5 best head coaching options for Baylor Bears in 2017
By John Buhler
This might be a bit of a stretch because he’s only 33 years old and could still use a few more years as a Power 5 offensive coordinator, but Auburn Tigers offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee seems like a future Power 5 head coach one day. So why not enter a Baylor program coming off a scandal with little to no expectations?
Lashlee has been Gus Malzahn’s offensive coordinator since 2012 at Arkansas State. His use of the hurry-up-and-run offense in 2013 with mobile quarterback Nick Marshall helped Auburn shock the college football circuit en route to a National Championship appearance.
There are two reasons Lashlee could be a decent fit with the 2017 Baylor program: 1.) For private school Baylor to again one day succeed in the Power 5 and in a state that view football as religion like Texas, Baylor will have to run an up-tempo, high-octane offense to overcome distinct recruiting disadvantages.
2.) Even though Malzahn just signed a contract extension to be the Tigers head coach through 2020, one more disappointing season on The Plains and Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs will have to eat the last four years of the contract because Malzahn will be run out of town.
A failed experiment in Auburn in 2016 might be enough for Lashlee to part ways with his mentor and being a new chapter in his life as the next head coach of Baylor. It seems like a long shot at the very least, but Lashlee continues to gain notoriety for his great work on Malzahn’s staff. He’ll be a head coach by the time he’s 40. Why not get a head start with a Baylor program looking to reemerge from the ashes of burnt dreams with Briles?
Next: 4. Chad Morris.