This was an article I was expecting to write at the end of the season when the coaching carousel was in full swing. However, we have 5 schools who have already begun their search for a new head coach for 2023 and we are approaching week 6. Last year we saw the craziest coaching carousel in recent memory last year with Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly, and Mario Cristibol shaking up college football, and we have begun an even crazier coaching carousel now.
There are a lot of talented names out there that can take any of the current openings and the openings we expect to open up by the end of the season. I am going to break this article into three sections, 1 for individuals who are current head coaches, and 1 for current coordinators and assistants who are looking for their first head coaching gig, and 1 for everyone else. For the record, any coach that has been fired will not be included as I expect them to find another job in 2023 either on the sidelines or the broadcast booth (Herm Edwards.)
Current Head Coaches
1 Jamey Chadwell Coast Carolina
Chadwell has made Coastal Carolina into a Group of 5 power in just 5 years at the helm. He has gained a lot of attention from AD's across the country. It is a matter of time till he moves up to a Power 5 school.
2. Kalani Sitake BYU
BYU is expected to make the move over to the BIg 12 in the next few years. BYU is a regular in the top 25 and has had some huge wins over power 5 schools in the last few seasons. Not only that he has produced his fair share of NFL talent including Jets QB Zach Wilson.
3. Matt Rhule Carolina Panthers
Reports say that Rhule has lost trust in the Panther's locker room, and it is a matter of time when the Panthers make a change in leadership. Rhule was phenomenal in the college ranks. He turned Temple into a conference champion and top 25 team in 5 years and took aa Baylor team recovering from NCAA violation punishments to a Big 12 championship in an even shorter time.
4. Sean Lewis Kent State
Here is a name that has floated around for a while, but he is just waiting for his next opportunity and that is 36-year-old Sean Lewis. His record at Kent State isn't great, but he is one of the brightest young minds in the country. He will be a power 5 head coach at some point, it is just a matter of time till when.
5. Lance Leipold Kansas
Apparently, Kansas is not just a basketball school. After being the armpit of college football, Leipold has turned Kansas into a top 25 team after a 5-0 start. His quick turnaround of Kansas has to be appealing to any school looking for a rebuild.
Current Assistants/Coordinators Looking for their First Opportunity
1. Kenny Dillingham Oregon OC
Dillingham has a long history of being a successful offensive coordinator and QB's coach at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and now Oregon. He continually turns his offenses into top 25 scoring teams in the country. He may not be ready for a power 5 job, but a G5 school looking for a bright young mind may have their guy in Dillingham.
2. Alex Grinch USC DC
One of the brightest defensive coordinators in college football. He has spent time under some top coaches in Mike Leach, Urban Meyer, and Lincoln Riley. He has the Trojans as a top defense in 2022 currently. He is one of the most respected coordinators right now, and the way he has the Trojans going he will be a head coach before he knows it.
3. Jeff Grimes Baylor OC
A long-time college coordinator has been waiting for his first opportunity to be a head coach and he is finally there. A long-time offensive line coach spent time at multiple schools out west including BYU and Baylor. He is a long-time college football coach, who has a strong history of recruiting in the Midwest and west.
4. Josh Gattis Miami OC
Last year's Broyles Award winner for his time at Michigan. He is struggling this year at Miami; however, he has spent time working under Jim Harbaugh, James Franklin, and Nick Saban. He has the resume to get a head coaching position if schools look last his first-year struggles at Miami.
5. Dell Mcgee Georgia RB
Here is a name that many people are not talking about. Let's go through some of the names he has developed at Georgia. Nick Chubb, Sony Michel , D'Andre Swift, and James Cook just to name a few. He is one of the best recruiters in the country and has been instrumental in the recruiting and development of many players that helped Georgia win the national championship last season. He may not be a coordinator, but for a G5 program looking to make a splash McGee is your guy.
Everyone Else
1. Dan Mullen Former Florida HC
He started off great at Florida but the ending did not go as planned. He had Florida as serious competitors in the SEC. He is currently working for ESPN, but he has a history of being a successful college coach. This could be the cycle for him to get back into the game.
2. Tom Herman Former Texas HC
Should I be the one to remind you that Herman was 32-18 and 4 bowl wins while at Texas? That is obviously not great for Texas but for the current jobs that are open and could open, that is fantastic. He is a great option and is looking to get his career back on track.
3. Bill O'Brien Alabama OC
Any person who works under Saban automatically becomes a coaching candidate. He obviously did not pan out well in the NFL, I guess the Texans did not like 4 division titles in 7 years. Let's go back to his time at Penn State. He took a program that was given a punishment worse than the death penalty and won 10 games with them and kept that program alive during the darkest time in program history. Now look what he has done in Alabama. Byrce Young is a Heisman Trophy winner, that should be enough to get Bill a head coaching position.
4. Bronco Mendenhall Former Virginia HC
Mendenhall resigned from Virginia last year wanting more personal time. His name is floating around as there are rumors, he is ready to get back into coaching. He has a career record of 135-81 from his time at BYU and Virginia and 14 bowl appearances between the two schools.
5. Joe Brady Buffalo Bills QB
Here is a longshot I wanted to throw into the mix. Brady was an awful offensive coordinator in the NFL, and he has been a great QB's coach for the Bills. We all know what he was able to do with Joe Burrow and the LSU offense in 2019. If a team wants a young bright mind, Brady is your guy. He may realize his path is better in college and will want to make the jump back.
Honorable Mentions
1 Matt Campbell Iowa State HC
2. Charles Huff Marshall HC
3. Manny Diaz Penn State DC
4. Bryan Harsin Auburn HC
5. Kliff Kingsbury Arizona Cardinals HC
Schools who will enter the carousel
1 Auburn Tigers
It is not a question if they fire Harsin, it is a question of when. I am shocked he is still coaching.
2. Louisville
If Lamar does not resign in Baltimore, maybe he returns to college?
3. West Virginia
They have not competed in the Big 12 since Geno Smith, it is time they do with Oklahoma on the decline.
4. Northwestern
My inside source from Northwestern says Fitzgerald has started packing his bags.
5. Stanford
The Pac-12 is on the rise and if Stanford wants to compete, they need to make a change at leadership.
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