5 candidates to replace Joe Moorhead as head coach at Mississippi State

5 candidates to replace Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Mississippi State Bulldogs Head Coach Joe Moorhead during the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Louisville Cardinals on December, 30, 2019, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2 of 5

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

4. Todd Grantham, Florida Defensive Coordinator

After spending the 2017 season as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, Grantham followed Dan Mullen to Florida in the same post. With experience in the SEC (Georgia), ACC (Louisville), the Big Ten (Michigan State) and the NFL on his resume as an assistant, Grantham should be on the radar in Starkville immediately with Moorhead gone.

Even with only one season spent there, Grantham has some inherent familiarity with all that’s in play at Mississippi State. Competing at a high level in the SEC has been fleeting for the program, even as Mullen’s successful tenure as head coach ended. But in terms of re-instilling some standards on and off the field, and not being in over his head in the SEC while being a strained overall fit like Moorhead was from the start, Grantham should be up to the task.

Grantham would not be a glamorous hire, as much as Mississippi State could even get someone like that (especially at this late stage). But after going after a hot coordinator candidate two years ago, with little apparent regard for actual fit as they brought a coach with northern roots to the SEC, a more reasonable, less splashy hire is in order.

Home/College Football