Troy Coaching Search Part 3: Top Ten Candidates

We’ve reached the part of the series you’ve all been waiting for. After running your favorite candidates through a mathematical formula, we’ve come up with what we consider the top ten candidates for the job.

Let’s do this.

---

10. Jeremy Pruitt

• Ben’s Ranking: 10
• Thomas’s Ranking: 8
• Matrix score: 17.57

An Alabama native whose wife is a Troy alumna, Pruitt has a better connection than most. He has a combined 5 national titles from his time at Bama and FSU, but the only knock is he was 16-19 as a head coach, which is barely better than Chip was. Most concerning were the recruiting violations that ended his tenure at UT.

9. Pete Shinnick

• Ben’s Ranking: 6
• Thomas’s Ranking: 11
• Matrix score: 13.93

The man who built West Florida doesn’t have any ties to Troy apart from the players who transferred down to Pensacola. He’s a proven winner, with a D-2 title appearance every other year and a trophy of his own.

8. Kevin Sumlin

• Ben’s Ranking: 12
• Thomas’s Ranking: 10
• Matrix score: 14.01

Sumlin is an Alabama native with no ties to Troy but a recognizable name. He’s not only a successful head coach, he’s also a proven quarterback developer.

7. Tee Martin

• Ben’s Ranking: 5
• Thomas’s Ranking: 10
• Matrix score: 7

Just like Sumlin, Martin has no ties to Troy, but his name is recognizable enough to carry weight in Alabama. He’s due for a shot at head coach, and Troy would be a great place to get that start.

6. Jordan Lesley

• Ben’s Ranking: 8
• Thomas’s Ranking: 7
• Matrix score: 9

Lesley is not only a former Trojan coach under Neal Brown, he played for TSU during the transition years. He bounced around Mississippi and Texas before Brown brought him home.

5. Dell McGee

• Ben’s Ranking: 11
• Thomas’s Ranking: 4
• Matrix score: 12

He’s the highest-ranked candidate with no connection to Troy, but he’s had a ton of success from the Plains to the Hedges. He even has success in the Sun Belt, taking the reins during Georgia Southern’s early dominance.

4. Derrick Ansley

• Ben’s Ranking: 3
• Thomas’s Ranking: 6
• Matrix score: 9

A Troy legend and an early part of the Saban assistant corps. Every stop he’s made before heading to LA has been in the Southeast, so his connections run deep.

3. Matt Moore

• Ben’s Ranking: 4
• Thomas’s Ranking: 2
• Matrix score: 15

Like Lesley, Moore followed Neal Brown from the Wiregrass to Morgantown. The biggest difference is Moore’s offensive line background, which would be useful in rebuilding. He’s also Brown’s assistant head coach, so while he doesn’t have the experience, he’s aware of the demands.

2. Tommie Robinson

• Ben’s Ranking: 1
• Thomas’s Ranking: 3
• Matrix score: 14

He’s part of Troy’s championship tradition, an integral part of LSU’s national championship staff two years ago, and a finalist when Chip was hired. Plus, as a running backs coach, he can make something dominant out of our monster corps.

1. Jon Sumrall

• Ben’s Ranking: 2
• Thomas’s Ranking: 1
• Matrix score: 9

Neal Brown’s right-hand man until he left for Oxford, Sumrall has been the heir apparent in many fans’ eyes. He’s built standout defenses at every stop, and he would easily instill confidence in the seniors.

	COMBINED	Ben	Thomas
1	Jon Sumrall	Tommie Robinson	Jon Sumrall
2	Tommie Robinson	Jon Sumrall	Matt Moore
3	Matt Moore	Derrick Ansley	Tommie Robinson
4	Derrick Ansley	Matt Moore	Dell McGee
5	Dell McGee	Tee Martin	Kevin Sumlin
6	Jordan Lesley	Pete Shinnick	Derrick Ansley
7	Tee Martin	Justin Fuente	Jordan Lesley
8	Kevin Sumlin	Jordan Lesley	Jeremy Pruitt
9	Pete Shinnick	Terry Bowden	K.C. Keeler
10	Jeremy Pruitt	Jeremy Pruitt	Tee Martin