Baylor is rapidly narrowing the focus of its coaching search, multiple industry sources indicated this week to 247Sports. The two names at or the near the top of the school’s list: Houston’s Tom Herman and SMU’s Chad Morris.

New Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades hired Herman at Houston in December 2014, though Rhoades left shortly after Herman’s arrival to become the AD at Missouri. Rhoades took over at Baylor in July.

Those close to Herman have said for a year that he is most intrigued by the possibility of Texas opening — but he is also said to be carefully monitoring the situations at LSU and Oregon. Baylor, however, is not yet ready to presume he’ll go to one of those top-tier schools, one source indicated Thursday.

“They’re not giving up,” the source said of BU. “They want to talk with him.”

Of course, Houston’s 36-10 rout of No. 5 Louisville on Thursday night did nothing to hurt Herman’s standing with administrators on the sport’s upper echelon. Herman is now 22-3 at Houston, with included wins against FSU, Oklahoma and now Louisville — teams respectively ranked Nos. 9, No. 3 and No. 5 at the time of the games.

If the 41-year-old Herman begins to gravitate toward Texas or one of those high-end jobs, industry sources have indicated Rhoades and Baylor are extremely comfortable with the idea of Morris being the school’s next coach.

One source even said this week that some coaches have already started to ask their agents whom SMU will consider to replace Morris.

The 47-year-old Morris is a native of East Texas. He has an extensive history as a high school coach in the state. He took the SMU job on the heels of a successful stint as the offensive coordinator at Clemson (2011-14), where he was the lead recruiter for All-America quarterback Deshaun Watson and helped build the foundation for the Tigers’ current success.

SMU is showing progress in Morris’ second season, leaning hard on the in-state recruiting relationships that would likewise be a benefit at Baylor. With games remaining against South Florida and Navy, the Mustangs are 5-5 (3-3 AAC). Their signature victory was a 38-16 win against Herman and then-No. 11 Houston on Oct. 22. SMU went 2-10 in Morris’ first year, winning only one conference game.

Baylor, meanwhile, has spent the majority of the year embroiled in a scandal centered on its handling of sexual assault claims and cases. Many of the allegations and cases have involved football players. As a result of the tumult, successful and popular coach Art Briles was dismissed. AD Ian McCaw was also fired, as was school president Ken Starr.

Rhoades, previously the AD at Missouri and Houston, replaced McCaw on July 13. Former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe was hired in May as an interim coach. After a 6-0 start, Baylor has lost its past three games. Negative and disturbing reports have continued to emerge into the season, further staining the University’s image and forcing the school to go through various steps of self-evaluation.

Some coaches and agents have told 247Sports that the off-field issues are serving as a deterrent for some candidates - but they do think the job is still widely appealing. Financial support for the football program remains high, and the Texas recruiting base provides optimism that Briles’ on-field success can be sustained. Briles was 65-38 at BU, with 32 of those wins - and two Big 12 titles - coming in his final three seasons.

“I think you can win a national championship there,” one industry source said. “That’s the type of hire they’re looking to make, someone they think can get them there.”

The initial stages could be somewhat awkward, as the school works to repair its image. In football terms, several members of the 2016 recruiting class were released and signed elsewhere this summer - and 2017 recruiting has languished amid the uncertainty. With just two committed players, the Bears presently have the No. 137-rated class in 247Sports' Composite rankings. That's in the company of mostly FCS programs. And it's why it's imperative to hire someone such as Herman or Morris - who would have a big in-state head start.

Those familiar with the search say other candidates that have been considered are Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre, Cal’s Sonny Dykes and Syracuse’s Dino Babers.

Former LSU coach Les Miles was reported this week to be on the school’s short list, but sources told 247Sports that he is considered a fringe candidate, at best, and Purdue remains a far likelier landing spot for him.