Report: Manny Diaz, Charlie Weis Jr., Chris Kiffin among leading candidates for FAU opening

With Willie Taggart out at Florida Atlantic, a bevy of fascinating names are popping up as potential candidates.

According to Bruce Feldman of FOX and The Athletic, a myriad of different coaches from the Power Five, NFL and elsewhere could have their sights set on the job.

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“With Willie Taggart getting fired by Florida Atlantic on Saturday, one of the more attractive Group of 5 coaching jobs has come open,” wrote Feldman. “Taggart never won more than five games in any of his three seasons with the Owls, but the coach he followed, Lane Kiffin, won 26 games in three years, including two seasons with double-digit wins. There is a ton of local talent in the area, and it’s a place a lot of coaches would like to live.

“There are several former FAU staffers and coaches with South Florida ties we think will go after this job.”

Here’s who Feldman and company believe the top candidates are for the Florida Atlantic job.

• Chris Kiffin, Browns defensive line coach
• Charlie Weis Jr., Ole Miss offensive coordinator
• Kendal Briles, Arkansas offensive coordinator
• Manny Diaz, Penn State defensive coordinator
• Willie Simmons, Florida A&M head coach
• Ja’Juan Seider, Penn State co-offensive coordinator
• Alex Atkins, Florida State offensive coordinator
• George Helow, Michigan linebackers coach

As you can see, there are some fascinating names associated with the Florida Atlantic job that Feldman believes has a shot at becoming their next coach.

First, Chris Kiffin would follow in his brother’s footsteps if he were to takeover the Owls, and his experience coaching defense at the program in the past went swimmingly. While he’s a little more tame than his older brother, he’d still be a wonderful choice.

Next, Charlie Weis Jr. may be on the younger side, but he’s done a fantastic job with Kiffin at Ole Miss. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him get his start with the Owls.

Of course, it would’ve been unfathomable that Manny Diaz would be on this list just over a year ago, but the former leader of the Miami Hurricanes could look to reestablish himself as a head coach with Florida Atlantic, much like Lane Kiffin did in the past.

Regardless, there’s plenty of great potential options for Florida Atlantic, and time will tell who the Owls go with moving forward.