The article Alex Schwartz wrote regarding future DI assistant coaches was spot on, and very insightful. I am going to highlight a few current DI assistants who should be looking at DI head coaching jobs in the near future, and I will provide my recommendation on whether they are "ready now"  which is defined as sometime over the next year, or "ready later" which would be defined as needing at least another couple of years.  This is based on my interactions with them, and observations of them, over the past few years, and is simply my humble opinion:

Coach Savino is a well connected guy (played for Coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's in NJ), and is a tremendous on court instructor.  I think his bench coaching skills are great, and if Rutgers has a big year he may be one to watch. Coach Savino has also done a nice job on the recruiting end of things, as is evidenced by some of the solid talent coming in this year. He has coached at multiple DI programs, so has a diverse experience base, and has strong support in the college coaching circles. READY NOW

Although still relatively early in his coaching career, this guy has the recruiting gift that successful college coaches must have. He knows everyone in the NY, NJ, and Philly area; high school coaches, players of all ages, AAU coaches, etc. He also has the ability to connect with players; the proof is in the pudding, and you cannot argue with some of the strong talent he has brought into, and been able to hold onto, at Fordham. Due of his ability to recruit, and his strong experience at a few places, he is ready to go. READY NOW

I will admit, it seems to be pretty early to think about Coach Carm taking over a DI program at this stage of his career. However, do not ever discount an early career coach when he has the ability to recruit. A great example is that of Patrick Chambers, who in a very few short years at Villanova was able to land a great DI job at Boston University. Why? Because he was one of the best recruiters in the country. Bottom line. Coach Carm has that same quality, and I think that if he lands a few steals for Fairfield over the next couple of years, he could end up being on the short list of many mid-majors in the very near future. READY LATER

Another early career guy, Coach Francis has all the tools to be a tremendous DI head coach - ability to identify talent and recruit, recruit, recruit, as well as the "executive presence" one needs to be a great DI head coach. I could see him being able to coach the heck out of his team in practice and games, recruit top-notch players, as well as meet and greet with alum, administration, and fans. Needs a bit more experience. READY LATER

Coach Montgomery is ready, willing and able, but is just waiting for the perfect opportunity. His recruiting record is incredible, his team's performance second to none, and being tutored by a guy like Tom Izzo is liking getting a PhD in "how to run a high major DI program."  "Monty" has all the tools - on court, recruiting, executive presence, strategic vision, etc - and is ready NOW for a high major job. I think that you will see him prowling the sidelines of a high major DI program within a year. "Monty" was READY NOW about two years ago.

Once again, this guy has not been in the coaching game a long time, but his progression has been staggering. He was recently promoted to associate head coach at RMU, and I know for a fact that Head Coach Mike Rice leans on him a ton as they continue to build and develop the RMU program. He has the recruiting gift, an endless amount of energy, and the charisma to be able to strategically run a program. I think he is ready now, and could jump into a mid-major job and do a heck of a job.  However, I am sure Coach Rice would like to keep him around a couple more years, and learning from Coach Rice is not a bad place to be. READY NOW

Okay, this one is my most out-of-the-box call. This guy ran the NYC Gauchos (and his last summer coaching them they were unbeatable), had prior college coaching experience, was an assistant at Xavier under Sean Miller, and then followed him to Arizona. He is one of the best recruiters in the biz, and quite frankly, one of the nicest guys around. Combine all of that with the fact that he has been a student of the game while at Xavier, and I think Book is a near-ready DI head coach. My bet is that if Arizona does really well this year, Book is gone. An east coast mid-major program would be smart to bring him home ASAP and let him build a program with NYC players. Not to mention his personality would be a benefit to any college campus. READY NOW

Once again, an early career guy, but make no mistake about it, this guy can recruit. He is bringing in really good talent to UPenn, and he works very, very hard. Additionally, Coach Martin knows the game well, and his cerebral approach to the game, combined with his dogged work ethic in recruiting, will lead him to a DI head coaching position in the future. I think he may have to make one more move as an assistant at a high-major DI program if he wants to be a high-major head coach, but if not, I think in the next couple of years he could take on a mid-major DI program and be very successful. This guy just flat out gets it, and the sky is the limit. READY LATER

Coach Connors has been around, working at Drexel for about eight years (currently as associate head coach), at UMass, Army, Colorado, etc. He worked with Coach John Calipari, and is well connected with many in the college coaching circle. His specialty is working with post players, but he is also very strong at game prep and scouting opposing teams, identifying top-notch talent, as well as running a program. I think that if Coach Connors wanted to take a head coaching job, a) he would be great at it, b) many schools would be interested, and c) he would be able to hire a great staff to help him build something special. The big question is whether he wants a head coaching job, or is working with Bruiser Flint and focusing on Drexel where he wants to be? READY NOW

Phil Martelli, Jr - Niagra University

Jason Donnelly - Villanova University

Ashley Howard - Drexel University

Michael Huger - George Mason University

Josh Loeffler - Lafayette College

Kevin Robinson - Mount St. Mary's University

Lamar Barrett - Brown University

Dan Earl - Penn State University

Dave Duda - St. Joseph's University

Matt Logie - Lehigh University