Who Should Be Cincinnati’s Next Defensive Coordinator?

Despite a 3 point, 276 yard performance from Cincinnati’s defense against SMU, a glorified FCS team, the Bearcats are still near the bottom in several defensive categories nationally. That includes 123rd in total defense (524 ypg), 122nd in rushing defense (242 ypg), and 103rd in scoring defense (34.5 ppg).

So it’s pretty clear that yesterday’s game was but a blip on the radar and not yet an indication of wholesale improvements from this unit.

With one of the worst defenses in school history, Cincinnati Bearcats’ co-defensive coordinator Hank Hughes is as good as fired. Unfortunately it appears that Tommy Tuberville will entertain his employment through the end of the 2014 football season so what better time than now to explore the potential candidates for the position when it comes available.

Joe Cauthen – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers, Arkansas State

Cauthen currently leads a Red Wolves defense that’s first in the Sun Belt allowing 20.5 points, 115 rushing yards, and 360 total yards per game. Arkansas State also leads the conference in sacks with 3.7 per game (fifth nationally) and, most importantly in my mind, 57% of them are coming from non-defensive linemen, indicating an aggressive style of play. Cauthen is a first year coordinator but has been around for ages, climbing up the ranks from Valdosta State, the elite Division II program in Georgia, to Middle Tennessee State, and now ASU. His next logical jump would be the AAC.

John Thompson – Defensive Coordinator, Texas State

Thompson laid the groundwork for the stellar Arkansas State defense that Joe Cauthen (above) took over this year. Currently at Texas State, the Bobcats’ defensive coordinator spearheads a blitz-heavy defense that is seventh in the country in sacks and fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring defense. That’s pretty solid for a program that basically woke up yesterday and started playing Division I college football. Thompson has connections around the South and spent time at South Carolina, Florida, and Ole Miss as a defensive coordinator, so he clearly boasts a wealth of experience in the role.

Robert Prunty – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line, Cincinnati

He currently serves as a supportive role with Hank Hughes calling the plays on game day and organizing the defense in the week prior. Prunty has been on Tommy Tuberville’s staff since Texas Tech and slowly tacked on title after title to his resume over the years. Plus he’s a killer recruiter, instrumental to the building of this football program, and could be looking for a role outside of Cincinnati if he doesn’t continue to receive promotions. At this point, it wouldn’t hurt to give Prunty a shot as UC’s full time defensive coordinator. He could at the very least bring something different to the role that Hughes hasn’t.

Steve Stripling – Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line, Tennessee

Coached at Cincinnati for three years, was the interim head coach in the Belk Bowl against Duke, has a deep familiarity with the players, boasted above average defensive lines while at UC? Why not? I long thought it best for Tommy Tuberville to retain Steve Stripling following the 2012 season but Butch Jones was able drag him to Knoxville. The current Vols DL coach is currently making $280,000 at Tennessee but would probably accept a bump over the $300k mark to return to Clifton as a defensive coordinator and could be an arrangement that benefits both parties.

Joe Tumpkin – Defensive Coordinator, Central Michigan

It wouldn’t be farfetched to see Cincinnati tap the Central Michigan well once more, this time for their next defensive coordinator. Tumpkin is a young, energetic coach who’s overseeing a defense that’s first in the MAC in total yards allowed (347) and second in points allowed (25) per game. This is Tumpkin’s fourth year at the helm and the Chippewas’ defense has climbed from 11th in the conference in 2010 to first this season, so he’s proven he can turn around a porous unit.

Will Muschamp – Head Coach, Florida

Admittedly, this is a bit of a reach but Muschamp is a dead man walking like Hughes, especially with the Gators bumbling their way to a 42-13 loss yesterday. It was their third of the season and their 19th with Muschamp at the helm. But before being hired at Florida, he was a defensive coordinator at Texas with stints at Auburn, the Miami Dolphins, and LSU in the same capacity. Muschamp in his last season with the Longhorns ranked sixth nationally in total defense and boasted the 32nd most sacks in the country. Muschamp’s time at Cincinnati would be short as he’d likely be looking for a head coaching job, with the help of Tommy Tuberville’s connections, but the Bearcats could milk as much knowledge out of him as possible during his short stint at UC.

OBLIGATORY MENTION: Kerry Coombs – Cornerbacks/Special Teams, Ohio State

Because Coombs’ name comes up every time a position at UC opens up but how about he proves he can actually rise in the ranks at the collegiate level before throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars at him, shall we?