Missouri Football: Top 10 potential candidates to replace Barry Odom

2. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest

Program builder, that’s what Dave Clawson is. He isn’t a flashy coach, and this is the furthest thing from a splash hire (he’s next on this list), but he’s a rock-solid coach that will build a solid program and raise that program’s ceiling. He’s done both at Bowling Green and Wake Forest. He’s understated like Odom, but he’s an offensive guy.

It would be interesting to see his offense function with better players.

The hitch with Clawson is he won’t care about the stars by a prospect’s name — he wants his kind of guys. That might not be super attractive for a program that spent what they’ve spent on their facilities. The Tigers might want to compete for some four and five-star recruits. Because he isn’t a self promoter, he might be a hard sell to Tiger nation.

1. Mike Leach, Washington State

There’s an old country saying, “If you want the bull, you get the horns.” That’s Mike Leach in a nutshell. He’s one of the great offensive minds in the history of the game, but he isn’t always so warm and fuzzy with the media. His offense relies on snap decision making.

Leach, much like Clawson, won’t get into any recruiting battles for a five-star because the fans think he should wear black and gold.

There have been whispers that Leach wants out of Pullman and possibly wants back into the SEC where he cut his teeth with Hal Mumme at Kentucky. This would be one of those hires that fans would love when it first happens, and then drives them batty three years from now.

You have to know that Leach, for the genius he is, can be like a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich: an acquired taste.