Tom Herman had rumblings at Texas from the beginning about him not having great relationships (sounds like Pruitt). I have no idea if they we're true. I actually think he got a raw deal at Texas this year and we could do so much worse, than this hire.
There are no sure fire hires. I'm not sold on Freeze because of what he did at Liberty and Chadwell makes me think of Dooley and Butch. So . . .I don't know. I want a younger guy (40s or early 50s)that has coached a big time program or in the NFL as a head coach. I want some success, but NFL records don't mean much to me as far as winning percentage. In that league, 7-9 coaches can lead their division, so its relative.
Kiffin would be great, just embarrassed to say it and he wouldn't do it.
Jeff Fisher would be solid for a 6-8 year hire. I know he is not a big favorite here, but he wants the job. He coached in the NFL and nearly won a super bowl.
Luke Fickle would be a solid hire but I worry about his ties in the south. He is a solid program manager and has shown real grit at Cincinnati, he almost beat UGA this year . . . except for his poor clock management.