The search for the next Houston Cougars head coach has drawn no shortage of significant candidates, including high-profile former college coaches Gary Patterson and Kliff Kingsbury among others.
But as the process nears a critical point, a trio of sitting head coaches have emerged atop the Houston search after the school's decision to fire Dana Holgorsen, who's owed more than $14 million per his contract.
Several sources tell FootballScoop that Tulane coach Willie Fritz, UNLV coach Barry Odom and UTSA coach Jeff Traylor have emerged at the top of the Houston wishlist.
Fritz has his Green Wave squad poised for a potential New Year's Six berth with it slated to face SMU Saturday in New Orleans for the AAC championship.
A win would be expected to give Tulane back-to-back New Year's Six appearances, bringing the program alongside the likes of UCF and Boise State in the past 20 years to accomplish such a feat from the Group of 5.
A Kansas native, Fritz also has noted Texas ties in his coaching background, particularly from his successful work at Sam Houston State.
Noted as a defensive guru, Odom also has regional ties and previous head-coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference from his work at the helm of the Missouri program.
But it's his flat-out miraculous turnaround of the UNLV program this year that has again surged Odom back onto the mainframe of college football.
The Runnin' Rebels' nine wins this season under Odom already are more than the previous three years combined -- just seven -- and with a win either this week in the Mountain West title bout against Boise State or in their bowl game, they would have their first season of double-digit wins since 1984.
Odom has climbed in his career from director of recruiting to Power 5 head coach, rebounded after his Missouri departure and again climbed to new levels of success.
Traylor has produced similarly as Fritz; his relentless work at UTSA has transformed the Roadrunners program into one of national relevance.
A Gilmer, Texas, native, Traylor has spent the entirety of his coaching career within the Lone Star State minus a two-year stint as assistant head coach at Arkansas.
Timing remains a critical element in the Houston search.
The NCAA Transfer Portal, already seeing graduate-students and lower tiers of college football players entering this week, opens in full Monday and has a 30-day window this year as opposed to the previous 45.
Additionally, the NCAA's early signing period opens Dec. 20 and closes Dec. 22, before the recruiting dead period hits.