buffs, he has experience rebuilding a program, having taken Virginia from an ACC cellar-dweller to a New Year’s Six bowl in his fourth season at the school.
After going 28-21 in his final four seasons at Virginia, Mendenhall abruptly and unexpectedly resigned last December, citing “a need to reevaluate priorities” and a desire to spend more time with his family. After just one season away from the sideline, is he ready to come back? And would Colorado interest him? Should he want to return to college football, Mendenhall will undoubtedly have his share of suitors, which would make things more difficult for the Buffs. But it’s hard to envision them realistically doing much better than Mendenhall.
Tom Herman
Current role: CBS Sports analyst
Career HC record: 54-22 (Houston and Texas)
Herman is in the middle of his second season away from college coaching, making it somewhat easy to forget he was one of the sport’s brightest coaching prospects five years ago. A stellar offensive mind who helped pilot Ohio State to a national championship as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator, Herman was a wunderkind at Houston, leading the Cougars to a 22-4 record and a New Year’s Six bowl win in two seasons before being lured away by Texas.
Though he was fired by the Longhorns after four seasons and a 32-18 record, he has the second-highest win percentage of any Texas coach since 1987 – behind only Mack Brown – led the school to a Sugar Bowl victory in his second season and finished ranked in his final three seasons in Austin. He grew up in California and has experience coaching in Texas, two states that have historically been vital recruiting grounds for the Buffs. Like Mendenhall, he is certain to receive widespread interest should he return to college coaching. I've heard some in the industry say they believe Herman will stay away from the sidelines for another year or so, but his name continues to generate traction.
