There are a myriad of questions surrounding the supposedly amicable parting of ways between the San Francisco 49ers and coach Jim Harbaugh. The split seemed acrimonious behind the scenes and yet, when the inevitable finally became reality, appeared wholly harmonious on the surface.
While the NFL world will continue to wonder and rumors will, no doubt, continue to swirl as to the true nature of the divorce, the only thing certain at this point is that the 49ers have a head coaching vacancy and whoever the team chooses to hire next, they'll have some pretty big shoes to fill.
Harbaugh - mercurial, grating and agitating - was one of the best coaches in football during his time in San Francisco, amassing a 45-18-1 regular season record and appearing in three straight NFC Championship games prior to this year. Finding a quality replacement for the hard-nosed coach will be no easy feat, but GM Trent Baalke, expected to spearhead the search, is tasked with such an endeavor.
Who is currently high on the 49ers wish list?
"Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will be interviewed, and he has a chance to get the permanent job; Fangio is very well-respected within the building, and in particular on the staff," writes Peter King of Sports Illustrated. "I hear Baalke may have interest in UCLA coach Jim Mora, who was San Francisco's defensive coordinator for five years (1999-2003)."
Fangio got his start in the NFL as a linebackers coach with the New Orleans Saints in 1986. He has since held a number of defensive coordinator positions with the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. After one season as the defensive coordinator with the Stanford Cardinals, he followed Harbaugh back to the NFL to assume his current position with the 49ers.
Mora was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006, during the heyday of Mike Vick - both a gift and a curse - and the Seattle Seahawks in 2009. He is currently helming the UCLA Bruins football program.
Other names previously associated with the job include Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, who is expected to garner serious NFL head coaching interest this offseason, current Stanford head coach David Shaw, as well as New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who, along with quarterback Peyton Manning, has recently overseen one of the most prodigious offenses in the NFL's storied history.
