5 candidates Minnesota should consider for head coaching vacancy

The Power-5 has another head coaching vacancy. Let the speculation begin!

With Minnesota looking for a new leading man after showing Tracy Claeys the door Tuesday, the opportunity is there for a number of different candidates to either get themselves back into college football, or perhaps relocate from their existing positions.

Here are five candidates who could find themselves at the top of Minnesota's call list in the coming weeks.

1) P.J. Fleck - Western Michigan head coach

Minnesota could be the chance for P.J. Fleck to break through to the Power-5 ranks.

The Western Michigan head coach has become one of the most likeable head coaches in the FBS, and is coming off an undefeated regular season where the Broncos rowed the boat all the way to the Cotton Bowl. Fleck's allegiance to the north has been noted in the past, having played at Northern Illinois, and previously denied any thought of leaving the Broncos until after the conclusion of the season.

The time may be now for Fleck, and the boat could wind up docking at the shores of Lake Superior in the near future.

2) Les Miles - Former LSU head coach

Les Miles has been out of work since September after being let go by LSU, and the Minnesota job is his next chance to get back into the game.

While Miles may not think he needs to get another job this soon per say, the 63-year-old has Big Ten roots dating back to his days as both a player and offensive line coach at Michigan. Miles has a national championship and two SEC titles under his belt, and that would be enough to attract any Power-5 program that looks to remain competitive immediately.

Despite enduring off-field issues towards the end of this season, Minnesota produced a competitive program on the field, and Miles has the exact type of established, successful track record that the program needs to turn the page on said adversity.

3) Paul Petrino - Idaho head coach

As the old saying goes, a captain always goes down with his ship, but Idaho head coach Paul Petrino could end up being afforded a life raft should Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle come calling.

Idaho is set to fall from the FBS level after next season, and a man with Petrino's recent coaching history could be set to capitalize on recent successes. Petrino rescued the Vandals from the depths of the FBS dungeons, going from a 1-11 record as an FBS independent in 2013, to a 9-4 record in the Sun Belt this past season and a victory over Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

A move for Petrino would all depend on his satisfaction of becoming an FCS head coach, but for a program that needs a change of identity like Minnesota, a man with a proven track record of turning programs around would be an attractive option.

4) Lincoln Riley - Oklahoma offensive coordinator

Even though Minnesota may feel more inclined to hire someone with prior head coaching experience, a candidate like Oklahoma offensive coordinator may make sense.

Riley worked directly with not one, but two Heisman Trophy finalists in 2016, as quarterback Baker Mayfield and wideout Dede Westbrook helped establish the Sooners as one of the biggest offensive threats in the nation. With seven years of experience as an offensive coordinator between East Carolina and Oklahoma, Riley could be ready to take that next step into the Power-5 head coaching ranks despite only being 33 years old.

WILDCARD - Chip Kelly - Former Oregon head coach

It's only been two days, but it would be foolish not to consider recently fired Chip Kelly as a possibility to return to college football.

Kelly would undoubtedly be a wild card at this point, but his success at Oregon from 2009-12 is well documented, and his failures at the professional level are equally as well documented. Kelly was rumored to be in the discussion to return to his old stomping grounds before the Ducks hired Willie Taggart, and it seems the only likely chance Kelly would be swayed to return to college football would be with a Power-5 program.

The chances of Kelly actually accepting a head coaching job at the college level are anyone's guess, but a resume with three consecutive Pac-12 titles, a Rose Bowl, and a Fiesta Bowl victory makes the idea almost impossible to ignore.