CFB coaching carousel: Tracking every FBS vacancy
Nov 13, 2023, 04:35 PM ET As sure as autumn fades into winter season, as the college football season winds down, the training carousel begins to crank up.The biggest early name to lose his job was Jimbo Fisher, who was fired at Texas A&M during his 6th season leading the Aggies.As the list
continues to grow, we’ll track all the comings and goings of head coaches and popular coordinators, along with insights and intel on look for replacements and who might be on the hot seat.Jump to a school
: Texas A&M|Mississippi State Michigan State
| Northwestern
San Diego State|Boise State
Notable coordinators
A&M proceeds from Fisher Texas A&M’s firing of coach Jimbo Fisher resets the paradigm for coaching buyouts and opens up among the country’s most tantalizing jobs.Buying out Fisher
‘s deal is expected to cost the school more than $76 million, which is almost triple the highest recognized training agreement buyouts at a public school.Fisher was 45-25 in 6 seasons at Texas A&M, and he signed a new 10-year agreement with$95 million guaranteed in 2021. The move featured the Aggies’ record at 6-4, 4-3 in the SEC, following a 51-10 rout of Mississippi State.More: Fisher fired, gets record buyout |
ADVERTISEMENT: Aggies stuck in neutral Leading candidates for Texas A&M job Arnett out after one season at Mississippi State Zach Arnett, who was promoted to head coach this previous December after the unexpected death of Mike Leach, was fired Nov. 13 before completing his first season. Arnett had worked as the Bulldogs ‘defensive organizer for three seasons.Mississippi State lost 6 of its last 8 games under Arnett, falling to 4-6 (1-6 SEC), including a 51-10
loss to Texas A&M. The Bulldogs scored more than 17 points just once in seven SEC games under Arnett.More: Mississippi State fires Arnett after 11 games Leading prospects for Mississippi State task Tucker fired by Michigan State amid examination Michigan State fired football coach Mel Tucker for cause Sept. 27 as he was under university investigation for a sexual misbehavior grievance brought by Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault awareness speaker.The school opened an investigation into Tracy’s grievance in December 2022. By firing him for cause, Michigan State is attempting to not pay Tucker any of the$79 million remaining on his contract.Tucker had a 20-14 record at Michigan State, consisting of an 11-2 campaign in 2021 that ended with a Peach Bowl success. Harlon Barnett functioned as interim coach for the Spartans this season.More: MSU fires Tucker for bringing’ridicule ‘to program Top prospects for Michigan State job
Northwestern fires Fitzgerald amidst hazing claims Northwestern fired longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10 amid allegations of widespread hazing within the football program.Fitzgerald went 110-101 over 17 seasons and is by far the most successful football coach in school history. He spent more than 26 overall seasons with the program– 4 as a player, five as an assistant and 17 as head
coach. He led the school to 5 of its six bowl wins in program history, according to ESPN Stats & Details research.Defensive coordinator David Braun has acted as interim head coach this season.More: School president states hazing in program’plainly not a secret ‘ San Diego State’s Hoke set to retire Hoke, who remains in his second stint as San Diego State’s head coach, revealed he will retire at the end of the season. Hoke took control of before the 2020 season after having
led the program from 2009 to ’10. He
has a combined 39-31 record over those 2 stints and has twice been named Mountain West coach of the year.SDSU will finish this season with its very first losing record– both total and in Mountain West play– since 2009. In 2021, Hoke led the Aztecs to a school-record 12 wins.More: SDSU’s Hoke to retire at end of season Boise State fires Avalos after 22-14 record Boise State fired football coach Andy Avalos on Nov. 12, with
the Broncos at 5-5 and in risk of the program
‘s first losing season because 1997. Avalos went 22-14 in
three seasons at Boise State, consisting of a 10-4 record that resulted in him being named 2022 Mountain West coach of the year. At no point during Avalos ‘two-plus seasons was Boise State ranked in the Associated Press poll; the Broncos’19-year streak of being ranked ended throughout his first season in 2021. Protective organizer and long time Boise State assistant Spencer Danielson is acting as the interim coach.More: Avalos out as Boise State can’t match past success Penn State fires OC Yurcich Penn State fired offensive organizer Mike Yurcich on Nov. 12, a day after the system struggled in a high-profile loss for the second time this season.The Nittany Lions scored only 15 points and handled just 238 backyards of offense(74 through the air)in a 24-15
loss to Michigan. Penn State’s offense also struggled in a 20-12 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 21, completing with 240 backyards and not reaching completion zone until the game’s last minute.Yurcich, 48, has actually been
the group’s offending playcaller and quarterbacks coach considering that 2021. More: Franklin hears boos:’Not good enough ‘| Yurcich fired Grinch gone as USC’s protective woes
continue After USC gave up 101 overall points in 2 games, defensive organizer Alex Grinch was
relieved of his tasks, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley announced Nov. 5. Grinch, who was
Oklahoma’s defensive organizer from 2019 to 2021 before leaving for USC together with Riley, led a system that permitted approximately 34.5 points per game this season and remained in the bottom 30 in the country in almost every analytical category, consisting of 120th in rushing defense and 107th versus the pass.More: USC defensive coordinator Grinch released Brian Ferentz will not return as Iowa’s OC Iowa offending coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of
long time coach Kirk Ferentz whose contract amid the offense’s historical struggles drew national attention, will not return for the 2024 season.Brian Ferentz, a former offending lineman at Iowa, has functioned as the team’s offending planner considering that 2017 and
has been on his father’s personnel because 2012. In February, Iowa revealed contract amendments for him that consisted of an unusual points-per-game arrangement– the group would require to typical 25 points per game during the 2023 season and win a minimum of 7 games for Ferentz’s two-year rolling contract to be reactivated beyond June 30, 2024. The Hawkeyes have fallen well short of that average.More: Iowa falls short in’Drive for 325 ‘| Brian Ferentz out