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Troy Calhoun and Other Outside-the-Box Candidates to Replace Jim Mora at UCLA

HERO Sports by HERO Sports
November 20, 2017
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Troy Calhoun and Other Outside-the-Box Candidates to Replace Jim Mora at UCLA

UCLA went outside the box to replace head coach Rick Neuheisel in late 2011. Could the Bruins do it again after their first outside-the-box hire, Jim Mora, failed to build the program into a consistent winner?

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Mora was fired on Sunday, one day after UCLA's loss to USC, their third straight to the Trojans. He left with two 10-win seasons, one division title and the program record for most wins in back-to-back seasons (20) as any coach in program history. He also left with a 46-30 overall record, zero seasons with more than six conference wins and a 9-14 mark in his last two seasons.

Now for the first time in six years, UCLA is searching for a new head coach? What if they doesn't hire — or even call — Chip Kelly, Scott Frost, Mike Norvell or other oft-mentioned coaches?

MORE: Outside-the-Box Candidates for Arkansas

Here are five outside-the-box candidates to replace Jim Mora at UCLA.

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Troy Calhoun

Current Position: Head Coach – Air Force

Troy Calhoun is reaching the "Will he ever leave?" territory.

The 51-year-old is in his 11th season as Air Force head coach, and he's been mentioned as a potential candidate for dozens of Power Five jobs over the last decade. The Falcons are enduring a tough season but Calhoun has built admirable consistency at the service academy with two 10-win seasons and five more with at least eight victories.

He has only two years at a Power Five school on his résumé (offensive coordinator at Wake Forest, 2001-02) and is clearly comfortable in Colorado Springs, so would there even be mutual interest?

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Justin Wilcox

Current Position: Head Coach – Cal

After more than a decade as defensive coordinator for five different programs, including USC (2014-15) and Wisconsin (2016), Wilcox finally got his head coaching chance last winter when the now-41-year-old replaced Sonny Dykes at Cal.

Year one in Berkeley has gone OK and he's had mixed results as a coordinator, but he does have a wealth of experience for his age, a level head and willingness to take responsibility for his decisions. The latter would be refreshing after six years of Jim Mora.

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Seth Littrell

Current Position: Head Coach – North Texas

UAB​'s Bill Clark wrapped up National Coach of the Year long ago but Seth Littrell deserves a hat tip for transforming North Texas from an unknown, one-win program into a Conference USA title contender.

The 39-year-old former Oklahoma running back spent three seasons in the Pac-12 as Arizona running backs coach from 2009-11 and is widely regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. He may be another strong season away from getting a big-time offer, though his quick rebuild and lower price tag might be appealing now.

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Mike Houston

Current Position: Head Coach – James Madison

Mike Houston is getting a Power Five job soon. He's only an outside-the-box because it's assumed he'll stay near the east coast and take an ACC or SEC job.

The 46-year-old has slowly risen the ranks and has won everywhere he's been as head coach, including currently James Madison, where he's 25-1 in two seasons. He has zero FBS​ experience and minimal recruiting ties outside the region but is a perfect fit for a program looking for a steady hand with elite talent evaluation and development skills. 

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Dino Babers

Current Position: Head Coach – Syracuse

Dino Babers' head coaching temporarily exploded after Syracuse shocked Clemson in mid-October. The Orange haven't won a game since and Babers is back to being a give-him-another-year candidate.

Still, the 56-year-old has a lot of attractive attributes and stops that may interest UCLA, where he spent five seasons as an assistant and recruiting coordinator (2004-08). 

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