Dennis Erickson's name floating back into the Oregon State coaching search this week happened by design.

Erickson has a plan, per a source on campus in Corvallis.

The former Beavers coach is pitching himself to OSU, along with a line of assistant coaches who have deep ties to the university. Jonathan Smith, his former quarterback, now at Washington as co-offensive coordinator. Former Beavers lineman Kyle DeVan, Ball State's offensive line coach, as a possible staff member. Some other former OSU players who are invested in seeing the Beavers rise from a dismal season into something more.

It's a plan I'd love to see in action.

Or maybe Les Miles. Or Rick Neuheisel. Or another run at Jeff Tedford, who reportedly turned the Beavers away after their initial inquiry. Because I think pulling Oregon State out of its current tailspin is going to take more than some good ideas from a young head coach. It's going to take experience, and guts, and coaches with deep connections.

Above all that, though, what Oregon State most needs is a psychological shift with its University President, the Board of Trustees and the OSU Foundation. Those entities, and Beavers' fans, want the football program to succeed. But hope is not a strategy. They need a plan and vision and it will require a football coach who has been faced with failure, flops and has had to pick himself up and solve problems before.

Oregon State has not contacted Neuheisel, per a source. So my hope is that Erickson, 70, is being taken seriously. His plan includes a "coach in waiting" scenario with Smith. It also comes with immediate credibility and deep assistant coaching connections. But most of all, it includes Erickson, who has fallen on his face a few times and become skilled at getting on his feet. I think Neuheisel works for the same reasons.

This is not a young man's job.

Beavers athletic director Scott Barnes has been quiet throughout the search. There's growing concern among fans that the search is stalled. The seven-week head start that Barnes had because of Gary Anderson's premature departure feels wasted now. Beau Baldwin, the Cal offensive coordinator, is someone OSU has interviewed. But the more I watch Oregon State operate, the more I'm convinced that hiring Baldwin would be a risky proposition. He might work out fine. He also might arrive and encounter challenges he hasn't seen before.

The more I think about Oregon State's opening, and talk with people familiar with the inner workings on campus, the more I think a return to Erickson or someone of his experience, would be a win.

Some points:

Reser Stadium being unfinished won't be a factor for the next head coach, I'm told by a half dozen college coaches. I've overestimated that, they say, because the part of the stadium that players and coaches really care about is the locker room.

The hire needs to have a six-year contract. This rebuild is going to take time unless you're going to cheat.

The salary of the head coach needs to be competitive with the rest of the Pac 12.

The assistant-salary pool needs to be competitive with the rest of the Pac 12.

The mission needs to be to not just return Oregon State to a competitive program but to have a winning record, and occasionally fight for a championship.

Oregon State needs to explore how it might surge to the forefront of athletics training. Could it become ground zero for the combine for high school athletes? Could it be the leader in the state for prep-level sports performance training? Could it create a personnel department that is geared toward finding the next version of the Rodgers brothers?

In order to have the above things, though, it's going to require a shift in mindset of upper-level administration. As much as Oregon State talks about fixing the problem, simply saying, "We need to fix this," doesn't amount to a plan. Remember, this is a high-risk hire even when you have resources. Look at the Oregon Ducks. They had Nike and all the toys that come with that, and the Mark Helfrich hire still blew up in UO's face.

Erickson's age is the only thing that gives me pause. But his plan addresses that with the scenario that puts Smith, 38, as the heir to the coaching throne. It also helps Smith, who probably doesn't get this job without Erickson's help or everyone else bowing out. But the larger point is that whoever Oregon State hires is starting his tenure coming off a 1-11 season, with a depleted roster, and a late start to recruiting, and a 59-point loss in the rivalry game as momentum.

Oregon State, go find a coach who has overcome problems like those and you have your man.