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Not long after the Oregon Ducks beat up the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 Championship game, a couple of big-time coaching vacancies were rumored to have been filled. One was our old friend Lane Kiffin for the Ole Miss Rebels, and the other was Mike Norvell for the Florida State Seminoles.
Sources: #Memphis coach Mike Norvell is the leading candidate to become the next coach at Florida State. An official announcement could come Sunday. Memphis hosts Cincinnati in the AAC title game Saturday.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 7, 2019
Story from @Mark_Schlabach and me: https://t.co/yzSZxIrV09
Kiffin’s move is inconsequential for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (unless they see Lane and his bag man out on the recruiting trail). The Mike Norvell news, however, is filled with intrigue involving offensive coordinator, Chip Long.
There are two thoughts here that could become realities:
- Chip Long becomes the new head coach of the Memphis Tigers.
- Chip Long heads to FSU to become Norvell’s OC once again.
The Memphis job is no big secret as far as a possibility is concerned. It’s something that has long been speculated about over the last year. The idea of Long making a lateral move to FSU though... that’s a bit new.
Keep in mind that this is pure speculation at the moment — for both points. Long is currently out on the road recruiting for Notre Dame, and no reports have surfaced of any contact between Long and these other parties.
Long’s name was brought up in the Ole Miss search, and I offered a theory (that many other people have also put forward) that if the Memphis job is there — Long gone. I think that’s the only job that Long could realistically get, and I think he definitely should if that’s an option. Memphis is a great job right now, and for a young coach, it can serve as a great stepping stone — just like Justin Fuente and now Mike Norvell.
Any whispers about Long taking off for Tallahassee to do the same job under Norvell seem to be just fans with a wish list. Still... I wouldn’t count anything out completely when it comes to these type of coaching moves. It’s just the world we live in.
All of this was something to give you a pinch and say, “pay attention.” It might get weird here soon (and that’s without discussing any possible replacements if something does happen).