The South Carolina Gamecocks have an opening for a new head coach after firing Will Muschamp last weekend.

Liberty’s Hugh Freeze is a name many are connecting with the Gamecocks’ job, but what if he doesn’t want the job?

That’s what the ESPN College GameDay crew debated on Saturday morning. Kirk Herbstreit threw out a few potential backup candidates:

“I think the question is would Hugh Freeze want that job?” Herbstreit asks. “What’s the ceiling in Columbia? His name will come up. I think Sark’s (Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian) name will come up. You’ll see big names come up. I also think, at the end of the day, when things start to settled down a bit, you’ll see (Clemson OC) Tony Elliott come up. You’ll see (Clemson DC) Brent Venables come up. I think Shane Beamer, who coaches right here at Oklahoma and has been around a lot of amazing head coaches in his career, would be a great choice to consider.”

David Pollack came back with a different name — a current ACC head coach:

“I’ve got a different name for you — Dave Clawson, from Wake Forest,” Pollack said. “He’s from that area. Coaches offense at a high level. … And he does it without high-level recruiting. The best recruiting he’s done in the ACC is 10th. 10th. He’s finished second in the ACC in offense the last 3 years. I think that would be a great name also.”

Desmond Howard said the Gamecocks should follow a common trend over the past few years:

“I was thinking they should just do what all these teams do and pluck someone from Alabama’s coaching staff,” Howard said. “And I was thinking Steve Sarkisian. He’s been a head coach before. He’s familiar with the landscape. He knows the SEC. Brilliant, brilliant offensive play-caller. … You’re gonna have to open up the checkbooks.”

Then, Rece Davis ended the segment with perhaps the most interesting candidate:

“There’s another name I really think you ought to keep an eye on. Keep an eye on Army’s Jeff Monken,” Davis said. “Now, he’s not married to the option. He doesn’t have to do it. And, as you all know, the president at South Carolina is a gentleman named Bob Caslen, who until a couple of years ago, was a superintendent at West Point. … He won’t go down there and run the triple (option).”

The South Carolina search continues, so we’ll see how things progress moving forward.