2024 College Football Coach Carousel
It’s started guys.
There are a litany of factors that lead schools to fire or not fire coaches. Transfer portal windows, buyouts (looking at you Jimbo Fisher), high school recruiting classes, university scandals, personal conduct, NCAA violations - the list never ends. Here is a running list of head coach firings:
December 18th
Washington State (8-4):
Left for new job (Wake Forest head coach): Jake Dickert (3+ seasons, 23-20 overall record, 9-14 Pac-12 record)
Interim Coach: Assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach Pete Kaligis
Permanent Hire: none yet
Notes: It has not been a good year for the Cougars. Left behind in the Pac-12 with Oregon State, Washington State managed to put together a decent season, finishing 8-4. QB John Mateer led a wildly entertaining offensive leading the team in passing and rushing yards while scoring 44 total touchdowns (29 passing, 15 rushing). Mateer has since entered the portal and committed to Oklahoma, who hired Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle in December. The school had fired their defensive coordinator, Jeff Schmedding, on December 2nd. Now, Washington State’s administration is tasked with rebuilding the program along with resurrecting the Pac-12 conference, which needs more members by 2026 to comply with NCAA rules. New athletic director Anne McCoy, who has been in the role since late June, now faces another challenge in the face of conference insecurity and declining revenue.
December 16th
Wake Forest (4-8):
Resigned: Dave Clawson (11 seasons, 67-69 overall record, 32-55 ACC record)
Interim Coach: N/A (season over)
Permanent Hire: Jake Dickert (Washington State head coach) on December 18th
Notes: Dave Clawson was at the helm for 11 seasons, leading the Demon Deacons to 7 straight bowl games, winning 5 of them, and a Top 15 finish in 2021, when Wake Forest won the Atlantic Division in the ACC. Clawson is stepping into an advisory role, and is expected to focus on fundraising alongside athletic director John Currie as well as the board of trustees and president. Wake Forest’s NIL spending lags far below their ACC rivals and lost star quarterback Sam Hartman to Notre Dame after the 2022 season, a move that Clawson referenced multiple times in the past two years.
December 8th
UNLV (10-3):
Left for new job (Purdue head coach): Barry Odom (2 seasons, 19-8 overall record, 12-3 Mountain West record)
Interim coach: Wide receivers coach Del Alexander (1-0)
Permanent Hire: Dan Mullen (Florida Gators head coach prior to becoming ESPN college football analyst) on December 12th
Marshall (10-3):
Contract expired: Charles Huff (32-30 overall record, 5-3 Conference USA record, 20-12 Sun Belt record, 2024 Sun Belt championship)
Permanent Hire: Tony Gibson (NC State defensive coordinator) on December 8th
Marshall and Southern Miss Saga
In one of the weirdest coaching changes you’ll ever see in college football, Marshall’s administration allowed coach Charles Huff to play out the final year of his contract, a rarity in sports. Huff led Marshall to a 10-3 overall record, finishing 7-1 in Sun Belt play, with a 31-3 Sun Belt championship game win over Louisiana. Huff accepted a job offer from Southern Miss, who lost 37-3 to Huff’s Marshall squad on November 9th and finished 1-11 and 0-8 in Sun Belt play. The Golden Eagles were 3rd to last in the nation in scoring and 7th to last in points against. In the past two weeks, 32 Marshall players have entered the transfer portal, forcing Marshall to withdraw from their bowl game against Army (Louisiana Tech replaced them). As of December 22nd, 11 of the 32 players have announced commitments to coach Huff and USM, including starting quarterback Braylon Braxton. New Marshall coach Tony Gibson has tried to patch the leaks, indicating he is trying to re-recruit Marshall players in the portal. As of December 24th, no Marshall players have withdrawn officially or stated they will be withdrawing from the transfer portal. Marshall’s attrition on the offesnive side of the ball has been particularly hurtful, losing their starting (Braylon Braxton to Southern Miss) and backup (Stone Earle uncommitted) QBs, leading rusher (AJ Turner to Minnesota), and seven wideouts to the portal. Of the nine incoming transfers, only former UNLV and NC State RB Michael Allen plays offense, who rushed for 108 yards last season.
December 6th
New Mexico (4-8):
Left for new job (Utah State head coach): Bronco Mendenhall (1 season, 5-7 overall record, 3-4 Mountain West record)
Interim coach: N/A (season over)
Permanent Hire: Jason Eck (Idaho head coach) on December 14th
December 4th
Fresno State (6-6):
Fresno State hired Matt Ertz, USC assistant head coach and linebackers coach. Ertz was 60-10 as North Dakota State from 2019-2023, winning 2 FCS National Championships. Ertz represents a departure from former head coach Jeff Tedford, who stepped away due to health concerns on July 15th. Tedford as known as a quarterback guru, coaching Super Bowl winners Aaron Rodgers and Trent Dilfer at Fresno State and Cal respectively. Ertz has a defensive background, coaching on the defensive side of the ball since 1988.
December 2nd
Appalachian State (5-6):
Fired: Shawn Clark (5 seasons (1 win as interim coach in 2019), 40-25 overall record, 25-14 Sun Belt record)
Interim Coach: N/A (season over)
Permanent Hire: Dowell Loggains (South Carolina offensive coordinator) on December 7th
Notes: An alum of App State, Clark ultimately did not live up to the new expectations in Boone, which are squarely a berth in the College Football Playoff. Considered the favorite in the Sun Belt, the Mountaineers finished 5-6 overall and 3-5 in conference bouts.
FAU:
On Monday Florida Atlantic University announced that Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley would be the next head coach of the Owls. Kittley comes from the Mike Leach coaching tree and worked under current Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kittley has coordinated some of the most prolific passing attacks in the nation at Western Kentucky (1st ranked passing offense, 2nd ranked scoring offense in 2021) and at Texas Tech (12th ranked passing offense 2022 and 9th in 2024). FAU, like Kennesaw State, has made an offensive oriented coaching hire.
December 1st
Kennesaw State:
The Owls announced Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach Jerry Mack will be the second coach in program history on Sunday. Mack had a successful head coaching stint at North Carolina Central from 2014-2017. Atheltic Director Milton Overton referenced Mack’s experience and success with up-tempo offenses. Schools poaching NFL coaches to be college coaches and coordinators have paid immediate dividends in recent years. In 2019 LSU hired Joe Brady as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, winning the National Championship. Colorado hired Cincinnati Bengals DB coach Robert Livingston to take over the defense this season, improving from 124th in points against to 37th. Although coach Mack is stepping into a challenging situation, the program appears to have a vision of what they’re looking to accomplish.
Sam Houston State (9-3):
Left for new job: KC Keeler (97-39 overall record, 62-19 conference record in Conference USA, Western Athletic Conference, and Southland Conference. 2003 and 2020 FCS National Champion)
Interim Coach: Offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen (1-0)
Permanent Hire: Phil Longo (Wisconsin offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) on December 18th
Notes: How attractive the Bearkats opening will be is yet to be seen. This is the first time that Sam Houston will hire a coach as an FBS school, one that made substantial improvement from 2023 (3-9) to 2024 (9-3). Keeler is the first FBS head coach or coordinator to become the head man at a new school. Keeping the roster and recruiting class together is the program’s challenge over the next month.
Temple:
On Sunday Temple announced that KC Keeler of Sam Houston State would be their next head coach. Keeler compiled a 97-39 record at Sam Houston State while they transitioned to the FBS from the FCS level. The Bearkats won the FCS National Championship in 2020 and have had one of the smoother transitions up to the FBS level, going 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference, remaining in contention to reach the title game until the last week of the season. It is not immediately clear how many Sam Houston players Keeler will bring with him to Temple.
Purdue (1-11):
Fired: Ryan Walters (2 seasons, 5-19 overall record, 3-15 Big Ten record)
Interim Coach: N/A (season over)
Permanent Hire: Barry Odom (UNLV head coach) on December 8th
Notes: Purdue was already one of the most difficult schools to coach at given its stature at the low end of the Big Ten. With the addition of Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC, Purdue slides that much further as a place to win. Last season Purdue defeated Indiana 35-31. Last weekend Indiana beat Purdue 66-0.
West Virginia (6-6):
Fired: Neal Brown (6 seasons, 37-35 overall record, 25-28 Big 12 record)
Interim Coach: Offensive coordinator Chad Scott (0-1)
Permanent Hire: Rich Rodriguez (Jacksonville State head coach) on December 11th
Notes: West Virginia has been mired in mediocrity for the better part of a decade now. A trendy pick to win double digit games preseason, the Mountaineers finished 6-6, 5-4 in Big 12 play, good for 9th in the league. Out of conference West Virginia gave up a big lead to rival Pittsburgh and was non competitive against rival Penn State at home.
Florida International (4-8):
Fired: Mike MacIntyre (3 seasons, 12-24 overall record, 6-18 CUSA record)
Interim Coach: Defensive coordinator Jovan Dewitt
Permanent Hire: Willie Simmons (Duke running backs coach) on December 7th
Notes: 3rd time was not the charm for MacIntyre, who put together three consecutive 4-8 records. Florida International is always going to be a tough place to recruit and coach. The school is in a hot bed of talent in South Florida but is forced to share with Miami in the ACC and FAU in the AAC, in addition to the other FBS teams in Florida.
November 30th
UCF (4-8):
Left for new job (FSU offensive coordinator): Gus Malzahn (4 seasons, 28-24 overall record, 5-13 Big 12 record, 11-5 AAC record)
Interim Coach: Season over
Permanent Hire: Scott Frost (Los Angeles Rams senior analyst) on December 7th
Notes: Gus Malzahn’s resignation to take a coordinator position at another school or the NFL follows a recent trend, including Chip Kelly departing UCLA to coordinate Ohio State’s offense, Boston College coach Jeff Hafley leaving to become defensive coordinator for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, and South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack joining Kalen Deboer’s staff at Alabama as co-defensive coordinator. UCF began the 2024 season 3-0 and finished 4-8, failing to reach a bowl after finishing 2-7 in Big 12 play. UCF also lost at Florida in a measuring stick game following years of back and forth about home-and-home scheduling. As UCF struggled, players began “redshirting themselves,” making it clear that their time at UCF was finished.
November 26th
North Carolina (6-5 at announcement of change):
Fired/early retirement: Mack Brown (6 seasons, 44-32 overall record, 27-22 ACC record - 2nd stint at school. 113-78-1 overall record, 67-57-1 ACC record)
Interim Coach: Mack Brown to finish season
Permanent Hire: Bill Belichick (most recently New England Patriots head coach) on December 11th
Notes: North Carolina is the first “P4” job opening of the year. Mack Brown is one of three active head coaches who has won a National Championship, winning the title with Texas in 2005. (Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney are the others). Both ESPN and The Athletic (here and here) are reporting that first year Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is the Tarheel’s top choice to be Brown’s successor, although the local media in New Orleans has not reported on the rumors. Perhaps ironically, Brown was Tulane’s head coach from 1985-1987 going 11-23 before becoming North Carolina’s coach for his first stint at the school, leading them to 5 ranked finishes and 3 bowl game wins.
Rice (3-8):
Rice announced the hiring of Davidson head coach Scott Abell on November 26th. Abell has had stops at Davidson and Washington & Lee. Recruiting at Davidson has similar challenges to those at Rice, with academic barriers and fewer resources. “Group of Five” teams have had success hiring from the FCS level in recent years, a trend to watch as this cycle progresses. There are now four vacancies in the AAC after East Carolina made interim coach Blake Harrell the successor to Mike Houston on November 25th.
November 25th
East Carolina (7-4):
Announced interim head coach Blake Harrell has been made permanent after going 4-0 and earning the support of the players. Mike Houston was fired on October 20th.
November 24
Tulsa (3-8 at time of change):
Fired: Kevin Wilson (1+ seasons, 7-16 overall record, 3-12 AAC record)
Interim Coach: Wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Ryan Switzer (0-1)
Permanent Hire: Tre Lamb (East Tennessee State head coach) on December 8th
November 20
Central Michigan (4-7 at time of announcement):
Retiring effective end of the season: Jim McElwain (6 seasons, 33-35 overall record, 23-22 MAC record)
No interim coach: Head coach Jim McElwain to finish season
Permanent Hire: Matt Drinkall (Army offensive line coach)
Notes: Jim McElwain is under scrutiny related to the Connor Stallings sign stealing scandal after Stallings was seen wearing Central Michigan coaching attire on the sideline in a game against Michigan State last season.
November 18
FAU (2-8 at time of change):
Fired: Tom Herman (1+ seasons, 6-16 overall record, 3-11 AAC record)
Interim Coach: Associate head coach, special teams coordinator, tight ends coach Chad Lunsford (1-1)
Permanent Hire: Zach Kittley (Texas Tech offensive coordinator) on December 1st
Notes and rumors: Miami great, two-time Super Bowl Champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis is reportedly under consideration for the job.
UMASS (2-8 at time of change):
Fired: Don Brown (2+ seasons, 6-28 overall record - 2nd stint at school. 43-19 from 2004-2008)
Interim Coach: Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery (0-2)
Permanent Hire: Joe Harasymiak (Rutgers defensive coordinator) on December 4th
Charlotte (3-7 at time of change):
Fired: Biff Poggi (1+ seasons, 6-16 overall record, 4-10 AAC record)
Interim Coach: Tight ends coach/associate head coach Tim Brewster (2-0)
Permanent Hire: Tim Albin (Ohio Head Coach) on December 7th
November 17
Temple (3-7 at time of change):
Fired: Stan Drayton (2+ seasons, 9-25 overall record, 4-18 AAC record)
Interim Coach: Defensive coordinator Everett Withers (0-2)
Permanent Hire: KC Keeler (Sam Houston State head coach) on December 1st
November 16
Ball State (3-7 at time of change):
Fired: Mike Neu (8+ seasons, 40-63 overall record, 25-43 MAC record)
Interim Coach: Offensive line coach Colin Johnson (0-2)
Permanent Hire: Mike Uremovich - (Butler head coach) on December 4th
November 11
Kennesaw State (1-8 at time of change):
Fired (according to coach), resigned (according to administration): Brian Bohannon (9+ seasons, 72-38 overall record, 28-8 Big South Record 1-4 ASUN record, 1-8 FBS record)
Interim Coach: Co-offensive coordinator Chandler Burks (1-2)
Permanent Hire: Jerry Mack - (Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach) on December 1st
October 27
Rice (2-6 at time of change):
Fired: Mike Bloomgren (6+ seasons, 24-52 overall record, 5-7 AAC record, 12-25 C-USA record)
Interim Coach: Associate Head Coach Pete Alamar (2-2)
Permanent Hire: Scott Abell - (Davidson head coach) on November 26th
October 20th
East Carolina (3-4 at time of change):
Fired: Mike Houston (6+ seasons, 27-38 overall record, 15-28 AAC record)
Interim coach: Defensive Coordinator Blake Harrell (4-1)
Permanent Hire: Interim head coach Blake Harrell made permanent on November 25th
Southern Miss (1-6 at time of change):
Fired: Will Hall (2+ seasons, 14-30 overall record, 8-19 Sun Belt Record)
Interim Coach: Assistant Head Coach/General Manager Reed Stringer (0-5)
Permanent Hire: Charles Huff - (most recently head coach at Marshall) on December 8th
July 15th
Fresno State:
Retired for health reasons: Jeff Tedford (5 seasons, 45-22 overall record, 27-13 Mountain West record over 2 stints)
Interim Coach: Tim Skipper (1 season, 6-6 overall record, 4-3 Mountain West record)
Permanent Hire: Matt Ertz - (USC assistant head coach & linebackers coach) on December 4th
July 2nd
Utah State:
Fired for cause: Blake Anderson (3 seasons, 23-17 overall record, 15-9 Mountain West record)
Interim Coach: Nate Dreiling (4-8)
Permanent Hire: Bronco Mendenhall (New Mexico head coach) on December 6th
