Posted by: Josh Kendall on November 30, 2012

So far this month, Cincinnati coach Butch Jones has been strongly linked to the openings at Kentucky and Purdue. On Thursday, Denver Post columnist Woody Paige added his name to Colorado's list, and Paige says it should be at the top.

Paige quoted a source saying, "Colorado and Butch are a perfect fit. He's as good a coach as Bobby Petrino, and doesn't have any of Petrino's baggage."

Colorado's coaching search appears to be in its early stages, and Jones' Bearcats play at Connecticut on Saturday.

There have been reports that indicated Jones turned down the Kentucky job (which Paige also states in the column, citing a source). Jones also has been offered the Purdue job, according to BoilerRadio.com. If Jones did indeed turn down Kentucky, it seems odd he would jump into the situations at Colorado and Purdue, but Paige clearly wants the Buffaloes to see if they can make that happen.

An unnamed athletic director told Paige, "On a scale of one to 10, Butch is an 11. A lot of schools are going after Butch because he's a special coach, and Colorado could not do better."

The Bearcats are 8-3 this season. Jones was 10-3 in 2011 and 4-8 in 2010, his first year at Cincinnati. In three years at Central Michigan, Jones was 11-2 (2009), 8-5 (2008) and 8-6 (2007).

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Josh Kendall is a staff writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered the SEC for more than 15 years for papers such as the Athens Banner-Herald, Macon Telegraph, and The State. He’s the father of two boys who he’s hoping don’t inherit his wide receiver frame and offensive guard feet. Follow @EyeOnCoaches on twitter and send your feedback to josh@coachingsearch.com