What We're Hearing: Coaching Carousel Hits Thanksgiving Week
A coaching cycle that is poised to have fewer moves atop college football programs – the revenue-sharing, roster-expansion uncertainties are making athletics departments more frugal in burning buyout bucks than in recent years – is nonetheless likely to feature brisk movement at key coordinator positions, not to mention the several Group of Five jobs already open.
Just as last week, FootballScoop is diving in to share the latest buzz around the sport’s head coaching openings, situations to monitor and a carousel that does appear to be destined for significant movement at top-level coordinator posts across the country.
At the Power 4 level a number of administrators continue to monitor the direction of their programs while considering head coaching changes, coordinator changes or other directional changes.
Industry sources continue to monitor North Carolina, Purdue, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Arizona and others.
At North Carolina, Mack Brown has tried to convey he has no intention of stepping down; but sources share with FootballScoop the administration is strongly leaning towards making a change, as reported here last week.
In recent weeks, coaches and industry sources mentioned a variety of names linked to the expected opening at UNC, seen as the likely prize post of this cycle. Those sitting head coaches whom sources shared with FootballScoop are: Iowa State's Matt Campbell, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck and Army's Jeff Monken, among others. Campbell's approach, healthy program culture and winning with lesser resources make him an attractive candidate yet again in this cycle; Monken has done elite work at a notoriously difficult place to win and understands the academic rigors that UNC expects its coach to embrace; Fleck is a proven program-builder.
No coach anywhere in college football is hotter than Tulane's Jon Sumrall, who turned record-setting success at Troy into the Tulane job and has the Green Wave in both conference and College Football Playoff contention. Sumrall's name was another one heard immediately in the wake of Brown's announced exit.
After entering this season as a trendy pick to challenge for a spot in the ACC Championship, Virginia Tech must beat in-state rival Virginia simply to earn bowl eligibility; similarly, Arizona is trying to find a sliver of momentum going into the offseason with a chance to play spoiled against in-state rival Arizona State. Year 1 for Brent Brennan at Arizona has not gone well despite elite offensive talent; the Wildcats cannot attain bowl eligibility but can deny Kenny Dillingham’s Arizona State squad a berth in the Big 12 title game.
At UMass, Neal Brown has been a popular name and there’s been interest from the school, several sources told FootballScoop. Brown is a former UMass player currently serving atop the West Virginia program, which is 6-5 and probably needs a win at Texas Tech this week to dampen the disgruntlement.
Nunzio Campanile, quarterbacks coach at Syracuse, is a name to monitor with that post, sources share; Campanile is a former state championship-winning prep coach in New Jersey with several years’ experience at Rutgers.
Purdue and Kent State are two Midwest programs to continue to monitor; the programs have combined for 40 losses across the 2023-24 seasons, including a combined 21 in a row in 2024.
Purdue has a dozen losses by double digits; Kent State has endured 19 losses by double digits.
There might not be a more intriguing situation anywhere than with the very strong job Charles Huff continues to produce at Marshall and the fact that Huff is on an expiring contract.
Marshall, a bowl participant in each of Huff’s first three seasons as well as a previous winner against both Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, controls its fate in the SunBelt Conference’s East Division. The Herd lead with an 6-1 mark leading into Saturday’s trip to James Madison.
Win, and the Herd play for the SBC crown. Lose? Well, then if Georgia Southern beats Appalachian State then Marshall is spectator to the league title bout.
But Southern Miss has deep interest in Huff, who’s listening to the Golden Eagles’ pitch per numerous sources. Georgia’s Todd Hartley and SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods remain additional primary factors in that search. Derrick Nix, the former Southern Miss star, is not as much of a factor in the process as earlier, multiple sources tell FootballScoop.
The opening at Charlotte, following the end of the dreadful Biff Poggi experience, remains an attractive post, coaches and sources tell FootballScoop. That process is ongoing, but names that sources tell FootballScoop are talking with Charlotte reps include Western Carolina head coach Kerwin Bell, North Carolina State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach Jerry Mack.
All three of those coaches own deep ties in the state, but Mack is especially well versed in Carolina from his time atop the North Carolina Central program, where he won conference titles, garnered a berth in the prestigious Celebration Bowl and was named the HBCU National Coach of the Year by multiple organizations.
He’s worked in a top role at the University of Tennessee, and he’s also been an offensive coordinator at the FBS level.
Gibson is among college football’s most consistent, well-regarded defensive coordinators and has developed a litany of top-flight NFL prospects. A West Virginia native, Gibson has six-straight years of coaching in North Carolina as the Wolf Pack defensive coordinator but also is a name to watch pending how things shake out at Marshall.
Central Michigan, still under investigation by both the NCAA and the MAC for the program’s involvement in the Connor Stalions-University of Michigan sign-stealing cheating probe, is employing Kyle Bowlsby, head of Bowlsby Sports Advisers, to handle its head coaching search, a source told FootballScoop .
The unknown of the probe into the program is certainly something multiple potential candidates and sources mention to FootballScoop, but the job also is seen as a potentially very attractive situation. Sources tell FootballScoop at least one former NFL head coach has expressed interest in the job.
Ball State continues to be a job that seems to be Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’s post to turn down. Even after getting blown out at Ohio State, Indiana still has the nation’s No. 9 scoring defense at 16 points per game; the Hoosiers are No. 3 in total defense at a mere 261 yards per game. However, Indiana is aware of what they have in Haines and recently committed significant additional millions to the assistant pool at Indiana to attempt to retain Curt Cignetti's staff.
At FAU, the Parker search firm is leading things and have done a number of phone interviews. Penn State co-offensive coordinator Ja'Juan Seider, who played at Florida A&M and coached high school ball in the state is on the list as is SMU offensive line coach Garin Justice who previously was on staff at FAU. The firm has told candidates they would like to have a selection no later than early next week.
Oklahoma is among the more high-profile programs with an opening at offensive coordinator. Nothing there is done for Brent Venables, who is coming off arguably his biggest win at Oklahoma in last weekend’s beatdown of Alabama, but Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell and Washington State play-caller Ben Arbuckle are top candidates with whom the Sooners have spoken.
Florida State’s offensive play-caller post also is open, with Brennan Marion among those to speak with Mike Norvell. Marion is a Norvell protégé, having previously served as an offensive quality control coach under Norvell at Arizona State in 2015. Sources tell FootballScoop Norvell has advanced his search for his next defensive coordinator even further and is likely to be able to announce that hire early next week.
But Marion also could be in play at Kennesaw State, which sources tell FootballScoop is dealing with multiple candidates pulling out of consideration for the new-to-FBS head post.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.
