Scott Linehan is out as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator, but the answer to fixing the Cowboys' 22nd-ranked offense may not be far.
Doug Nussmeier is apparently a candidate for the job, according to multiple Cowboys reporters.
Kate Hairopoulos and Ian Rapoport would not float such a possibility if they weren't getting strong hints from a higher-up at The Star, most likely with the last name Jones.
Nussmeier served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach continuously from 2008 through '17, rising the totem pole from Fresno State, to Washington, to Alabama, to Michigan, to Florida.
Alabama won the 2012 national championship with Nussmeier calling plays and came within a Kick Six of playing for another, but the Crimson Tide didn't truly embrace the spread until the following year, when Lane Kiffin arrived.
His 2014 stint at Michigan was Brady Hoke's final season, when the Wolverines ranked 89th in yards per play and 111th in scoring. (The maize and blue were 46th in scoring in 2013.)
In three seasons at Florida, Nussmeier's Gator attack ranked 102nd, 105th and 100th in yards per play. Florida was 26th in yards per play in 2018, under Dan Mullen's watch.
And now, after one season as tight ends coach, the Cowboys are reportedly considering giving Nussmeier the keys to the entire offense.
If you're a college offensive coordinator with any shred of desire to call plays in the NFL, you might want to consider sending out your resume. You never know who might be interested.