Florida Gators Football Rumors: 3 Top Head Coach Candidates After Chip Kelly Takes UCLA Job

[Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Jeremy Foley is the athletic director of the University of Florida. Scott Stricklin is the athletic director.]

The announcement that Chip Kelly has accepted the opening at UCLA, and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen claiming that he's staying in Starkville, means Florida may have missed out on their top candidates for the head coach vacancy.

Fortunately, athletic director Scott Stricklin still has some pretty good options. The Gators, despite all of their recent struggles, are still considered one of the elite programs in the nation. Finding a strong head coach to pull the program out of its doldrums might be easier than many think.

As much as Florida would like to make a splash with a big-name coach, most of the potential candidates aren't well known. However, that could be a good thing. Urban Meyer previously held head coaching positions at Bowling Green and Utah before his successful tenure in Gainesville.

It currently looks like a three-man race for the Gators job, according to most rumors. All three candidates are young and offense-minded.

Matt Campbell

Campbell, 37, might be an ideal candidate because of his ample experience at a young age.

He helped turn around an uninspired Iowa State program, leading the Cyclones to a respectable 7-3 record in 2017 after a 3-9 record in 2016. With Toledo, Campbell had back-to-back nine-win seasons and won two bowl games in four full seasons. Like Meyer, he's an Ohio native who made a name for himself at Bowling Green.

An obstacle for landing Campbell is his expensive $9.4 million buyout. But if the Gators really want Campbell, they should be willing to pay it.

Scott Frost

Frost looks like the clear frontrunner and Stricklin could make a quick move to sign him by the end of next week.

The 42-year-old became a hot commodity after his successful stint as the offensive coordinator at Oregon. The Nebraska native has done a brilliant job as the head coach of the University of Central Florida (11-0), and he wouldn't have to make much of a move to get to Gainesville.

Frost would almost certainly do an excellent job recruiting, as well. This would be a great fit for both Frost and the Gators.

Mike Norvell

Because of his age (Norvell is only 36 years old) and lack of head coaching experience, the Memphis head coach is probably the longshot of this group.

But Norvell is mature and professional. He has also done a lot with very little, as the Tigers' only loss came against UCF.

The Dallas native received praise for his play-calling at Arizona State and he looks like he could thrive with a big-time program. It wouldn't be surprising if Norvell ended up at an SEC school sometime soon or if he simply stood pat at Memphis.

Another longshot could be Kevin Sumlin. However, the Texas A&M coach has failed to win nine games since 2013. An outside-the-box choice might be Les Miles, though the former LSU head coach is known for defense. It's also unclear if the 64-year-old wants to coach again.