South Carolina Baseball: Some significant candidates to be the Gamecock head coach

South Carolina baseball head coach Mark Kingston was fired on Monday, and it didn't take long before Gamecock fans began to speculate about who would take his place in the USC dugout. In reality, because of the fanbase's disgust with the lack of results in the Kingston era, some have been speculating about his replacement for weeks, months, or even years.

Some of the names that have been brought up have been realistic. Others, not so much. This article won't look at the wildest suggestions that have been proposed (No, Ray Tanner is not stepping out of the AD chair to return to the dugout), but it will look at 12 possible candidates.

Some names are repeats from the 2017 coaching search that ended with Mark Kingston being hired from South Florida. Others are new stars in the coaching world who could be looking to take one more step up the ladder. Still others are big-time assistants who will be head coaches sooner rather than later. A few have some connections to the South Carolina baseball program.

With rumors of a couple other big-name programs thinking of making coaching moves, the wheels could start turning very quickly in this one to avoid competition for coaches.

As Ray Tanner's search for a third baseball head coaching hire continues, let's start this hot board with the veteran coaches who could be hearing from the Gamecocks soon.