The case for Tommy Tuberville 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 fewer.

Tommy Tuberville, Cincinnati head coach

Possibility scale: 2/10

The resume

Tuberville got his coaching career started at Ole Miss in 1994, taking over a Rebel team that was under heavy NCAA sanctions at the time. Despite this, he won AP SEC Coach of the Year in 1997 before bolting for Auburn after the '98 season.

During his time as a Tiger, Tuberville won 85 games in 10 years and led Auburn to an SEC Championship in 2004, the same year he was named Walter Camp and Bear Bryan Coach of the Year. He also made eight consecutive bowl appearances including five on New Year's Day. Under the "Riverboat Gambler," as Tuberville was referred to for his aggressive play-calling, Auburn went 7-2 against rival Alabama, including six straight victories, its best stretch ever against the Crimson Tide in school history.

After Tuberville resigned from Auburn, he went on to coach for three seasons at, Texas Tech where he went 20-17, before landing at Cincinnati at the end of 2012. At Cincinnati, he has coached the Bearcats to a 23-11 mark to date, winning a share of the AAC Championship in 2014, and guiding the teams to bowl games in 2013 and 2014.

The benefits

Every team he has coached is fun to watch due to high-flying offenses. He got the nickname "Riverboat Gambler" for a reason, and maybe as well as for coaching the "Air Raid" spread offense at Texas Tech. At Auburn, he coached 19 future NFL draft picks, numerous All-Americans and brought in the highest-rated recruiting class (ranked 11th by Scout) in Red Raider history in 2011.

Any high school student looking to play college football would listen to what he'd have to pitch, regardless of what school he was at, and he is a big name that has proven he can win in the best conference in college football. (But it's been some time since this has actually happened.)

The drawbacks

He is 61 years old and most likely not interested in finishing his career at a school that is considered a "project" or in the midst of rebuild. Before Cincinnati, his entire career had been spent in the SEC or Big 12 land, and he has no obvious ties to the Mid-Atlantic region. It's been a long time since Tuberville, at Auburn, was regarded as a truly top-flight coach.

In one sentence

Tuberville would be a big-name hire with some offensive upside, but he also wouldn't be an exciting pick and would have very real bust potential for a couple of reasons.