With Jeff Brohm off the board, here are the top candidates for the Gators' coaching job

It looks like Louisville is ready to lock down Jeff Brohm, the alumnus and subject of numerous coaching rumors, to keep him in Cardinal red for the long term. Maybe they should get him some additional security as well.

Was Brohm the first choice for the Gators job? Probably not. Was Brohm the fans' first choice for the Gators job? Absolutely not. But he was someone that I'm sure the decision makers in Gainesville were doing their due diligence on and for good reason. He is a solid coach.

With Brohm off the board now. Does that change the top three candidates for the Gators job? Probably not, but in case you need a refresher. Here are the top three candidates (in my opinion):

1) Lane Kiffin, head coach Ole Miss

Kiffin is the guy, period. At this stage of the search, it's all about Kiffin and if Kiffin isn't in Gainesville next season it's going to be a bit of a disappointment. There's a lot of logistics about Kiffin and Ole Miss and what if Ole Miss makes the playoffs and, heck, if the Rebels make it tothe SEC Championship game, that would affect his ability to sign a class during the Early Signing Period (December 3-5). These are all valid issues and that's why the Gators should just beat Ole Miss this weekend. It would give Kiffin one less thing to worry about. 

2) Jedd Fisch, head coach Washington

Although Kiffin is the guy, I would bet there are people in the know that might prefer Fisch and believe that the former Gator alum has the sauce to turn this thing around. Fisch's overall record (29-32) is a tougher sell, but he built Arizona over a few years and had the Wildcats at 11th in the nation when he left. In his second year at Washington, he has the Huskies around the top 25. Fisch would jump through a flaming hoop to get to Gainesville and get his hands on the Gators football program. If the Kiffin issue becomes too much to deal with, Fisch is an easy hire. 

3) Eli Drinkwitz, head coach Missouri

For what it's worth, I think if Drinkwitz leaves it would be for the Penn State job and others might prefer Jon Sumrall from Tulane in this position. But if Kiffin doesn't work out, I would expect the attention to shift to Fisch and Drinkwitz. And if Drinkwitz becomes the main focus, it would be because the decision makers didn't agree on the risk of taking Fisch. Drinkwitz is an easier sell to the fans, and he's won in the conference. It would cost more than Fisch and possibly as much as Kiffin, but Drinkwitz is a safe hire that Gator fans would feel good about.