Maurice Linguist, who went 14-23 as Buffalo’s head coach over the past three seasons, has left the Bulls to become an assistant on Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Alabama.
The Bulls did go 7-6 overall in 2022, but they struggled against MAC opponents and ended up 3-9 overall in 2023. Still, the Bulls have proven recently they are capable of standing out in the MAC, which could make their open coaching job appealing.
Here’s a look at some names Buffalo should consider when finding its next head coach.
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Former Syracuse Head Coach Dino Babers
Dino Babers was recently fired from Syracuse, but he would be a good fit for Buffalo. He’s obviously been a head coach in the state of New York and has been a head coach in the MAC.
Babers went 78-70 over eight seasons with the Orange, who made back-to-back bowl games for the first time in a decade at the end of his tenure. In two of his final three seasons at Syracuse, the program was in the top 25 in the FBS in total defense.
Syracuse reached three bowl games with Babers as head coach. He also mentored seven All-Americans during his time there.
Before that, he was the head coach at Bowling Green. The Falcons were 8-6 overall in his first year there in 2014, winning the MAC East, and went 10-3 in his second and final season there en route to a MAC Championship in 2015. He was also 19-7 in two seasons as Eastern Illinois’ head coach before that.
He’s been an assistant at a variety of other places like UNLV (1988-89), Northern Arizona (1990), Purdue (1991-93), San Diego State (1994), Arizona (1995-2000), Texas A&M (2001-02), Pitt (2003), UCLA (2004-07), and Baylor (2008-11). If Babers desires to keep coaching, Buffalo should at least think about hiring him.
Toledo Defensive Coordinator Vince Kehres
When considering coordinators in the MAC, Vince Kehres, who has head coaching experience, stands out. Not only has Toledo thrived as a team, the Rockets have also been successful on defense the past couple years.
This past season, the Rockets were third in the league in scoring defense (20.3 points per game allowed) and sixth in total defense (331.8 yards per game allowed). The year before, they led the MAC and were 18th in the nation in total defense (326.1 yards per game allowed) and were 10th in the country in defensive passing efficiency and 12th in passing yards allowed (183 per game).
In Kehres’ first season at Toledo in 2020, the Rockets were second in the conference in total defense (362.2 yards per game allowed) after finishing last (475.7 yards per game allowed) in 2019. The following year, the Rockets were first in the MAC in scoring defense with 21.8 points per game allowed and second in total defense with 349.7 yards per game allowed. They also ranked in the top three in other metrics like defensive pass efficiency and passing yards allowed (198.2 per game).
Before Kehres went to Toledo, he worked his way up the ranks at his alma mater, Division III Mount Union. As the team’s head coach for seven seasons, he went 95-6, which was more wins than any other collegiate coach at any level during that time. He led Mount Union to national championships in 2015 and 2017.
He worked with the team’s defensive line from 2000-03 and with the program’s offensive line in 2004 before becoming its defensive coordinator from 2005-12. He was Mount Union’s head coach from 2013-19.
Kehres is obviously familiar with the MAC and has proven he can be a successful head coach.
Tennessee Running Backs Coach Jerry Mack
Jerry Mack’s resume includes time as a head coach and a coordinator. He’s also recruited and coached all across the country.
Mack has been Tennessee’s running backs coach since 2021. This last year, the Volunteers were ninth in the country with 204.8 rushing yards per game.
Before this, he was an associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Rice. He’s also been a head coach at North Carolina Central, a wide receivers coach at Memphis and South Alabama, an OC and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Central Arkansas, and a wide receivers/tight ends coach at Jackson State.
Mack certainly deserves to be a head coaching candidate for the Bulls.
UNLV Offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion
Brennan Marion was in just his first season as UNLV’s offensive coordinator in 2023. However, he’s done well with the Rebels and has other coaching experience as a coordinator.
He also has some experience coaching on the eastern side of the country.
Marion helped UNLV’s offense thrive in 2023. The Rebels were 22nd in the FBS in scoring offense with 34.4 points per game and were 42nd with 412.7 yards per game gained.
Before this, Marion was a passing game coordinator at Texas in 2022, a wide receivers coach at Pitt in 2021, a wide receivers coach at Hawaii in 2020, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at William & Mary in 2019, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Howard in 2017 and 2018, and a running backs coach at Oklahoma Baptist in 2016.
The expertise he brings would benefit Buffalo.
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Kansas Co-Offensive Coordinator Jim Zebrowski
Jim Zebrowski was promoted to co-offensive coordinator at Kansas before this past season. He followed Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold to Kansas from Buffalo, so maybe Zebrowski would be open to returning to the Bulls as their head coach.
At Kansas, Zebrowski worked with Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean. Those two are top five in KU’s record books in career passing touchdowns and top 10 in career passing yards.
He was Buffalo’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach previously from 2017-20. In 2018, he coached quarterback Tyree Jackson, who was the first player in Buffalo history to become the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and first quarterback to earn all-conference accolades. Jackson threw for 3,131 yards and 28 touchdowns, both single-season school records. In 2017, the Bulls set a school record with 3,490 passing yards with Zebrowski’s guidance despite starting three different quarterbacks.
Before that, he was a quarterbacks coach at Minnesota (2011-15) and Northern Illinois (2010). If Zebrowski was willing to leave Kansas, he would make plenty of sense for Buffalo.
