The search to replace Biff Poggi is nearing its end, and sources tell FootballScoop that a group of finalists have emerged to become the next 49ers head coach.
Sources told FootballScoop on Sunday that Ohio head coach Tim Albin, Western Carolina head coach Kerwin Bell, current Charlotte interim head coach Tim Brewster, NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, and Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino are among the final candidates for the position.
Other candidates could emerge as the search progresses, though we're told the program would like to have a hire announced no later than Tuesday.
Albin is in his fourth season in charge at Ohio, where he has the Bobcats in position to win their first MAC championship since 1968. Ohio, 9-3 on the season, will play Miami (Ohio) for their conference championship on Friday in Detroit.
Albin, 59, is 32-19 thus far at Ohio and, combined with his 3-season run that culminated in an NAIA national championship in the late 1990s at Northwestern Oklahoma State, owns a career record of 57-27. Albin would bring an offensive background to Charlotte; he was Frank Solich's offensive coordinator for 16 seasons at Ohio before succeeding him as head coach. Albin was involved in the Rice search that ultimately went to Davidson head coach Scott Abell.
Bell, 59, recently completed his fourth season at WCU, where the Catamounts went 7-5. Bell is 24-21 at Western Carolina, but owns a 117-63 career record after going 66-35 in nine seasons at Jacksonville and 27-7 with a Division II national championship from 2016-18 at Valdosta State.
Brewster, 64, has built his career as a tight ends coach and ace recruiter in multiple stops across college football. He worked on Mack Brown's UNC staffs from 1989-97 and again in 2019, and was appointed interim head coach following Biff Poggi's firing in his first year on staff. Brewster also spent four years as Minnesota's head coach from 2007-10.
Gibson is the youngest of the bunch at 52, but is also the only candidate without head coaching experience. He is well-known and highly-regarded as an assistant, and has been in the mix for numerous head coaching positions previously. Gibson has worked and recruited in the Mid-Atlantic for most of his career, with stints at Glenville State, West Virginia Tech and West Virginia before his current 6-year run at NC State.
Petrino is the oldest of the group at 63, and also the most proven. His 137 career wins spread across Louisville, Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Missouri State are well-publicized. Most recently, Petrino has jumped Arkansas from 116th to 25th nationally in his first season as Arkansas' offensive coordinator.
The Charlotte job is regarded as one of the best in the Group of 5. The city of Charlotte annually ranks among the fastest-growing in America, and the program is young enough that a successful coach can put his fingerprints on the program in a way that is not possible at other institutions. The next 49ers head coach will be the program's fourth, and to date the program's peak is a 7-6 campaign in 2019 that ended with the Niners' only bowl appearance.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.