Vanderbilt's search for a replacement for departed coach James Franklin didn't begin with Pep Hamilton, but the Indianapolis Colts' offensive coordinator is officially one of the stops on athletic director David Williams' quest to find the right man for the job.
According to the Twitter feed of reporter George Bremer, Colts general manager Ryan Grigson confirmed that the Commodores were granted permission to speak with Hamilton, and in fact have been the only party interested in Hamilton to do so.
Williams has also interviewedSt. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, and Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason is a top candidate for the job, as well. The Commodores went to three consecutive bowl games under Franklin and enjoyed unprecedented success, which will in turn create higher expectations for Williams' choice.
Meanwhile, Williams is looking to find a coach quickly, as the Commodores' recruiting class continues to suffer from recruits changing their commitments from Vanderbilt to Penn State, to follow Franklin, or commit elsewhere.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
