Kansas football: Travis Goff’s options to address next head coach

Travis Goff took the stage this week as he was formally introduced as the next director of athletics at the University of Kansas. One of his initial tasks will be the Kansas football situation.

Goff was asked a myriad of questions by members of the media, but the one recurring question on every Kansas fan’s mind is, “How will he fix Kansas football?”

That question is rather open-ended because there isn’t just one thing the football program needs, but the clear priority is deciding who will be the head coach for the 2021 season.

In my opinion, Goff has two options that he should explore as he looks to make this crucial decision.

Option One: Keep Emmett Jones as head coach

Option one would certainly be the easier of the two choices. Fans, alumni, and the majority of the players have advocated for Jones to be the head coach for weeks now.

The move makes sense in a lot of ways.

For one, Jones is the primary reason there hasn’t been a mass exodus of players leaving once Miles was fired. He was the lead recruiter for many of the top freshmen and sophomores on this team.

Naming Jones head coach for the upcoming season all but ensures this young roster (which has talent) stays intact.

The move would also allow Goff more time to sort out his plans for the program. As I mentioned earlier, there is more than one problem that needs fixing with KU football. Rushing into a head coaching hire is not a good way to solve them.

Sticking with Jones for 2021 also means stability. Spring practice is already in full swing and the season will be here before you know it. With a new head coach, that will likely mean a shift in assistant personnel, player personnel, and a new playbook.

Jones has never been a play-caller at the college level so it would come with some risk, but this program can’t get much worse than it already is.

And Jones has already shown his worth as a recruiter and as a leader – even receiving praise from Goff during his introductory press conference.

Jones’ recent interview on “The Jayhawker Podcast” also showed how passionate he is about the players and demonstrated several qualities you want in a head coach.

Naming Jones head coach for the upcoming season would seem beneficial on a lot of levels and would get Goff off to an even more favorable start among many fans and especially the players.

Option Two: Go get your guy

If Goff and his advisors have their eyes set on a specific candidate that is best for the program long-term and they have a mutual interest in coming here, then he should go for it.

Fixing this football program is going to take looking well beyond just the 2021 season. Yes, Jones is popular among the players and many fans, but Goff needs to do what is best for KU long term. If that means getting a more proven head coach and someone outside of the program, so be it.

Some players will leave as a result, and likely some coaches, but Goff has a rare opportunity right now to hire a top target.

KU is the only Power 5 school looking for a head coach right now. If Goff waits until the fall to see how Jones does and he doesn’t show enough to win the job, then KU will have to compete against other schools for some of the top available coaching candidates – and let’s be honest, they will be very low on the totem pole when it comes to coaches choosing where to go.

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Jones has never been a head coach and never called plays at the Division 1 level, so it makes plenty of sense to want to go with an outside hire.

To be clear though, this move shouldn’t be made just for the sake of making a move.

Hiring an outside coach this late in the process will create a lot of uncertainty for the upcoming season and the future if good players leave as a result. But it’s worth it if this coach can recruit and has a plan that Goff trusts will get us where we need to be going forward.

If Goff believes there is a better fit for this program than Jones who wants to come here, whether that is Lance Leipold or Jeff Monken or Willie Fritz, then there is no sense in waiting and possibly losing out on that coach to another school in the fall.

If there isn’t that one candidate that stands out or that candidate doesn’t want to come here, then he should stick with Jones for 2021 and see how it plays out.

We should have more clues on what Goff plans to do as early as next week.