Assuming a qualified coach has HC, OC, or DC experience, I can think of these people. (We proved elevating a position coach is disastrous.)

Davis has a unique culture and philosophy that an outsider might not appreciate.The second tier seems less likely.

Tim Plough - Cal
Kevin Daft - Dartmouth

Chris Petersen - UW, TV
Khari Jones - CFL
Nathaniel Hackett - NFL
Mike Moroski - College of Idaho

Did I miss anybody?

Looks like a reasonable list to me

FWIW, Cal OC Jake Spavital leaves for Baylor
He led the Bears' offense to its best season in seven years under Coach Wilcox.

Would Cal offer Plough the OC position?

only in your minds. Thats what is holding it back. Need to stop living in the past. The school has too much going for it to limit itself.

I partly agree with this.

Davis is a world-class, behemoth institution with tons of money.......according to all the rankings.

I'm not sure if this is on the Athletic Department or the University administration....but someone is trying so hard to cling to a small-town D2 self-image and its so limiting its getting annoying.

We don't have to act like something we aren't to be successful in promoting "Aggie Pride" or whatever.

I understand Davis is terrified to bring in someone who wasn't baptized by excellence on the Davis campus.....the first time we tried with Gould, it failed miserably. It failed because Gould sucked at his job, and some people just suck at their jobs. And thats life. The AD just needs to find someone who doesn't suck at their profession, and if they've never been a HC then we are rolling the dice again.

The AD just needs to find someone who doesn't suck at their profession, and if they've never been a HC then we are rolling the dice again. — SochorField

This is why I am a little hesitant to bring back Plough. He is obviously a great position coach as he turned around the TE room at Cal. He showed some ability to run an offense here but I wonder how much of that was on the players (Maier & Doss, Gould's Recruits?), vs his ability to scheme up an offense. He only made it 14 games at Boise before being shown the door. He built an average at best offense while the defense seemed to keep them in games in 2021. They had an abysmal run offense which we have hung our hat on for the last couple of season with LL and UG.

The last two seasons our defense has kept us in games and it has honestly felt like we are a QB away from being truly competitive. I would like to see us bring in a defensive minded coach with an OC that get us over the hump. With Damon Wrighster committed we may just have that QB we have been looking for but the defense likely takes a step back. I hope I'm wrong and next year we become even more fearsome.

Either way I hope we make this decision quickly as the early signing window opens soon and I would hate to see us lose out on commitments/transfers because we are behind the 8ball.

Coach Hawkins and staff identified and landed Jake Maier.

Hawk said he's been fired three times. I can only think of two, Canada (CFL) and Colorado.

I’d like to think Matt Coombs had a lot to do with our success on defense this last year. Pre-season, my wife and i arrived early to the football team aggie event and Matt was the first person to greet us. We had an informative football conversation and in spite of his very youthful appearance, it was obvious that he is sharp as a tack and a “Davis guy.” Here’s what Hawk had to say about him;

"When we talk about 'Davis Guys,' people ask what we mean by that," said Hawkins. "But he gets it. He gets the well-roundedness of it. That's important here, and it's important to have coaches who relate and identify with our players and their goals and aspirations. That includes playing championship football, but it might also include studying plant biology in Borneo. Having a guy who gets that is important here. He's just a really good fit."

"Just like in recruiting, it's all about fit," said Hawkins. "He went to Yale, so he understands education and that component. He's used to winning, so he expects to win and knows how to win. He has worked in a similar defensive structure that we run, so he can take that and add and polish and put his spin on it."

https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/matt-coombs/7279

He only made it 14 games at Boise before being shown the door. — Fiat Lux

This worries me a bit. Did Boise quickly come to an opinion he sucked at his profession?

Just a question, not a judgment. I really like Tim Plough as a dude.

Per FootballScoop... Tim Plough to be new HC

and the source tweet

Well.....I guess we'll find out.

*deleted* because lol who cares.......

Congrats to Coach Plough!

Well, this is a great opportunity for him. Go Ags!

Take this as you will... don't know validity of this

Ejiro Evero, DC Carolina Panthers

He oversold expectations by suggesting that 50 points a game was a realistic, and got fired in second season when they only scored 10 against lowly UTEP.
I’d be surprised if he had power 5 offers to give it another try as an OC. He hasn’t proved anything by being a tight end coach. Even 2019 at Davis wasn’t an offensive powerhouse.

Cal adds a little polish and seasoning. Hopefully.

Boise opened 2-2 in 2022, even struggling in their two wins. That's when Coach Plough was let go.

QB problems apparently were at the heart of it. In 2021, Boise had 'underperformed' at 7-5 under QB Hank Bachmeier, who was banged up the previous year bc of a porous line. Bachmeier struggled to open 2022, including being benched after throwing 2 picks and a fumble in game 4. HB then declared his intention to enter the portal and to redshirt, and 6'6" redshirt freshman Taylen Green lit it in reeling off 8 wins in a row (?).

Boise is 7-5 this year, and plays in Vegas tomorrow in the Mountain West Championship game.