Clemson coach Tommy Bowden appeared Monday night to be the leading candidate to replace Houston Nutt as Arkansas’ head football coach. Bowden, Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English are among those who recently interviewed as possible replacements for Nutt, sources and media, including ESPN said.

Nutt resigned Nov. 26 as Arkansas’ head football coach and on Nov. 27 was named head coach at Ole Miss.

North Carolina coach Butch Davis, a Springdale native long coveted to be Arkansas’ coach by some fans, also isn’t ruled out by sources, though Davis has expressed intentions to continue with the Tar Heels after just one year in Chapel Hill, N. C.

Of Bowden, Malzahn and English, Bowden obviously fits Arkansas’ customary criteria of hiring a proven head coach to be the Razorbacks’ head coach, though new athletics director Jeff Long has not ruled out hiring an assistant.

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Long has had discussions with Reggie Herring, Arkansas’ defensive coordinator promoted to interim head coach for Arkansas ’ Cotton Bowl game with Missouri New Year’s Day in Dallas.

Bowden’s Clemson Tigers of the ACC are 9-3 and slated to play Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.

Bowden has been a head coach since 1997 guiding Tulane, normally a football doormat, to 7-4 and 11-0 seasons. He has been Clemson’s head coach since 1999.

Much like Nutt at Arkansas, Bowden has had a long and mostly successful run at Clemson. However like Nutt, his length of time has not necessarily been an ally with restive fans. Bowden’s Clemson records are 6-6, 9-3, 7-5, 7-6, 9-4, 6-5, 8-4, 8-5 and 9-3.

Born in Birmingham, Ala., Bowden has extensive experience coaching in the SEC and recruiting in the South.

Bowden has two assistant coaching tenures at Auburn, the second tenure as offensive coordinator when his brother Terry, was head coach and he also has been an assistant at Alabama and Kentucky. Outside the SEC but still in the South, Bowden has been an assistant at Florida State and Duke and a graduate assistant at West Virginia.

Malzahn, a Fort Smith native and former Arkansas high school head coach at Hughes, Shiloh Christian and Springdale High, is in his first year as Tulsa’s offensive coordinator after being Arkansas’ offensive coordinator last year.

Malzahn has achieved offense success at Tulsa (9-4 ), which is slated to play Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 6. Malzahn was the play-caller and coordinator when Arkansas went 10-4 and won the SEC West in 2006.

However Malzahn, not only has never been a college head coach, but is only two years removed from coaching high school.

Also, differences between Nutt and Malzahn, or at least differences among fans of the two, were part of an existing chasm in the Razorback program.

The program’s general divisiveness was cited both by Nutt and UA Chancellor John White as a beneficial reason for Nutt to resign after 10 Arkansas seasons.

Malzahn would face a formidable task of healing should he reemerge at Arkansas as Nutt’s successor.

Divisions have smoldered on both sides since Malzahn and two of his players who came with him from Springdale, quarterback Mitch Mustain and receiver Damian Williams (both now at the University of Southern California ) left the Razorbacks.

Long, in charge of the coaching search though he doesn’t officially replace retiring Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles until Jan. 1, and English have common ground as both have been at Michigan.

However, English doesn’t fit the description of Long’s stated desire for a coach familiar with recruiting Texas and the Southeast, vital recruiting areas for the Razorbacks outside of Arkansas.

A native of California, English’s coaching background is strictly West Coast, or Arizona or Michigan. He’s been at Michigan since 2004 as secondary coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2006.

Previously, he was an assistant starting in 1995 at Northern Arizona with stops at San Diego State, Arizona State and one year in the NFL as defensive backfield coach for the Seattle Seahawks before coming to Michigan.

Last week rumors ran rampant that Auburn coach and Camden native Tommy Tuberville and Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin were under Arkansas consideration.

However there were conflicting sources that said neither were really in the mix. Kiffin has told Oakland area media he’s not seeking the Arkansas position.

Southern California offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, also with a West Coast background without coaching experience in the South, is another whose name was bandied about last week regarding Arkansas.

Only Long can clearly say who is a candidate and who isn’t. However in his lone public discussion about the search, Long vowed only that he will talk to a lot of people and keep the coaching search confidential.

Those two vows he seems to be fulfilling thus far.