After being tied to various NFL and high-profile college football jobs, James Franklin finally decided to leave Vanderbilt, going to Happy Valley to take over for Bill O’Brien at Penn State. Franklin did an incredible job taking the Commodores from the cellar of the SEC into a team that has gone to a bowl game in each of his three seasons. Now, moving forward, Vanderbilt needs to find a coach who can carry the momentum that Franklin built up, while understanding that Vanderbilt carries higher academic standards than many other schools. It will certainly be a tough task.
Two names that have been brought up as candidates are Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason. Both have experience coaching for the Cardinal, a school that also carries a high academic prestige, like Vanderbilt. So both understand the restrictions that they will have to deal with when it comes to recruiting.
Mason may have the slight edge to Hamilton, since he has a defensive background. Mason will help create a hard-nosed defense at Vanderbilt that will help them compete against the elite athletes and offenses that many of the teams in the SEC trot out every week.
Hamilton would bring NFL experience, spending this past season working as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. However, as college football is moving more towards spread offenses, Hamilton’s conservative, power run offense may not fit in a power conference like the SEC.
Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, they are behind the eight-ball now, as many teams have filled their head coaching vacancies and the top candidates are no longer available. It’s also very poor timing, as recruiting season is starting to really heat up as we move closer and closer to National Signing Day. If they don’t find a coach soon, recruits may choose a different school that has a coach in place, and current commits could feel uneasy about the situation and decide to reopen their search for a new school.
In the end, Vanderbilt needs to find the right candidate, and quick. They need to find a legitimate coach to replace the enthusiastic Franklin, a coach that the fanbase loved, and it has to be someone who has an understanding of the fanbase and the recruiting situation. Right now, reports point towards Franklin and Hamilton, but it is likely many new names will surface before the new coach is officially named.