Tuberville and USF could be a perfect fit

Go back 14 days and every BCS job in the country was filled. Every program had its man, or so it thought.

Then, seemingly from out of nowhere, Mike Leach was suspended and then fired at Texas Tech on the final Wednesday of 2009. Then, just Friday, South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt was let go.

Both coaches were alleged to have mistreated a player, and, for the most part the news — at least to those outside of Lubbock, Texas, and Tampa, Fla. — came as a shock.

It’s unfortunate and sad. The careers for both of these guys, who were “the next best thing” not too long ago, will never be the same.

The schools they were ousted from, however, have a great opportunity to take the next step with the right coach.

So, who do they turn to?

Well, you already know where I’m going with this.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce Tommy Tuberville. You might remember him from his work at Auburn — 10 years on the Plains, 85 wins, a perfect 13-0 season in 2004. You know.

Tuberville interviewed at Texas Tech earlier this week. On Thursday, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Tuberville was still very much in the running for job. He and Red Raiders interim coach Ruffin McNeill are believed to be the only two candidates who have interviewed for the job thus far, the newspaper reported.

Not bad odds.

Then Friday, word out of Tampa was that Tuberville was considered a candidate for the now-open USF gig.

And I can’t say I’m surprised. He was the first person I thought of — and I know I wasn’t the only one — when word of Leavitt’s firing started leaking out. Tampa’s warm and the golf is plentiful. Oh, and the program’s not bad either.

Tuberville would be a good get for either school, however, he’d be a much better fit at South Florida. And it’s not just because of the sun and fun.

Tuberville is a defensive guy. Texas Tech is not a defensive team. Sure, he’d help the Red Raider defense, but Tuberville’s track record with offenses — and offensive coordinators — isn’t the best.

But people can change, and I’m sure Tuberville learned some valuable lessons from the Tony Franklin Experiment. He’d better if he wants to be a successful coach again.

Philosophy, however, isn’t the reason why he’d be better for USF than Texas Tech.

South Florida is one of the best jobs in the country as far as potential — on and off the field.

A program could just recruit athletes from the state of Florida and have a pretty darn good team year in and year out. And with Florida State making the switch to a new regime, and Florida being in doubt with Urban Meyer’s future on the sidelines, now is the time to strike if you’re South Florida — time to get some of the state’s (and nation’s) best recruits, all of whom live in your own backyard.

The right coach with the right staff could make this happen. If Tuberville got the job, and did learn from his final year at Auburn, putting a top-notch recruiting staff together would be paramount. And I’m quite sure he knows it.

What about off the field?

It’s in this area that Tuberville’s name should shoot to the top of the list.

South Florida is a huge school with a lot of alumni who are sick of being the fourth fiddle in the state to Florida, Florida State and Miami. They need a figurehead they can rally around, and, more importantly, give their money and support to.

Have you ever seen Tuberville work a room? He’s one of the best.

He’s also media friendly. A breath of fresh air for a program that now has a dark cloud hanging over it.

Don’t forget, Tuberville’s done it before at Ole Miss and at Auburn.

Also, Tuberville knows how to win. If he did it in the toughest conference in college football for more than a decade, he can certainly do it in the Big East.

Make no mistake, Tuberville doesn’t come cheap. He was making more than $3 million a season at Auburn. I don’t see him willing to take anything significantly lower than that.