In the immediate aftermath of Baylor’s firing of Art Briles, speculation has surrounded who will become the next full-time coach of the Bears.

A lot of discussion has centered around ties to Texas recruiting, but what if BU looks outside the Lone Star State? Sporting News national college football writer Bill Bender includes Lane Kiffin on his list of 10 candidates to succeed Briles.

Bender offers the following for including the current Alabama offensive coordinator:

It’s not going to happen this year, but Kiffin is going to be a candidate for every major coaching search provided he continues to work wonders as Alabama’s offensive coordinator under Nick Saban. This stage actually might not be big enough for Kiffin, who will have his pick of jobs if Alabama has another big season.

Some USC fans might take issue with Bender saying Kiffin will have “his pick” of available college head coaching jobs following the 2016 season, but it’s widely viewed as inevitable that some school will want to try to replicate Alabama’s success on offense seen under Kiffin’s two-year stint as coordinator.

Baylor was the highest-scoring offense of the 2015 season with 48.1 points per game, and that reputation for scoring lots of points has certainly helped BU recruit speed at the skill positions. Alabama’s offense scored 35 points per game in 2015, which ranks No. 30, but that came against SEC defenses.

If Kiffin becomes a head coach at Baylor, or any other school, it will be his fourth head coaching gig. He was 5-15 with the Oakland Raiders in 2007-08, 7-6 at Tennessee in 2009 and 28-15 at USC from 2010-13.

The college football rumor mill linked Kiffin to the Maryland opening last fall, but reports about the level of mutual interest were conflicting.