firing him in the middle of his contract further limits your pool of applicants. if we get rid of him, it has to be at the end of a contract. at which point, they it becomes more likely you can find a decent replacement.

you won't find a good replacement if you fire him mid contract though. coaches with options won't take the job that was vacated by the firing of a coach who just had a couple 8-5 seasons, and immediately after a season in which a significant portion of his starters, including a heisman caliber QB were lost due to injury.