For some coaches, there comes a time when the losses hurt more than the wins feel rewarding. It appears Steve Spurrier reached that point.

Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated reported on Monday night that Spurrier, 70, is retiring, effective immediately. Spurrier was in the midst of his 11th season at South Carolina and leaves with an 86-49 record over that time. The former Heisman Trophy winner is best known for his 12-year run at Florida, where he won the Southeastern Conference championship six times and captured the 1996 national championship.

Spurrier took over a middling South Carolina program after Lou Holtz retired and briefly took South Carolina to unprecedented success. The Gamecocks reached new heights with three straight 11-2 seasons from 2011 to 2013 but have fallen off significantly since that point. South Carolina went 7-6 in 2014 and flirted with Spurrier’s first losing season since 1987 and stand 2-4 through six games this season. Spurrier exits South Carolina with only one SEC Championship Game appearance, a 56-17 drubbing at the hands of Auburn in 2010.

With The Head Ball Coach hanging up his visor, South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner has to make the right hire here.

Make no mistake about it: South Carolina is not a traditional SEC power. From the time it joined the conference in 1992 until Spurrier was hired after the 2004 season, the Gamecocks posted eight losing seasons and averaged an overall record of 6-5. What Spurrier did in Columbia was not an instance of waking up a sleeping giant; he built the program from also-rans into real contenders.

Before Spurrier, South Carolina’s big claim was George Rogers winning a Heisman back in 1980. A good season was simply beating in-state rival Clemson, which Spurrier did six times, by the way. He transformed the expectations of an SEC title from unreasonable to on the cusp. The problem is, he never got it done. And if one of the greatest coaches in the conference’s history couldn’t do it, can anyone?

Who does South Carolina hire to replace a legend? It’s hard to say at this point, but here are five candidates I believe they should pursue:

Mark Dantonio, Michigan State HC – Dantonio is sitting pretty in East Lansing. The Spartans are 6-0 and sit No. 7 in the country. Michigan State has gone from being Michigan’s little brother to having a solid shot at posting double-digit victories for the fifth time in the last six seasons. In summation, it would be hard to lure Dantonio away from his Big Ten gig.

But maybe it can happen. Dantonio played defensive back at South Carolina from 1976 to 1978, so it’s not like there’s no connection there. This is a deal where Tanner can afford to just gauge the 59-year-old’s interest. After all, the worst thing that can happen is Dantonio says no.

Charlie Strong, Texas HC – Strong borders on being a legitimate candidate here. He is fresh off his biggest win as the Longhorns’ head coach, a 24-17 upset victory over No. 10 Oklahoma. However, his tenure in Austin has been disastrous so far. Couple numerous exiled players with 11 losses through 18 games, and the pressure is certainly on.

It’s important to remember Strong is an SEC guy. He spent 20 seasons at three SEC institutions, not counting Texas A&M in 1985 since it was still in the Big XII. He spent three seasons at South Carolina, serving as Holtz’s defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2002. Probably most importantly, he spent time coaching under Spurrier, filling the role of defensive ends coach and later defensive tackles coach from 1991 to 1994.

Strong’s candidacy for this job depends on his job security at Texas. With the athletic director position still vacant after Steve Patterson was fired, it remains to be seen whether Strong will be welcomed back for a third year. If the A.D. position is filled by someone who wants to hire “their guy”, Strong will be in play.

Kirby Smart, Alabama DC – One of the hottest coaching candidates for the past few years, Smart is sitting pretty at Alabama. The 39-year-old is presumed to be the head coach-in-waiting under Nick Saban, no offense meant towards offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Despite predictions Alabama would take a significant step back, his defense sits fourth in rushing defense, 15th in the nation in points allowed and tied for 20th in turnovers recovered.

Saban always preaches for his assistants to avoid jobs that are just as good or worse than the one they have, so Smart will have a decision to make. Do I want to sit around and wait on Saban to retire or go prove myself as a head coach? After all, there’s no guarantee the Crimson Tide stays in-house when Saban calls it quits.

Justin Fuente, Memphis HC – What Fuente has done at Memphis is simply impressive. After inheriting a team that won five games in the previous three seasons, the former TCU offensive coordinator has led the Tigers to 22 wins through 42 games and has the team on a 12-game win streak. Memphis is in prime position to be the best Group of Five team when it’s all said and done, which sets up the 39-year-old to take a better job if he so chooses.

Gene Chizik, North Carolina DC – The longer the Gus Malzahn era at Auburn goes on, the better Chizik looks as a head coach. The Broyles Award winner for the top assistant in the country back in 2004, Chizik holds a 38-38 record as a head coach with the best season being the Tigers’ national championship run in 2010.

Everyone seems to think Chizik just lucked into Auburn’s championship and that it was more on Malzahn and Cam Newton. Although you can’t downplay the role both of them played in the title run, we’ve seen plenty of coaches kill championship dreams with poor decisions in crucial moments. Chizik avoided that five years ago.

He’s a darkhorse candidate for this job, but he has appeal. He played linebacker at Florida in 1981 and spent two years at Clemson early in his coaching career. He’s known for his success running a defense, something that South Carolina has been unable to do properly since Ellis Johnson left following the 2011 season. He’s had early success at North Carolina with a defense that allowed 17 points or less in four of its first five games; the Tar Heels didn’t manage that feat in any game in 2014 and only three times in 2013.

It’s unlikely Chizik gets the job, but I think his name may start popping up for vacancies if the 4-1 Tar Heels continue to make strides on defense.