The search is on for a new head coach at Oregon after Mario Cristobal left to take the Miami job.

For Oregon, the list of candidates should be a long one filled with college coaches hoping to make a jump from another program. Justin Wilcox, Matt Campbell, and even Joe Brady, who spent the past year and a half in the NFL, are likely targets.

Our friends at Ducks Wire have all three on their first edition of their head coach power rankings. Brady checked in at No. 6, followed by Campbell at No. 4 and Wilcox at No. 3. Here is what they had to say about each:

Joe Brady is an interesting candidate on this list because he is currently being mentioned in openings for both offensive coordinators and head coaches in college. After being fired by the Carolina Panthers as the OC on Sunday, Brady’s name was immediately thrust into conversations about openings at the college ranks.

One place where it seems he might end up is at Miami with Mario Cristobal. However, if the Ducks take a deep dive into him and like what they see, it would be hard to find a better offensive mind to run Oregon than Brady. Remember, he was the mastermind behind the 2019 LSU Tigers that will go down as one of the most prolific college offenses in history.

On Campbell:

Campbell has been one of the top names on everyone’s list in this coaching carousel after a nice couple of years with Iowa State. Things entered a down-swing this past year, but the Cyclones were able to get a win in the Fiesta Bowl over the Ducks last year.

Campbell was thought to be a candidate for both the Washington job and the Notre Dame job, but neither of those came to fruition. He seems to be pretty comfortable in the mid-west, but if offered the resources that Oregon has up in the left corner of the country, it would be hard to turn down.

On Wilcox:

If Chip Kelly is the guy that fans want but analysts don’t then Justin Wilcox is the guy that analysts like but fans don’t. Admittedly, he has had a tough record at Cal, but he was on a strong trajectory before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He is a good defensive coach who grew up in Oregon and played as a defensive back for the Ducks.

If Wilcox were to come to Eugene, he would need a strong offensive coordinator, but I would be interested to see what he could do with the resources that Oregon allows him. Also, it is clear that he would treat Oregon as a destination job, rather than a stepping stone.

All three are behind the top two candidates on the list, Chris Petersen and Dave Aranda, but all should be considered and could make that move.

Oregon needs to make sure this is a slam-dunk hire.