The Nebraska football head coaching search is still rolling right along with no real end in sight. There has been one candidate after another first suggested and then dismissed. But one name that has come up more than once is Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. While he’s considered one of the front runners for the job, there is at least one national analyst who thinks he would be a very bad idea for the Huskers.
Josh Pate, the host of Late Kick on 247Sports, talked about his opinion on the many candidates that have been mentioned in the coaching search and when his attention turned to Campbell, he said the Nebraska football team should “stay away from Matt Campbell, out of the question for obvious reasons.”
It should be pointed out that Pate didn’t detail the “obvious reasons” for why he believes the Huskers should stay away from the Iowa State coach. It’s probable that he’s got the same complaint against Campbell that other detractors have brought up. That being that while the Cyclones have certainly been better under his regime, they haven’t won a ton of games a year.
While Pate didn’t spend a ton of time detailing just why he thinks the Nebraska football team should “stay away” from Campbell, he did shed some light on who he thinks they should hire. It appears that Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell is right at the top of that list.
“Would be a huge get,” Pate said. “If you could get him.”
Fickell is one of those candidates who has certainly been mentioned more than once. Though as far as the name that’s buzzing the most, he’s been a bit under the radar.
Current Texas offensive analyst and former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is actually the one that Pate thinks would be the best fit for the Nebraska football team.
“I would be thrilled if I were a Nebraska football fan to get Garry Patterson,” Pate said on his show. “He has built it from the ground up. He has a track record.”