Coaching Carousel: Venables, Clemson D continue to impress

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As we enter November, by the end of this month the hottest topic outside the College Football Playoff will be the coaching carousel. There will be changes across the country so here are three categories where we take a closer look at which coaches could be making some of the biggest moves:

TOM HERMAN, Houston

In only his second season at Houston, Herman is already the hottest name among young coaches who could be moving up big-time in the world this offseason.

He’s been heavily targeted as the replacement for Charlie Strong at Texas and that makes a lot of sense since Herman has a lot of in-state ties. Plus, there were rumors that he turned down high-profile jobs after last season because he was highly interested in the Longhorns.

Herman has been fabulous at Houston, although there have been some stumbles this season. The Cougars went 13-1 last season and beat Florida State in the Peach Bowl. Houston is 7-2 this year with losses to Navy and SMU and close calls against Tulsa and UCF. Herman’s team beat Oklahoma in the season opener.

There’s no doubt Herman can basically have any open job he wants. Texas and LSU are both really interesting positions.

P.J. FLECK, Western Michigan

If Herman is the top candidate for many top jobs, Fleck is right below him as he’s done a phenomenal job in a tough situation at Western Michigan.

In Fleck’s first season, the Broncos went 1-11 but have turned in back-to-back 8-5 campaigns the last two seasons. After last season, Fleck had been mentioned for some top jobs but he’s really catapulted to the top of many lists this season since Western Michigan remains undefeated.

Not only are the Broncos undefeated but they’re good enough to win the rest of their games, which could really make Fleck a hot commodity this offseason. He has Midwest ties – and the Purdue job is open – but some say Fleck should focus on even higher-profile jobs, say if the Notre Dame position is available at any point.

LANE KIFFIN, Alabama

When Kiffin was hired as Alabama's offensive coordinator in December 2013 there were certainly some understandable questions about whether he would work out in Tuscaloosa, whether his brash personality would meld with Nick Saban and whether Kiffin could be valuable to a loaded Crimson Tide team in the first place.

His time at Alabama has been an unquestioned success and Kiffin – a disaster with the Oakland Raiders, in one season at Tennessee and especially at USC – has rebuild his reputation and could be in line for another head coaching opportunity.

To be fair, Kiffin has had loaded offenses and phenomenal defenses with the Crimson Tide but he has done a tremendous job calling plays and maximizing situations. He’s been a methodical and savvy play-caller, used his weapons wisely and has earned back some respect in coaching circles.

The question does remain whether Kiffin has what it takes to run an entire program. The guess here is that he’s learned plenty – and probably matured plenty – by working under Saban.

BRENT VENABLES, Clemson

Not only was Venables the Rivals.com Recruiter of the Year last recruiting cycle but he has done a fabulous job of being defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and now Clemson.

Venables is a defensive genius who has tremendous ties in Big 12 country and now in the ACC and he should definitely be on the short list for any major coaching hire. He coaches with tremendous fire and passion, he’s a terrific recruiter and there’s no question he should be next in line for one of the big job openings.

According to various reports, Venables had been mentioned for job openings at Miami, Kansas, Arkansas, Kansas State and other stops. Born in Kansas, a former player at Kansas State and tremendous Big 12 connections. Sounds like a fit.

LES MILES

Miles had only one losing season – his first at Oklahoma State – in his entire head coaching career with the Cowboys and LSU, where he went 114-34 and won a national title. That wasn’t enough as the Tigers’ brass fired him four games into this season. Miles' dismissal came later than some expected because it seemed like LSU was aching to fire him last season but the Tigers finished well and Miles kept his job.

There is little question Miles wants back in the business and according to one report he’s hired an adviser who also represents Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly, James Franklin and Tom Herman to assist in getting Miles hired somewhere.

There are two concerns with Miles. One is that he turns 63 in early November. If a long rebuilding situation is ahead, how long will he be around to oversee it? The second is that Miles is grounded in an old-fashioned, straight-ahead running game and doesn’t seem to want to change. That likely cost him his job at LSU and might be an issue for his next potential employer.

ART BRILES

Briles was fired from Baylor this offseason in the wake of a sexual assault scandal that involved football players. His future in coaching became even more uncertain recently when a Wall Street Journal report stated that there have been 19 members of the Baylor football team accused of sexual assault since 2011.

Earlier this month, Briles had been working as a volunteer coach with the Cleveland Browns. If Briles moves past this scandal or is not further implicated, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that some school gives him another chance to coach.

There is no question Briles is a brilliant offensive mind who revolutionized the spread offense during his time at Baylor. He has tremendous connections throughout the state of Texas.

However, the Baylor scandal is not going away. And universities are more aware of public relations issues than ever. Briles returning to the college football sidelines anytime soon might be a longshot.