We knew that William & Mary legend Jimmye Laycock was retiring. We figured that JMU replacing Mike Houston was just a matter of time. While Liberty fans have had frustrations with this coaching staff over the year, Turner Gill retiring from coaching came as a complete surprise. Even those within the university were caught off guard. Jerry Falwell was set to offer Turner Gill a multi-year extension, but instead athletic director Ian McCaw called an emergency staff meeting. Now that the situation has had a few hours to cool down, it's time to start talking about potential candidates to fill the vacancy in Lynchburg.
Brandon Streeter - Clemson - QB Coach
Liberty has had a number of offensively explosive seasons but 2011 was special and Brandon Streeter was the offensive coordinator during that year. After 2011, Streeter left for Richmond and eventually ended up with Clemson. Along with his connections to the area, he has the ability to elevate the play of LU QB Stephen Calvert. He's worked with Deshaun Watson, Kyle Lauletta, Josh Woodrum, Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence. Brandon certainly has the connections to the area and a proven track record. However, Falwell and McCaw likely want to get ahead of the December 19th early recruiting period and Streeter's Clemson Tigers are playing in the College Football Playoff.
Grade: B+
Hugh Freeze - Former Ole Miss Coach
It's only been a few hours since Turner Gill announced his retirement and already rumors are swirling that LU has interest in Freeze. This hire would be very typical of Jerry Falwell. It would be a flashy hire of someone whose already succeeded at a high level but has some baggage. The question though, does the baggage outweigh the potential reward? The recruiting violations certainly aren't great but there were also questions as to whether Freeze called an escort service. That ultimately led to his dismissal. During his time with Ole Miss, he led the Rebels to a 39-25 record that included 3 bowl wins and a Sugar Bowl victory. He can obviously coach but the baggage will be very discouraging to Liberty fans, some of which questioned the hire of Athletic Director Ian McCaw.
Grade: B-
Eliah Drinkwitz - NC State Offensive Coordinator
Although Drinkwitz doesn't have connections to the program and isn't a flashy name, he's a perfect fit. He's a brilliant offensive mind that has turned NC State's offense into a force within the ACC. The Wolfpack offense ranked 17th in the country in points per game with 36.6. Eliah first got his coaching start in 2010 with the Auburn Tigers and has succeeded in every position since. His offense is very up-tempo and designed to increase QB efficiency. Lastly, he's a man of faith, which is important for Falwell's baptist university. The one and only knock on Drinkwitz is that he doesn't have HC experience. But if Eliah's history is any indicator of his future, this would be a home-run.
Grade: A
Art Briles - Former Baylor Coach
No one will question whether Briles can coach. But just like with Freeze, this hire brings a lot of baggage. This however is a significant amount of issues compared to Freeze and involves sexual assault. While no verdict has been delivered, the allegations are so significant that hiring Briles would be a huge risk. From a football standpoint, this hire would make a lot of sense and could potentially set the stage for Art's son, Kendall, to take over in the future.
Grade: C
Kelly Poppinga - UVA Defensive Coordinator
Poppinga got his start in 2009 and has followed Bronco Mendenhall every step of the way. UVA's defense ranked 29th in FBS this season in points allowed per game, and 25th in yards allowed per game. What stands out the most is their ability to defend the pass and they rank around the top 10 in most pass defense categories. At just 36 years of age, Poppinga is one of the youngest coordinators in college football. In addition to his time spent with the Virginia Cavaliers, Kelly served under Mendenhall at BYU. That gives him experience with an FBS independent that other candidates don't possess.
Grade: B-
