While the North Carolina opening is college football’s most attractive spot with a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window, several other FBS openings are continuing to take shape.
While wishing everyone a happy, blessed Thanksgiving, let’s dive into the latest news, nuggets and What We’re Hearing at FootballScoop:
After contracting Kyle Bowlsby to help in its search, Central Michigan has spoken with and vetted UConn head coach Jim Mora Jr., the former UCLA and NFL’s Atlanta Falcons skipper, for its vacant position.
Mora has done a very solid job at UConn, but the school has no football conference affiliation, has battled for resources and funding and is lagging behind in Name, Image and Likeness – well behind the school’s flagship men’s and women’s basketball programs.
There’s been considerable interest in the CMU job, with FCS sitting head coach Billy Cosh – who just engineered one of the single-biggest turnarounds in history at that level via his Year 1 work at Stony Brook – and Pitt assistant head coach Cory Sanders both having strong ties to the state of Michigan, and both having head coaching experience.
Tulsa is expecting to move quickly in its search, and sources tell FootballScoop that Tulsa leaders are letting candidates know that they are taking a highly aggressive approach for the next leader in the NIL space, with one source saying the program is positioned to be among the top-funded in the American Athletic Conference. Sources said Brennan Marion is a name to watch there; he’s also in the mix for Power Conference offensive coordinator spots.
At Fresno State, interim head coach Tim Skipper has the Bulldogs bowl eligible after knocking off previous conference division-leader Colorado State. Skipper earned a $50,000 bowl bonus per USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz for the win, and he’s certainly in contention for the full-time role.
But sources tell FootballScoop that Montana State head coach Brent Vigen is a strong candidate for the post; Vigen currently has Montana State with the top overall seed in the 2024 FCS Playoffs.
One interesting note in wrapping up the Rice coaching search: a source with direct ties to the Owls football program told FootballScoop Wednesday afternoon that Scott Abell shined late in the process after Rice had discussed the head coaching position with at least 10 other candidates, several of whom told the Owls no thanks.
At Kennesaw State, those Owls also are finding the going tough in replacing the fired Brian Bohannon. Though he has agreed to an extension with ETSU, Tre Lamb continues to be a name to monitor in that search.
But there’s also a successful former NFL star in the mix, sources tell FootballScoop. Former Tennessee Titans Pro Bowler Eddie George has emerged as a viable candidate for the Kennesaw job. George has engineered record-breaking success at Tennessee State, and just this week was named the Big South-OVC Coach of the Year.
Tennessee State travels to No. 14 seed Montana Saturday for the opening round of the FCS Playoffs.
Marion also has been linked to the Kennesaw job.
Both Bill Clark and Rick Stockstill have had discussions with Southern Miss, which continues to be interested in Marshall’s Charles Huff, Georgia assistant Todd Hartley and SMU’s Casey Woods; Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Jerry Mack has been a factor in the Southern Miss search and also continues to be prominently linked to the Charlotte post.
At Temple, there’s increasing chatter around K.C. Keeler and the Owls, sources share with FootballScoop.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.