Kansas Football: 5 Coaches to Replace Turner Gill

With the KU football season turning out to be another complete disaster, it is now not a question of whether head coach Turner Gill will be fired, but when it will happen.

After a 61-7 loss yesterday against Texas A&M, the Jayhawks have now dropped nine games in a row and have yet to record a victory in Big 12 play. The team is not just losing on a weekly basis, they are getting manhandled. They have given up an average of 45 points per game and have not even been competitive in most of their games this season.

Fans are beyond frustrated with the play of the team, and everyone is about ready to call it quits on the Turner Gill era.

The KU football team is once again in need of change and the following five coaches are options that the team must pursue.

It’s simple. The Jayhawks have the worst defense in Division 1-A football and Brent Venables is a defensive genius. If there is anyone who can turn the hapless Jayhawks' defense around, it’s Brent Venables.

Venables has been working under one of the best college football coaches of all time in Bob Stoops and has also been nominated for the nation’s top assistant.

The question is would Venables leave his situation in Oklahoma to take over one of the worst teams in college football? If he will consider it, then the Jayhawks must jump on it.

When the Jayhawks were looking for a coach to replace Mark Magino, Kevin Sumlin was one of the names they were looking at. Unfortunately KU made the wrong hiring, but now they have a chance to fix it.

Sumlin has only done great things in Houston since being named head coach in 2008. He has transformed the Cougars into one of the best teams in college football and currently has them as one of only two teams to remain undefeated.

Sumlin’s accomplishments are getting recognized throughout the entire nation, and it is time he gets the chance to do it in a big-name conference. 

There is a lot speculation circulating that the Arizona State Sun Devils will not retain head coach Dennis Erickson for next season. That being said, he is another guy that the Jayhawks must take a look at.

Not only is Erickson a proven veteran and leader, he also has a national title under his belt. 

When Mark Mangino took over the team in 2002, the Jayhawks were coming off a year in which they finished just a mere 3-8. Just like Gill, Mangino was also heading into a terrible situation with the Jayhawks, but the difference between the two is Mangino came out with flying colors.

In just his second season as head coach, Mangino led the Jayhawks to their first bowl game since 1995. He had an astounding 50 wins with the KU football team, not to mention leading them to the 2008 Orange Bowl.

Mangino, however, was forced to resign in 2009 due to the controversy over how he conducts himself towards his players. Since his departure, Mangino, has been itching to get back on the field, and if he has cleaned up his act, then KU needs to take a look.

Mark Mangino put KU football back on the map once, so why can’t he do it again?

Ole Miss has already made it clear that Houston Nutt will not return next year to coach the Rebels. Nutt has struggled recently in his time with Ole Miss, but he is also coaching in the toughest conference in college football. However, he did see success with the team in 2008 and 2009 as the Rebels won nine games in each season.

Houston Nutt is already a proven winner. His signing would be a big name that fans can get excited about. You have to think that Nutt is not going to get a big job in Division 1-A, so why not take a chance with the Jayhawks? Nutt will also be able to recruit from the South, something their coaches have not been successful in doing.