Georgia Tech head football coach Paul Johnson stepped down from his position on Wednesday after 11 seasons with the Yellow Jackets, making Georgia Tech the third ACC job to open this month, along with Louisville and North Carolina.

“After 40 years of coaching, it’s time to take a break,” Johnson said in a statement. “It’s been a great run for the last 11 years here on The Flats. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and am looking forward to having the chance to coach this team one last time at our bowl game next month.”

Here’s a look at some candidates who could potentially replace Johnson.

The biggest question in Georgia Tech’s coaching search is whether or not the school will identify a coaching candidate that runs the triple option, like Johnson, or if it will try to pivot to a different offensive scheme.

Jeff Monken

The current Army head coach also runs the option and he’s had success with the Black Knights, who went 8-5 and 10-3 in the last two seasons with a 9-2 record this year. And in case you’re wondering if the option can seriously contend with top programs in 2018, Army took No. 5 Oklahoma to overtime in Norman, Oklahoma, in September.

The Black Knights are second in the country in rushing yards per game (behind only Georgia Tech) at 303 yards per game.

Ken Niumatalolo

Paul Johnson came to Georgia Tech from Navy in 2008 and current Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo could be a candidate to replace Johnson for the second time in his career. Niumatalolo also runs the triple option and while Navy went 3-9 this season, the Midshipmen won at least eight games in eight of nine seasons from 2008 to 2016.

Niumatalolo was reportedly a serious candidate for the Arizona head coaching position last offseason, but a since-deleted tweet from star dual-threat quarterback Khalil Tate, who expressed that he didn’t pick Arizona to run the triple option, reportedly ended the school’s interest in Niumatalolo.

Ken Whisenhunt

Whisenhunt, a Georgia native and a former Georgia Tech tight end, is currently the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. He has previously served as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans, and he was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ OC when they won Super Bowl XL.

If Georgia Tech wants to hire a head coach who has a connection to the school or make a flashy coaching hire, Whisenhunt offers the chance to do both.

Tony Elliott

Elliott currently works as Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach. He’s the reigning recipient of the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach, so it’s likely only a matter of time until the 39-year-old becomes a head coach and Elliott could get consideration from Georgia Tech, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

Clemson is averaging 45.7 points and 539 yards per game this season, both of which rank in the top five nationally. Five of Clemson’s 17 2018 enrollees hail from the state of Georgia, including former five-star quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence, so it wouldn’t hurt to hire a coach that has recruiting connections and history in the state.

Brent Key

Numerous former Nick Saban assistant coaches have been hired as head coaches, such as Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt, Florida Atlantic’s Lane Kiffin, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and South Carolina’s Will Muschamp, so there are certainly worse ideas than poaching another Saban disciple from Alabama.

Key is in his third season in Tuscaloosa, where he works as Alabama’s offensive line coach, and the Crimson Tide have been a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which honors the best offensive line in the country. He’s also a former Georgia Tech player and started his coaching career on the Yellow Jackets’ staff in 2001 as a grad assistant, so there could potentially be an extra pull to Atlanta if there’s mutual interest between Georgia Tech and Key, which Feldman also indicated could be a possibility.

Key spent 11 years at UCF, working his way up to offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015, so he also has connections to the talent-rich state of Florida.