A Surprising Name Emerges In Vandy Head Coaching Search

Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Athletics Candice Storey Lee said in November that she's looking for someone with experience as a head coach for the school's next football leader, but that it's not a "dealbreaker." The rumor inside the college football coaching world, according to FootballScoop.com, is that Georgia special teams coordinator Scott Cochran plans on making a "hard push" for the Vandy head job.

“I want to be open. I have learned over time, if you come in with a set list, you don’t want to narrow your focus," Lee told the media in November. "That said, demonstrated ability to run a program and experience as a head coach is something I am interested in, but it’s not a dealbreaker.”

Cochran, the hype man who left Alabama after 13 years as the strength coach and who screams on the sidelines and holds up four fingers to remind everyone it's the fourth quarter, seems to be a dark horse candidate. But it's 2020, so you shouldn't rule out anything just because it seems preposterous.

Hiring traditional football guys to run the Vandy program has resulted in just four AP Top 25 appearances since 1959. Maybe going the unconventional route here and hiring a hype man actually makes sense. Vandy would easily be the most-hyped program in the SEC without even having to bring in a female kicker. Nobody would win the 3rd to 4th quarter transition game like Scott Cochrane's Vandy teams.