The Baylor job isn't officially open yet, but new AD Mack Rhoades feels comfortable enough to speak about what he's looking for in the Bears' next coach on the record.
In an interview with the Waco Tribune-Herald, Rhoades laid out the following perferences:
- A spread offense is a must. "We have a brand in terms of the way we play, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I doubt if we’re going to bring anybody in here who runs the triple option."
- Head coaching experience is preferred. "If you sat down and wrote it down on paper (head coaching experience) would be your preference. But hey, there might be a great assistant coach out there you feel is ready and prepared to do a great job at this level. You’re not going to cross that individual off the list just because they’re an assistant coach."
- "CEO of the program" is a must. "I want somebody certainly who is the CEO of the program in all aspects. The way they manage and lead their staff and lead their student-athletes. The culture they set. I tell the head coaches I’ve worked with in the past that if it’s not important to you it’s not going to be important to our student-athletes."
- Texas experience, either on their own resume or among the staff they'd hire. (But, let's be honest, you'd better be from Texas or intimately familiar with the state.) "Obviously the state of Texas is important, so whether that’s the head coach or the staff they put together that’s certainly imperative."
So, there you have it. Rhoades didn't come out and say it, but from the outline he drew it certainly sounds like one could feel comfortable taking one coach from a grouping of Chad Morris, Larry Fedora, Sonny Dykes and Todd Graham -- you could also throw Dino Babers and Philip Montgomery in there, if Rhoades feels comfortable plucking an apple from the Briles tree -- over the field.