Florida State Football is in the process of looking for a new head coach, and Warchant has the inside scoop on the top candidates for the vacancy. Here's the third version of our Hot Board with new candidates, some moving up and some slipping down.

UPDATED: Nov. 14

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Currently: Head coach and general manager, Dallas Renegades (XFL)

Resume: Known for his success at Oklahoma from 1999-2016. During his tenure in Norman, Okla., he won 10 Big 12 titles, one national title and had an overall record of 190–48. Led by Stoops, Oklahoma won the most games (110) of any BCS school during the last decade (2000–2009). His teams at OU finished ranked in the Top 10 in 11 of his 18 seasons. The Sooners also made it to four national championship games during his tenure, of course defeating FSU in 2000 but coming up short in 2004, 2005 and 2009. He is also well known to FSU fans because of his three years as defensive coordinator under Steve Spurrier at Florida from 1996-'98.

Salary/Buyout: $162,000 / NA

Pros: Stoops joining Florida State would make major waves in the college football world. His hire would give the Seminoles an instant leg up in recruiting and would surely create a huge buzz with the fan base. Outside of Urban Meyer, Stoops is probably the biggest name in the available coaching market. He has a long track record of success, and because of his reputation would have no problem attracting top-notch assistants.

Cons: At 59 years of age (60 by the time next season kicks off), Stoops is a bit up there in age when it comes to rebuilding a program. After taking three years off, it's uncertain whether he would have the energy necessary to get Florida State back to prominence.

Our Take (updated): It's obvious that Stoops is the Seminoles' No. 1 choice. Florida State has been going all out with its negotiations in hopes of securing the former Oklahoma head coach. He has remained relatively quiet publicly about the opening at FSU, but there is a lot of buzz behind the scenes that leads many to believe there's a decent chance that he's ready to return to college football. If it's going to happen, it will have to be soon. Florida State can't wait too long as there are other candidates waiting in the wings.

Currently: Defensive coordinator, Clemson

Resume: Has 20 years of combined experience as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Clemson. Most of his defenses during this stretch have been outstanding. These efforts earned him the Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach in 2016. He has coached in six national championship games, including three as the defensive coordinator on national champion teams (2000, 2016, 2018). Named the national recruiter of the year by Rivals.com in 2015.

Salary/Buyout: $2 million / No buyout if he takes a head coaching job

Pros: Even though he lacks experience as a head coach, he has learned from two of college football's best over the last two decades -- Bob Stoops and Dabo Swinney. Should give FSU's struggling defense an instant boost with his long track record of success on that side of the ball. Young enough that he should have the energy necessary to revive a program that needs a lot of work. Excellent recruiter as evidenced by numerous accolades from Rivals.com and other outlets. His hire would deal a blow to one of FSU's biggest rivals. Finally, there would be no buyout to get him out of Clemson, and his overall salary wouldn't break the bank.

Cons: Zero head coaching experience. This worked out all right when Jimbo Fisher took over in 2010, but he had three years on the staff before taking over the program. Venables would be thrown into the deep end on Day One and would have to do some learning on the job.

Our Take (updated): It's surprising that Venables has yet to take a head coaching job. He's probably waiting for just the right opportunity, and FSU might be it. From what we hear, he's made it past the first hurdle and is on the short list for the job. If he gets the job you have to wonder if he will try to lure one of Clemson's offensive coordinators (John Scott, Tony Elliott) to join him in Tallahassee. It sounds like there has already been some contact with the search firm Florida State hired to help in its pursuit of a new head coach.

Currently: Head coach, Penn State

Resume: Franklin has had tremendous success at both Vanderbilt and Penn State. Both programs were in the tank before took over. He has an overall record of 77–37 with just one losing season -- his first at Vanderbilt (6-7) and that was with the Commodores coming off a 2-10 season. Named the national coach of the year in 2006 by the Sporting News. He also earned the Woody Hayes Trophy for the top coach that year as well. Very well respected in the coaching community.

Salary/Buyout: $5.65 million / Buyout $1 million

Pros: Established head coach with nearly a decade of proven success. Has coached in both the SEC and Big Ten, so he's familiar with coaching against top-notch competition. Would probably be a splash hire that would generate a lot of excitement among fans and recruits. Relatively small buyout is also a plus.

Cons: Not many. Hasn't recruited at a high level in the Southeast.

Our Take: Other than Bob Stoops, Franklin would probably be the closest to a sure-thing hire. Considering his impressive track record, It's hard to imagine him not having success at Florida State. Having only a $1 million buyout at Penn State is also appealing.

Currently: Head coach, Iowa State

Resume: Campbell has turned a bottom-feeder Iowa State program into a consistent winner. He worked as an offensive coordinator for Bowling Green and Toledo before becoming the head coach for the Rockets in 2012. Took over at Iowa State in 2016. After a 3-9 record in year one, the Cyclones have a 21-13 record over the past three seasons.

Salary/Buyout: $3.5 million salary / Buyout = $6 million (drops to $5 million on 2/1/20)

Pros: Campbell is one of the hottest names in the college coaching community. Even though he's only had two head coaching jobs, he quickly turned around both programs. The most notable aspect of his coaching tenure is that his teams are always competitive even against superior competition. In the two prior seasons, Iowa State defeated six ranked teams including two in top five in 2017 - Oklahoma and TCU. The Cyclones went toe-to-toe with No. 9 Oklahoma last week, losing by just one point.

Cons: Has no experience at a major P5 program as a head coach or assistant. Moving to Tallahassee would also be a dramatic cultural change since he's lived in Ohio and Iowa his entire life. As a result, recruiting could be a challenge. Campbell's overall record at Iowa State is just barely above .500 at 24-23. At $6 million, his buyout is pricey.

Our Take: Campbell's name has come up a lot more lately as a potential top candidate for the Florida State opening. However, his ability to turn FSU around is far from a sure thing and the huge buyout may be too much to overcome.

Currently: Head coach, Kentucky

Resume: Florida State fans are very familiar with the youngest Stoops brother since he served as Jimbo Fisher's defensive coordinator from 2010-12. Prior to his stint in Tallahassee, Stoops served as a defensive backs coach and/or defensive coordinator at five different FBS schools. In 2011 and 2012, Florida State's defense ranked No. 6 and No. 4 nationally. Because of his quality work leading FSU's defense and family pedigree, Kentucky hired him as its head coach in November 2012. After starting out 2-10 in his first season, Stoops has steadily improved the program in a very difficult conference. Kentucky peaked in 2018, finishing second in the SEC East with an overall record of 10-3.

Salary/Buyout: $4.75 million through 2024-25 / Buyout - $1.75 million

Pros: Stoops is intimately familiar with Florida State and the recruiting landscape since he coached here for three seasons. He also previously worked at Miami. Coaching obviously runs in his family, and the 52-year old has a proven track record overseeing and improving defenses. He has nearly seven years of head coaching experience at a major program in the Southeast. While Kentucky hasn't challenged for the conference title, the Wildcats have recorded three straight winning seasons and could make it four in 2019. The buyout is extremely reasonable. Should be able to bring in some good assistant coaches.

Cons: Not as young as the other candidates but certainly not old by coaching standards. Kentucky has an overall record just under .500 since he took over in 2013. Known as a solid recruiter, but maybe not up to the same level as the other prime candidates.

Our Take: Mark Stoops might be the best fit in terms of knowing the FSU program, the recruiting landscape and working with the administration and Boosters. His hire probably wouldn't make as big of a splash but would still be considered a significant upgrade.

Currently: Interim Head coach, Florida State

Resume: Florida State assistant coach for the past 25 years. Part of two national championship teams ('99, '13) as an assistant. Coached under Bobby Bowden, Mickey Andrews and Jimbo Fisher. Is undefeated in two stints as interim head coach. Extremely well-liked by fans and players. Has a strong track record as an outstanding recruiter.

Salary/Buyout: $472,000 / No buyout

Pros: Haggins is die-hard Seminole through-and-through. There is no questioning his loyalty to the program. it would be an easy transition to make him the permanent head coach. In all likelihood, current coaches such as Kendal Briles, Randy Clements and Ron Dugans would remain on staff. It's also possible that former teammate Terrell Buckley, who is currently at Mississippi State, would return as the defensive backs coach. The 2020 recruiting class would also likely remain intact. And Haggins could be hired at a much more reasonable salary compared to a majority of the other candidates.

Cons: Outside of three games as an interim head coach, has no experience running a program. Florida State can't afford to miss on its next head coach. With that in mind, it would be a huge gamble to hire Haggins, while passing up on much more experienced candidates.

Our Take: Considering Ed Orgeron's surprising success at LSU, there is precedence for a position coach to make the move all the way to head coach. Florida State could hire Haggins without breaking the bank and with minimal disruption among the rest of the coaching staff. He would also be a popular hire among the players. Doubt Haggins is among the top two or three candidates, but he's certainly moving up the list.

Currently: Head coach, Minnesota

Resume: Started out coaching wide receivers at Northern Illinois, Rutgers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Became the head coach at Western Michigan in 2013. After a 1-11 record in year one, Fleck orchestrated an incredible turnaround in Kalamazoo. He led the Broncos to an 8–4 record in 2014, which earned him MAC Coach of the Year honors. After a 7-5 season in 2015 (7 bowl opponents), Western Michigan completed an undefeated regular season in 2016, finishing No. 12 in the AP poll. Fleck was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. He got off to a 5-7 start his first year at Minnesota but quickly righted the ship. The Gophers became bowl-eligible in 2018 and defeated Georgia Tech, 34-10, to finish the season 7-6. Year 3 has been lights out for Fleck and Minnesota. The Gophers are currently 8-0 and ranked No. 13 in both the AP and Coaches' polls.

Salary/Buyout: $4.6 million. The new contract runs through 2026 ($33.25 million total value) / Buyout - $10 million. The Minnesota Board of Regents had a special board meeting this week to expedite the approval of Fleck's new contract. Originally, the contract, and new buyout, wouldn't have gone into effect until December.

Pros: Fleck has proven himself at two FBS programs, quickly turning around losing programs. The job he's done at Minnesota is really impressive. He has the Gophers in line to play for the Big Ten championship since they lead the conference's west division by two games. His gregarious personality should make him a top-notch recruiter and asset when it comes to fundraising. His youth and energy could also help revive an FSU football program that has been on the decline the past few years. He's also well known for his philanthropy, which should serve well in the community.

Cons: No real ties to Florida or the Southeast. Other than coaching for the Bucs for one year, Fleck has spent most of his life in the Midwest.

Our Take (updated): Fleck checks every box except for not being familiar with the recruiting territory in the Southeast. Even so, his outgoing personality should more than make up for this minor shortcoming. However, the new $10 million buyout could mean that Fleck is out of contention. Unless there's some loophole that we aren't aware of regarding this huge buyout, it's hard to imagine FSU paying eight digits for a coach that may not be a slam dunk.

Currently: Head coach, Louisiana Lafayette

Resume: Worked as both a recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator for Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Also coached with Nick Saban at Alabama, serving as an offensive analyst and wide receivers coach (2013-16). Before getting the head coaching job at Louisiana was hired by Todd Graham as the offensive coordinator at Arizona State (2017). In 2018, he got his first head coaching opportunity for Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns had three consecutive losing seasons before Napier took over. Louisiana won the west division of the Sun Belt conference in his first season and is currently 6-2.

Salary/Buyout: $856,960 guaranteed, plus incentive-based bonuses (new deal signed last month through 2023). The buyout is not known but should be relatively small.

Pros: Top-notch recruiter that knows the landscape in the Southeast. Named a top recruiter by both Rivals.com and Bleacher Report. Has learned under arguably the top two active coaches in college football -- Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban. Being only 40 years old, he should have plenty of energy to turn around a program that needs a lot of work. Can be hired without a huge buyout or without making a huge financial commitment.

Cons: Less than two years' experience as a head coach. No experience as a head coach at a Power 5 program. Would not be a 'splash' hire that would generate excitement among the fans, media or recruits.

Our Take: Scott Satterfield was not a splash hire at Louisville, nor did he have experience as a head coach at a major program. However, he is young and came from a winning program at Appalachian State. Florida State would be following a similar path with Napier to give the program a fresh start with a young and energetic coach. Also, his hire would not greatly strain FSU athletics' depleted financial coffers.

Currently: Offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, Clemson

Notable: An outstanding recruiter and on the coaching fast track. Very young and energetic. With no head coaching experience, it might be too early for a job like Florida State.

Currently: Head coach, University of Memphis

Notable: Five years' experience as an offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh and Arizona State before being hired as the head coach at Memphis. Has a 34–15 overall record at Memphis, including an 8-1 record so far in 2019. His current salary is $2.6 million with a $500,000 buyout.

Currently: Head coach, Florida Atlantic

Notable: He has coached in the NFL (Raiders) and for a couple of high-profile college teams (Tennessee, USC). He was also the offensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama from 2014-16. It's been a mixed bag of failures and successes both as a head coach and offensive coordinator. He has done fairly well at FAU, leading the Owls to a 22-13 combined record through 2 2/3 seasons. We got word that he has expressed interest in the opening at Florida State. However, it's uncertain whether that interest will be reciprocated.

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