4 Troy Trojans Head Coaching Options

The college football season is winding down, which means coaches are getting fired and new hires are being made. Troy fired coach Chip Lindsey a few days ago. The Trojans need to make a change if they want to be one of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference again. Troy was a very solid program for many years under former coach Larry Blakeney and remained a factor under Neal Brown. Lindsey was unable to maintain continuity and success in the program, so now the Trojans have to figure out how to get back on track. Here are four prominent candidates.

Tom Herman

The former Texas coach who failed with the Longhorns could probably use a return to the Group of Five if he wants to resurrect his coaching career. Herman was a smash hit in the Group of Five when he led Houston to the Group of Five championship in the 2015 season. Going to the Sun Belt Conference would probably be a very good fit for him. He is still a young coach who has been knocked down a few pegs. If he spends time at Troy and revives the program, he could then get a look at a quality power conference job in three to five years.

Jordan Lesley

This is not a well-known name for casual college football fans, but he makes obvious sense as a candidate when you read his biography. Lesley played at Troy and is a former assistant coach at Troy. Neal Brown, the current West Virginia head coach, brought him to West Virginia to be on his staff. Lesley has done a great job as WVU’s defensive coordinator. He would be a natural choice to go back home to his alma mater and start the rebuilding effort in earnest. This would be a clear fit and a chance for Troy to not only invest in a coach, but to tap an alumnus of the school as the guy who can improve the program. Fans and boosters would really love that. He would be a popular choice who would have the full support of the university community. That matters in a coaching search, especially for the smaller schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Dell McGee

The Trojans could look to McGee, the running back coach at Georgia under Kirby Smart, as a candidate here. McGee is an elite recruiter. He played at Auburn, in the state of Alabama (where Troy University is located). He has great relationships with local high school coaches in the region. He is widely respected and is viewed as an up-and-coming prospect in the coaching profession. It’s a matter of when, not if, he gets a bigger job. Troy might think it needs to jump on this train before bigger programs come calling.

Major Applewhite

The former Tom Herman assistant is South Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Applewhite is very likely looking for a head coaching job at the lower end of the college football spectrum, forming a building block which could create a career revival. Applewhite’s tenure at Houston was plagued by scandal, so Applewhite has had to be a coordinator, not a head coach, in recent years. He has talent, but his reputation has taken a hit. Would Troy be willing to essentially rehabilitate Applewhite’s career? It’s an intriguing question.