The case for Doc Holliday as Maryland's next head football coach

Over the coming weeks and months, the Maryland football program will search for a new head coach to replace the departed Randy Edsall. We know who the candidates are, but who should Maryland pick? We'll state every coach's case, whether he wants the job or not, in 500 words or so.

Doc Holliday, Marshall head coach

Possibility scale: 1/10

The resume

I wrote about one of the youngest possible candidates now it's time to write about one of the oldest - Doc Holliday. Tuberculosis jokes aside Holliday would be 59 at the start of the 2016 season. Holliday had plenty of assistant coaching experience before taking on the job as head coach at Marshall.

After finishing his playing career in 1978 as a West Virginia linebacker, Marshall immediately hired on as a graduate assistant for three years before Don Nehlen promoted him to wide receivers coach in 1982 where he coached three of the top six receivers in Big East history. He also did a stint as linebackers coach and was the main recruiting coach in Florida.

He spent five years as associate head coach at NC State and had the same position at Florida for three seasons before returning to his Alma Mater. After two more years at WVU he became Marshall's head coach in 2010.

Since compiling a modest 17-20 record in his first three seasons, he has turned the Thundering Herd into something of a Conference USA powerhouse building a 41-7 record that includes a final AP rank of #22 in 2014 and an 8-2 mark thus far in 2015.

The benefits

Holliday is an experienced coach who has had success wherever he's been and has shown the ability to both recruit talent and draw greatness from players on both sides of the ball. The players he coached at N.C. State include Koren Robinson and Jericho Cotchery. At Florida, where he was the safeties coach and recruiting coordinator for one Urban Meyer, he helped Reggie Nelson become a consensus All-American while the Gators had the fourth ranked pass efficiency defense in the country. Rivals named him one of the nation's top 25 recruiters during that time.

Holliday also looks to have the ability to adjust to his talent. After leading the No. 3 scoring offense in 2014, Marshall has dropped to 42nd in 2015. However, defensively, the Herd has improved from 18th to No. 8.

Holliday makes less than $1 million annually at Marshall and wouldn't be an expensive pick.

The drawbacks

The first possible downside that jumps out is, of course, his age. At 59, Holliday would be one of the oldest coaches under consideration. We also have to note that Marshall didn't turn around until his fourth season. It's unlikely that Maryland fans would be willing to wait another three or for years to see their program be successful.

Finally, there's a question about the "splashiness" of his name. This wouldn't be an exciting hire for fans.

In one sentence

Holliday isn't young and probably isn't more than a backup plan, but he's coached in this part of the country and has the resume to be seriously considered for a power-conference job at some point.