College Football: 5 Texas A&M head coach candidates

• Duke’s Mike Elko makes the most sense: The former Texas A&M defensive coordinator could return to College Station, this time as the head coach.

• Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin would bring elite transfer portal recruiting to Texas A&M: The Aggies could try to poach one of the top coaches from within their own division.

• Although unlikely, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer is an option: The offensive guru has turned Washington into a College Football Playoff contender and could do the same with Texas A&M.

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Texas A&M sent shockwaves through the college football world this past weekend when it fired head coach Jimbo Fisher in his sixth season on the job. In doing so, the Aggies are swallowing a record $77.6 million for a buyout, more than tripling the previous record.

Largest Buyouts in College Football History

Fisher’s buyout was more than the next four combined. Clearly, the pockets in College Station are deep, which makes this one of the 15 best jobs in the nation. Texas A&M could entice any coach with a massive contract while leading the way with state-of-the-art facilities in the SEC. Not to mention, that money helps the Aggies dominate in NIL, as well. Texas A&M brought in the greatest recruiting class in history in 2022, with a record eight five-stars signing on the dotted line.

Much like Georgia pre-Kirby Smart, this program has the resources to compete for national championships if the right coach is hired. With that in mind, here are five names to know for the top job currently on the market.

Mike Elko, Duke Blue Devils

Of all the candidates on this list, Elko makes the most sense. He served as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021 before being hired as Duke’s head coach. The Blue Devils went a combined 5-18 in the two seasons before hiring Elko. In his first year in Durham, Duke finished with a 9-4 record. The Blue Devils started 4-0 this season and reached as high as No. 16 in the AP poll, tied for their highest ranking in 52 years. While Duke sits at 6-4 now, much of that can be attributed to star quarterback Riley Leonard's injuries.

Elko has ties to the Aggies and has proven that he’s a quality head coach in just two seasons with the Blue Devils.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

If Texas A&M wants to make another big splash hire, it could try to poach an SEC coach. Lane Kiffin has done a great job at Ole Miss, leading the team to a 31-15 record across four years. The Rebels were just 20-28 in the four years before Kiffin took over.

Ole Miss has somewhat struggled in recruiting, failing to bring in a top-15 class since 2006. To make up for it, Kiffin has been elite at adding talent through the transfer portal, an area where Texas A&M can certainly be better. If the offensive guru continues that success in the portal with a seemingly unlimited recruiting budget, Texas A&M can quickly turn into a national title contender.

Kalen DeBoer, Washington Huskies

There’s a good chance DeBoer won't want to leave Washington, which is just three wins away from its first College Football Playoff berth since 2016. The Huskies are also moving to the Big Ten next season, securing their place in one of college football’s premier conferences. DeBoer has been sensational during his two years in Seattle, going a combined 21-2 after the Huskies suffered through a 4-8 season before he was hired.

Washington’s offense has been among the most electric in college football under DeBoer’s watch, placing fourth in the FBS in expected points added per play this season and third the year before. However, he’s likely losing a lot of talent from that offense in quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receivers Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. It’s not as if the Huskies are at the point where they just reload, either, as they haven’t brought in a top-25 recruiting class in four years. Even with its struggles on the field, Texas A&M has obtained a top-10 class in five of the past six cycles.

Lance Leipold, Kansas Jayhawks

Leipold has been nothing short of a miracle worker since arriving in Lawrenceville. In 2022, his second season leading the Jayhawks, Kansas made a bowl game for the first time in 14 years. Before that, he had a very successful tenure at Buffalo, leading the Bulls to three consecutive bowl games in 2018-2020 for the first time in program history. And before that, he led Wisconsin-Whitewater to six Division III national championships across just eight seasons.

It seems like Leipold has been biding his time at Kansas, waiting for the right job to open up. Texas A&M might finally be the one to lure him away from the Jayhawks.

Jeff Traylor, UTSA Roadrunners

Even though UTSA football has been around for only 12 years, Jeff Traylor built it up as one of the top Group of Five schools in the country. He has gone 30-8 in his three seasons leading the Roadrunners, including two Conference USA championships in each of the past two seasons. UTSA was ranked for the first time in both of those years.

Even with a move up to the American Athletic Conference, the Roadrunners still sport a 7-3 record and are still very much alive for the AAC championship. Making that even more impressive is the fact that star quarterback Frank Harris was out for two of the three losses UTSA suffered. Traylor has spent most of his life in Texas and is one of the rising stars in the sport.