College Football Coaches:
Key Highlights:
- 28 new Division I college football head coaches
- Bill Belichick (UNC) among six Power Four coaching changes
- American, MAC lead conferences with five new head coaches
The offseason college football coaching changes carousel spins at a frenetic pace. Most of the attention has always been on the players, but the ease of transferring and college football free agency has made it so much easier to get clicks. The NIL and some of the wild numbers — both true and false — that get thrown around dominate the headlines.
But, it is also important to know which programs have new head coaches. Every program has new players and some holdovers, but not every program has a new leader. Coaching turnover is inevitable, as the hierarchy of college football head coaching jobs has just about everybody attempting to move up in the world.
Coaches also move in search of better facilities and bigger NIL budgets. We’ve also seen some college head coaches and coordinators go to the NFL to get away from the tasks of recruiting altogether. We’ve even had our first “tampering” lawsuit between Miami (FL) and Wisconsin this offseason, as the Badgers allege that the Hurricanes offered more money to Xavier Lucas while he was under contract with Wisconsin, thus committing tortious interference.
Last season, we had 30 new head coaches. This season, we have 28. Let’s look at those individuals, their programs, and how things might change this season.
Power Four New Head Coaches
ACC
Bill Belichick (North Carolina): It has been a circus so far in Chapel Hill with Belichick’s personal life dominating the headlines, but this is also a microcosm of what college football is now. Former VSiN host Michael Lombardi has reconnected with his good buddy as the GM of the Tar Heels program. The Hoodie’s reputation most certainly precedes him with 333 wins and six Super Bowl titles. The Tar Heels always seem to have thrilling offensive pieces, but the defense has been hit or miss at best. With Belichick as one of the game’s greatest defensive minds, that side of the ball should improve rapidly.
Frank Reich (Stanford): This is arguably one of the most interesting coaching hires and one I feel nobody is really talking about. Like Belichick, Reich has never been a college football coach. But, the Maryland QB and 1985 third-round pick has been an offensive innovator at the NFL level and his coaching tree and list of quarterbacks are vast. Oddly enough, Reich was technically named the interim head coach by Stanford football GM Andrew Luck. Yes, that Andrew Luck. Stanford’s lofty academic standards can be a tough hurdle to overcome, but this putrid offense is going to improve with Luck and Reich in-house.
Jake Dickert (Wake Forest): A far less interesting hire, but an intriguing one nonetheless. Dickert had to navigate some choppy waters when Nick Rolovich and others were fired for refusing to follow the state of Washington’s COVID vaccine mandate. Dickert was 23-20 with the Cougars and took over in Winston-Salem when Dave Clawson resigned. So he has big shoes to fill. Clawson led the Demon Deacons for over a decade. Now reunited with well-regarded DC Scottie Hazelton, Wake Forest should absolutely get stronger on that side of the ball, but we’ll see if the offense follows suit.
Big 12
Scott Frost (UCF): We have a reunion in the Bounce House, as Frost returns to the job that he had before his failed tenure at his alma mater, Nebraska. Frost spent last year on Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams and then left for Orlando, where he was the head coach in 2016-17 and led the Knights to a bowl game win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl before moving to Lincoln. UCF was 6-7 in Year 1, as it took some time to install his systems, but the Knights were 13-0 in Year 2 and finished the season No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. After an underwhelming 10-15 record in Big 12 play under Gus Malzahn over the last two years, there has to be optimism surrounding Frost’s return.
Rich Rodriguez (West Virginia): Speaking of reunions, it seems like country roads have indeed taken RichRod home. The 62-year-old played at West Virginia, started his coaching career at WVU, was a position coach in 1989, and then the head coach from 2001-07 before stops at Michigan, Arizona, Ole Miss, Hawaii, Louisiana-Monroe, and, most recently, Jacksonville State. Talk about a career coming full circle. On his watch, the Mountaineers finished in the top 10 twice in the AP Poll and three times in the Coaches poll. He hadn’t found that kind of success until Jacksonville State was 27-10 (18-3) during his time with the Gamecocks. Both sides of the ball really need a jolt following the Neal Brown years.
Big Ten
Barry Odom (Purdue): Only one coaching change in the Big Ten, as Odom goes from a very successful season at UNLV to his second crack as a Power Four/Five head coach. He was the sideline boss at Missouri from 2016-19 and went 25-25 at his alma mater. Purdue is an exceedingly difficult gig. The Big Ten got a lot stronger when four teams from the Pac-12 merged into the conference and boosters are way more interested in the basketball side of things. But, Odom is a top-tier defensive mind and has to help a unit that was 127th in yards per play allowed.
SEC
None.
Group of Five New Head Coaches
Technically, Group of Six*, as I’ve included the Pac-2 in this section.
These are in alphabetical order by program.
Dowell Loggains (Appalachian State, Sun Belt): The former Arkansas QB spent more than a decade as a position coach/analyst in the NFL before dipping his toes in the collegiate waters as Arkansas’s tight ends coach in 2021-22. That led to a job on Shane Beamer’s staff at South Carolina as the OC/QB Coach. Now, Loggains gets his first crack as a head coach at the age of 44. Loggains has not stayed in one place very long, so we’ll see how this plays out over the long haul, but he’s a sharp offensive mind. The more important hire is defensive coordinator D.C. Smith, who has to fix a stunningly bad App State unit in 2024 as he returns to his alma mater.
Tim Albin (Charlotte, American): Frank Solich was the head coach at Ohio from 2005-20. His longtime apprentice, first at Nebraska and then at Ohio, gave four years to the Bobcats in Athens before making the move to the American to take over Charlotte’s fledgling program. As a FBS member, which dates back to 2015, the 49ers are 37-78. Albin is coming off of 30 wins in the span of three seasons. His offenses work best with a mobile, dual-threat QB and a strong running game. The Bobcats were also terrific on defense under him, but the American is a much more dynamic offensive conference than the MAC. Albin’s coordinators stayed behind, so this could take some time to come together.
Zach Kittley (FAU, American): Welcome the West Coast Offense to Boca Raton. Or we can call it the Fun ‘N Gun. Whatever it is, it might be enough to get the retirees out of their seats and more excited about the Owls program. I’m not sure people realize just how bad this program has been outside of two double-digit winning seasons from Lane Kiffin. Kiffin and interim head coaches Brian Wright (4-0) and Glenn Spencer (1-0) are the only coaches with winning records. And, frankly, the only other one close is Willie Taggart, who was 15-18. The 33-year-old Kittley has been a rapid riser in the coaching world, but this roster isn’t really built to his specifications. At least not yet.
Mike Uremovich (Ball State, MAC): The first of five coaching changes in the MAC, Uremovich takes over for Mike Neu after a successful stint with nearby Butler. Uremovich is also plenty familiar with the MAC, as he was an assistant for Northern Illinois and a graduate assistant while getting his Master’s in DeKalb. Butler was ranked for the first time in program history during the Uremovich tenure and his deep Indiana roots are thought to be a positive in this job, as Ball State gets poached by bigger programs and has to do the same to FCS and JUCO programs to fill out rosters. The bar is low for Uremovich, as Ball State is 1-8 in bowl games and hasn’t made one since 2021.
Eddie George (Bowling Green, MAC): Yes, that Eddie George. The College Football Hall of Famer, who racked up nearly 4,000 rushing yards in effectively two seasons as a starter at Ohio State, is now a coach in the Buckeye State. George took Tennessee State to the FCS Playoffs in his fourth season at the helm, something that hadn’t been done since 2013. It was also the first season with at least nine wins in over a decade. The 51-year-old jack-of-all-trades, who has several acting credits to his name, takes over for Scot Loeffler, who was just 27-38 over six seasons, leaving the Falcons at 34-62 since Dino Babers left in 2015.
Matt Drinkall (Central Michigan, MAC): In terms of major schematic changes, Central Michigan is near the top of the list. Drinkall was most recently at Army and had a long stint as the head coach at Kansas Wesleyan prior to that. This is going to be a “power-spread offense,” which means a lot of shotgun and pistol formations and requires a mobile QB. This was one of the nation’s weakest offenses, but did achieve balance with 1,993 rushing yards and 1,961 passing yards. This is going to be a run-first group. They’ll look to keep the defense from getting exposed with ball control on offense. We’ll see how the markets adjust, but this looks like an Under team early in the year and maybe throughout.
Matt Entz (Fresno State, Mountain West): A very intriguing hire here, as Entz was North Dakota State’s head coach from 2019-23 after serving as the DC from 2014-18 under Chris Klieman. He spent last season as the associate head coach and linebackers coach at USC and Fresno State jumped at the chance to hire the two-time FCS National Champion. The Bulldogs had a rare down year offensively last season, but new OC Nick Davis had a very potent offense at South Dakota, one that even beat North Dakota State in the regular season. Entz has substantial defensive chops. This is a fantastic hire and maybe the best of all the Group of Five changes.
Willie Simmons (FIU, Conference USA): One of the toughest jobs in the country is FIU. Butch Davis had three pretty successful seasons from 2017-19, but when he asked for more resources and raises for his assistants, everything fell apart. The team went 1-16 in Davis’ last two seasons and then 8-16 under Mike MacIntyre before Simmons was hired. He’s primarily been a running backs coach at the FBS level, but he was the head coach at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M for six seasons, racking up a strong 66-24 record. The Rattlers actually won the Celebration Bowl in 2023 before he went to Duke for a quick one-year stay. Expect FIU to improve on offense, as Simmons was a QB in college and obviously values running the ball.
Charles Kelly (Jacksonville State, Conference USA): Kelly brings a ton of high-level coaching experience to the Gamecocks, as he’s been on staffs at Georgia Tech, Florida State, Tennessee, Alabama, Colorado, and, most recently, Auburn. His bread is buttered on the defensive side of the ball and he was a DB at Auburn in the late ‘80s. He actually coached at Jax State from 1994-98, including a year as the OC. Primarily, though, he’s been a DB coach DC, or co-DC. Given Rich Rodriguez’s success with the Gamecocks, there’s some early pressure in this gig for a first-time HC with a roster that got ravaged by graduation and the transfer portal.
Jerry Mack (Kennesaw State, Conference USA): Last season was an odd one for Kennesaw State. The Owls were a first-year FBS member and went into the season with a 10th-year head coach in Brian Bohannon. After stewarding the team through the FBS tradition and a ton of FCS success, he was fired following a 1-8 start. The 44-year-old Mack has been an offensive assistant for most of his career, most recently serving as the running backs coach for the Tennessee Volunteers and then the NFL’s Jaguars. He was 31-15 as the HC at NC Central from 2014-17, so he isn’t a first-time HC, but virtually everything is new here. The roster has been overhauled, not to mention the schemes and the coaches.
Mark Carney (Kent State, MAC): There are some bad jobs in college football and there are some really bad jobs. Kent State falls into the latter bucket. Carney is essentially a hometown hire, as he played high school ball at St. Edward in Lakewood and has coached at Bowling Green, Baldwin-Wallace, and Kent State. He was elevated from OC to interim HC when Kenni Burns was placed on administrative leave. For a program with limited resources and a university viewed more as a basketball school, he’ll have the chance to prove he deserves the job, as the Golden Flashes look to go the cheapest route possible with their coaching hires. Given that Kent State is 1-23 over the last two seasons, it’s virtually impossible to do worse.
Joe Harasymiak (Massachusetts, MAC): UMass returns to a conference this season, as they’ll be a MAC member. The 38-year-old Harasymiak was the DC at Rutgers last season and is a head coach for the second time, as he had three years at Maine from 2016-18. During that 2018 season, Harasymiak took the Black Bears to the FCS semifinals and a top-five ranking. The 4-2-5 scheme that Harasymiak used at Rutgers will travel up the coast to Amherst and longtime offensive assistant Mike Bajakian will serve as OC. This is a multi-year process and this might be a really bad product early in the year with so much turnover.
Tony Gibson (Marshall, Sun Belt): There are a few longtime assistants in this coaching cycle getting their first crack and Gibson is one of them. He was most recently at NC State with a solid head coach in Dave Doeren and was with Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia prior to that. The 52-year-old Van, WV native hails from a town of less than 200 people, but just a couple of hours from where he now calls home. We’ll see what kind of coaching chops he has with a completely rebuilt roster and a program that may struggle with the abrupt transition with Charles Huff’s departure that ultimately led to the program canceling its Independence Bowl appearance because of a mass exodus in the portal.
Jason Eck (New Mexico, Mountain West): Three years, three playoff appearances for Idaho under Eck’s watch, as the former Wisconsin offensive lineman gets his first crack coaching at the FBS level. In fact, this is Eck’s first FBS stop since 2009-10 when he coached the big boys up front at Ball State. Like most of the programs on this year’s list and on the list more often than not, this is a really hard place to win. By all accounts, Eck is a very energetic guy and will try to get as physical and tough of a team on the field in Albuquerque as he can. While Bronco Mendenhall failed to have a winning season with the Lobos, the five wins were the program’s high mark since 2016, so Eck should have a long leash.
Scott Abell (Rice, American): After going 47-28 at Davidson with two Pioneer League championships and three postseason appearances, Abell gets his first attempt as a FBS coach of any kind. Overall, Abell was 86-52 between Division III and Division I-AA FCS, but he was 0-5 in playoff games. The last Rice coach to have a winning record was Todd Graham in 2006 when he went 7-6. The last one before that? Jimmy Kitts from 1934-39. Abell has worked at two schools with high academic standards, which has handcuffed Rice in the past, and is bringing the option offense to the Owls. A good fit all in all, especially for a program that has literally nothing to lose by trying something new.
Phil Longo (Sam Houston State, Conference USA): I’m not sure any offensive coordinator has bounced around as much as Longo, who gets his first crack as a head coach since 2004-05 with La Salle. The 57-year-old was most recently the OC at Wisconsin and those were two uninspiring years. Longo was the OC and QB Coach at SHSU from 2014-16, so the Air Raid returns once again. As the head coach of the Explorers, Longo posted a 7-14 record at La Salle in the MAmerican. Times have changed and he’s a far more experienced coach, but with a mostly revamped roster and a program still trying to build up FBS-level resources as a third-year member, I have significant concerns.
Charles Huff (Southern Miss, Sun Belt): Huff stays in the Sun Belt, moving from Huntington to Hattiesburg, as he spent four years at Marshall, including a 10-win campaign last year. When Huff left the Thundering Herd, they were forced to cancel their Independence Bowl berth because so many players hit the transfer portal. To be fair, Huff was operating on the final year of his contract and the program didn’t believe enough in him to extend him before the season. So, now he’s with the Golden Eagles, a program that desperately needs a shake-up. They went 1-11 under interim Will Stringer after Will Hall went 13-24 over three seasons. The 42-year-old Huff seems like a strong hire.
K.C. Keeler (Temple, American): Keeler oversaw Sam Houston State’s transition from a FCS powerhouse to a FBS doormat, as the Bearkats went just 3-9 in their first season as a Division I-A member. Undeterred, the now 65-year-old head coach flipped the script with a literal 180, as the Bearkats went 9-3 and made their first bowl game appearance at college football’s highest level. Keeler fell just three wins shy of 100 over his 11 seasons in Huntsville, TX, but was a National Champion during the odd 2020-21 FCS season. The Emmaus, PA native is close to home once again after over a decade at Delaware in the early 2000s. All three Owls in the American have new head coaches this season and Keeler may very well have the hardest job of all of them. Temple has won 13 games over the last five seasons and has won exactly three games in four straight seasons.
Tre Lamb (Tulsa, American): The 35-year-old Lamb started as the QB coach at his alma mater, Tennessee Tech, back in 2013. By 2020, he was the head coach at Gardner-Webb. A one-year stop in Johnson City at East Tennessee State was enough to get him a FBS gig, as the rudderless Tulsa program took a shot on the up-and-comer. Another bright offensive mind, Kevin Wilson, couldn’t make it work at Tulsa. Will Lamb find more success? By all accounts, this is going to be a non-traditional spread offense with tons of different looks and some innovative concepts. Now, Lamb just needs better players to execute them.
Dan Mullen (UNLV, Mountain West): After a four-year hiatus, Mullen is back on the sidelines. He was a studio analyst and color commentator for three years on ABC and ESPN before UNLV was able to get him back into coaching. He’s a very accomplished head coach, even with a sour finish at Florida in his final season. Often outmanned at Mississippi State, Mullen found ways to pull at least one noteworthy upset on an annual basis and turned Dak Prescott into a pretty good QB. It seemed like UNLV would be in a tough spot with Odom’s departure, but is it fair to say that they’ve actually upgraded? I think so.
Bronco Mendenhall (Utah State, Mountain West): Mendenhall is back in the state of Utah, a place where he had a ton of success as the head coach at BYU. Instead of Provo, he’s now in Logan, and back in the Mountain West Conference for the first time since 2010, as the Cougars played as an Independent from 2011-15 prior to Mendenhall’s tenure at Virginia. It has been quite the odd stretch for this program, as Gary Andersen’s two-year return in 2019-20 was a mess and Blake Anderson was fired in 2023 for not properly reporting sexual misconduct. Mendenhall should provide some stability and has the chance to turn the program back around quickly.
Jimmy Rogers (Washington State, Pac-2): Washington State will play as an orphan for one more year before joining the new-look Pac-8 for 2026. The Cougars bid adieu to Jake Dickert, who went across the country to Wake Forest and brought in the 38-year-old Rogers, who ascended very quickly at South Dakota State. He played there and was a graduate assistant there before coaching the Jackrabbits for over a decade. As the head coach, he was 27-3 over two seasons and 6-1 in the FCS Playoffs, including the 2023 National Championship. This looks like a strong hire and Wazzu’s placement back in a conference should help recruiting as we go forward.
