Who's Next at West Virginia?

With John Beilein and his five year itch taking him to Michigan, the next question is who takes over the Mountaineer program? The good news is the program is in good shape -- far better then when Beilein came in and NCAA sanctions were a distinct possibility. There is some good talent on hand, the fans are supporting the team and funding has improved. Plus, the Athletic Department will be getting a $2.5 million dollar windfall thanks to a well thought out contract with a sliding buyout.

West Virginia could simply promote assistant coach Jerry Dunn to head coach. Dunn has head coaching experience and even some success at Penn State. Of course by the end of his time at PSU, the program had fallen back to its natural state of bottom feeder and apathy.

Another choice could be Eastern Kentucky Head Coach Jeff Neubauer. He spent eight years as a Beilein assistant at WVU and Richmond before becoming a head coach 2 years ago. This past year at EKU, he won the OVC and got the Colonels into the NCAA Tournament. Neubauer is only 36 and could reasonably be considered a rising coaching talent. The advantage to Neubauer is his familiarity with Beilein's system and the transition with the players on hand and their skill set would be much less drastic.

Travis Ford's name is getting mentioned. A former player at Kentucky and Rick Pitino protege. He was the head coach at Eastern Kentucky before taking over at UMass. He has steadily improved the Minutemen in two years and is another young coach on the rise. Despite no ties to the program, his name is coming up and he is reportedly interested. The knock is that his ambition suggests more of a stepping stone view towards the job.

Then, of course, there is the dark lord. Bob Huggins. The West Virginia alum and prior target. WVU pursued Huggins a few years ago, but he just used them to get a nice raise from Cinci. It seems doubtful that he would bolt K-State so quickly. Especially with the talent he has brought in for next season. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Previously on Fanhouse:
Michigan Buying Beilein from West Virginia
John Beilein Officially Offered Michigan Job
Looking for Hot Coaches:East Bracket