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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 2

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tertaining offense it won with in the first place. Spack's hiring could stir memories of some of Purdue's better days as a program among supporters. If he got the job and turned the program around, this would be the 54-year-old's last job. Why not: Purdue may prefer an established FBS coach, though Spack's experience in West Lafayette under Tiller would seem as significant as his head coaching experience. Purdue may prefer a "hotter" name or bigger personality. While Spack might have been a tailor-made choice to maintain Purdue's pro- gram post-Tiller, would he be similarly equipped to re- build it from scratch? A four-game losing streak at ISU this season after a monumental win at Northwestern comes at a bad time. Mike Sanford About: Sanford is young at just 34 but one of the most attractive po- tential coaching hires in the nation- al landscape. His offenses at Notre Dame have been both high-pow- ered and highly productive and his diversity of experience for his age is significant. In addition to Notre Dame, he's already done two tours at Stanford, a year at Boise State (where he played quarterback) and also spent a year coaching at Yale. He's the son of coaching veteran and current Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford Sr., so he comes from good stock, too. 2016 Notre Dame record: 2-5 Why: Offense. Sanford has guided outstanding of- fenses in South Bend and played in some of college football's most entertaining offenses at Boise State. His track record is outstanding; he coached in a BCS (or whatever you call it now) bowl game every year from 2011-15. Notre Dame is having a disappointing season but that's no fault of its offense. Bobinski does have connections to Notre dame that predated Sanford by a longshot. Still ... Why not: Age is becoming less and less relevant in the hiring game, but obviously Sanford is young. That being said, he probably could have gotten a Power Five job last year had he pushed for one. What would be his interest level in a job like Purdue at this stage of his career? And how much will Purdue covet head coach- ing experience? Willie Taggart About: Taggart, 40, is a former Jim Harbaugh assistant at Stanford who has turned the corner recent- ly at USF after a slow start. He's known as a big personality with a good deal of enthusiasm about him. 2016 record: 6-2 (3-1 AAC) Why: Taggart was involved with the Purdue job on some level last time it was open, so there'd at least be some familiarity there. Taggart is a popular name right now that a power-confer- ence job and bigger money could presumably be attractive to. Why not: Taggart is a Tampa-area native and has some good things going right now with the Bulls. Ed Warriner About: There's no more popular tree in college football to pick from than the Urban Meyer Tree and Warriner might be next man up. He's been heavily involved in guid- ing some deadly Buckeye offenses under Meyer, holding a coordinator title since 2012 and serving as its sole coordinator this season and last. He's also coached countless NFL picks as Ohio State's offensive line coach and now coaches its tight ends. Previously, he spent two seasons at Notre Dame, as offensive line coach in 2010, then adding the run- game coordinator title in 2011. 2016 Ohio State record: 6-1 (3-1 Big Ten) Why: Warriner would be a hot name from the assis- tant coaching ranks with the Meyer pedigree (i.e. big- time offense) and give Purdue some instant credibility in recruiting, at least as much as a non-head coach could. Associations with the Meyer offense are gen- erally a draw in the hiring process, and Purdue could require captivating offense with this hire. Warinner does bring a diversity of experience into whatever Buckeye Sports Bulletin Notre Dame USF 92 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED

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