Potential USD Candidates

BY JEREMY HOECK

For the first time, the state of South Dakota is in the market for a Division I football coach.

Following last Tuesday’s decision by USD to fire coach Ed Meierkort after eight seasons, the school will be looking for a replacement.

Without any inside knowledge on their interest, here are some potential candidates for the job. Some of these names have already been tossed out, while two may not be on the typical radar.

Glenn Caruso
The Connecticut native is coaching his fourth season at St. Thomas, an NCAA Division III school in Minnesota.

He has posted a 41-6 record at St. Thomas, which hosts a playoff game Saturday against Monmouth.

Caruso was the offensive coordinator at USD in 2004 and 2005, helping lead the Coyotes to a pair of 9-2 seasons thanks to record-breaking offenses. He also spent six seasons at North Dakota State.

Joe Glenn
An established football coach at every level, the 62-year-old Glenn would no doubt excite supporters if he even showed a sign of interest.

He guided Northern Colorado to Division II national titles in 1996 and 1997, and later led Montana to a Division I-AA (FCS) title in 2001.

The 1971 USD graduate then spent six seasons at Wyoming, including a bowl victory over UCLA, before getting fired in 2008.

For the last two years, he has been a color commentator for the WAC Sports Network.

Brad Salem
Another one with USD connections, Salem is in the second year as running backs coach at Michigan State.

Before that, he spent five seasons at Augustana, where Salem posted a 31-26 record. He also spent three years as a USD coach from 1999-2001.

He obviously knows the area and would bring his area recruiting connections with him to Vermillion.

Salem’s father, Joe, was head coach at USD from 1966-74.

Kalen DeBoer
A native of Milbank, DeBoer is in his second year as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Southern Illinois — a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Like Salem, DeBoer knows the area and knows how to win with local talent. Beyond that, he has gotten a brief glimpse at USD’s conference home starting next year.

Before that, DeBoer spent five years at the University of Sioux Falls, where he went 67-3 and won three NAIA national championships.

Josh Heupel
More than likely a long-shot, Heupel is an Aberdeen native and co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma.

He led the Sooners to the 2000 national title and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy that year.

Though Heupel is the only one on this list without head coaching experience, the 33-year-old might be ready for a Division I head coaching position by now.