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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 2

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winner. Why not: The biggest question is probably wheth- er Miles would be interested should Purdue reach out and offer the kind of dollars it may require to get him. Again, he'll have options and there could be some jobs open more in his coaching and recruit- ing comfort zones, such as Kentucky in the SEC or Baylor in the Big 12 should Baylor open. Miles is 62 years old and hasn't necessarily been a builder in his career. This is a building job in West Lafayette right now. Another question might be whether Miles would want to move into the Big Ten and face his alma mater — his affection for Michigan seems genuine — or Nebraska, where his son, Ben, is a freshman. Additionally, Miles has a rep for conser- vative, unimaginative, borderline archaic offense, which has worked for him when paired with elite defenses, but ... Greg Olson About: The veteran NFL offen- sive coordinator and quarterbacks coach has spent time with the sev- eral NFL teams including two stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he's currently coordinator. He was a member of Joe Tiller's staff at Pur- due from 1997-2000, then again in 2002. He was Drew Brees' position coach during the entirety of his college career and has maintained a strong relationship with the Boilermaker legend since. 2016 record: 2-4 Why: Olson knows Purdue and was a key part in a very entertaining offense. His relationship with Brees could carry some influence. Why not: Olson doesn't have any head coaching experience and has been out of the recruiting game since he spent one season as Purdue's recruiting coor- dinator. Purdue did sign a strong class that year. Mark Rhule About: Rhule has made the graveyard that has historically been Temple football respectable again and because of it, his name is going to be a popular one again this hiring cycle. He's taken the Owls from 2-10 to 6-6 to 10-4 and a national ranking last season. The 41-year-old is a State College native who played for Penn State. He's coached most- ly on the East Coast, including a year with Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants, but did spend time at Western Carolina and a year at UCLA. 2016 record: 5-3 (3-1 AAC) Why: The job Rhule has done at Temple has been impressive. That's not an easy job. Why not: A Power Five job is the logical next step for Rhule, but you wonder if he might not be content to wait at Temple for Penn State should it open again any time soon. Brock Spack About: The former Boilermaker linebacker was a pillar of Purdue's success under Joe Tiller, serving as his defensive coordinator for the entirety of his run in West Lafayette. During that time, Spack established a defensive philosophy that com- plemented Purdue's high-powered passing offense well and birthed the Boilermakers' Den of Defensive Ends lineage of pass-rushers. In 2003, Purdue boasted one of the best defenses in school history and throughout Spack's return stint at his alma mater, his defenses produced several NFL players. Spack was known for being one of the top recruiters on Tiller's staff, too. He became head coach at ISU in 2009 and has since led the Redbirds to a 58-32 record as of Oct. 1, including an appearance in the 2014 FCS title game. 2016 record: 3-5 (1-4 Missouri Valley) Why: No coach in circulation knows more about winning at Purdue than Spack. Nobody has more in- vested in the program than Spack. He'd embrace the opportunity, bring respectability back to Purdue in local recruiting circles and be popular among former players. Now, he has head coaching experience and would likely bring to Purdue some variation of the en- Illinois State Oklahoma Jacksonville VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2 91

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