Mike Houston
Quick Bio: If you don’t know who Mike Houston is, don’t feel bad; he’s not exactly a household name. Houston doesn’t coach in the FBS, so that could be why you haven’t heard of him. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a good coach. He’s been dominant at James Madison and proved his worth at The Citadel too.
Pros: In 23 games as James Madison’s head coach, Houston has lost just one game. He helped lead James Madison to the FCS National Title last season and is undefeated this year. He also was the head coach with The Citadel defeated South Carolina in 2015. And he wouldn’t be the first coach to make the leap from the FCS to the FBS at a big time school should Tennessee or someone else come calling. Jim Tressel went from Youngstown State to Ohio State in 2001, and he had a successful run with the Buckeyes.
Cons/Questions: The questions are obvious here. Houston has never coached in the FBS, not once. At least Tressel had been an assistant with Syracuse and Ohio State before he went to Youngstown State. Houston has no FBS experience at all. It’s unlikely Tennessee looks his direction unless they get desperate. Which they might be.
