2026 College Football Coaching Carousel: 35 Key Names To Know

Hot seat season is, well, heating up. Three coaches — Mike Locksley (Maryland), Dave Doeren (NC State) and Dave Aranda (Baylor) — were relieved of their duties over the last week for the first Power Four firings of the cycle. I called around to agents and search firm executives in recent weeks to help put together my 2026 guide of names you need to know during silly season. Let’s get into it. Jason Eck — Head Coach, New Mexico Eck seems to have it all. Vibes. Acumen. Geographic diversity. The former Wisconsin offensive lineman has worked wonders under less than ideal conditions at New Mexico, where his roster has been pillaged year after year. Eck is now 41-18 as a head coach between stops in Las Cruces and previously at Idaho. That kind of track record will be in huge demand. Jake Dickert — Head Coach, Wake Forest Dickert may well evolve into this offseason’s version of Jon Sumrall. Like Eck, he has deep Wisconsin ties and worked wonders under a horrendous situation following the ousting of Nick Rolovich at Washington State. While he has spent the bulk of his coaching career in the Dakotas and upper Midwest, Dickert has been a revelation at Wake Forest, guiding the Demon Deacons to a 14-5 record, despite working with limited financial resources. It’s worth noting that, during a cycle where there may not be a plethora of premium jobs available, Dickert might be better served waiting one more year as Sumrall did when he was initially involved at North Carolina, before landing the Florida gig a year later. Wake Forest’s money people will also be keen and motivated to keep their head coach. Spencer Danielson — Head Coach, Boise State Danielson has kept things motoring right along in Boise despite the growing disparities between the Group of Six and Power Four. His squad gave Oregon a scare earlier this year and is just two years removed from a College Football Playoff berth that came on the heels of retaining all-world running back Ashton Jeanty. Danielson does have deep ties at Boise State and may be picky given he’s incredibly close with athletics director Jeremiah Dickey, who himself has been sought after. Danielson is also deeply faith-based and that will likely play into what kind of job he takes. Willie Fritz — Head Coach, Houston If there’s a Curt Cignetti-adjacent in this year’s coaching carousel class, Fritz might well be it. He’s been winning games for longer than I’ve been alive, with stops at Blinn Junior College, Central Missouri, Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern, Tulane and now Houston. Fritz has turned the Cougars into a winner despite limited financial resources and the complication that the school’s basketball success might impede how much might be diverted toward his program, so long as Kelvin Sampson is the head coach. The Houston situation has gotten better thanks, in part, to new athletics director Eddie Nuñez, who came from New Mexico and has deep SEC ties. That partnership continues to bear fruit, but as Fritz gets older, he may be inclined to look at some of the bigger jobs that come open this cycle. Administrators would be wise to give the serial winner a look. Brent Brennan — Head Coach, Arizona Brennan doesn’t have Fritz’s lengthy track record, but he’s been incredibly impressive in turning around San Jose State and Arizona. The former UCLA wide receiver reached a bowl game in three of his final four seasons at San Jose State, traditionally one of the hardest jobs in America. He’s also stabilized things at Arizona after nearly being run out of town following a 4-8 debut. He’s now got the Wildcats at 5-1 coming off a 9-4 campaign a year ago. If any major West Coast jobs come open, Brennan should get a look, but he may be patient given he’s finally got things rolling in Tucson. Manny Diaz — Head Coach, Duke Say what you will about his Miami tenure, but Diaz has worked wonders during his two seasons in Durham. Despite losing quarterback Darian Mensah to the Hurricanes at the eleventh hour, he has the Blue Devils in the mix in the ACC again. That also comes despite limited roster resources — sensing a pattern here? The one-time Florida State graduate assistant is a cerebral guy with experience that spans each of the Power Four conferences. But given the coup d’état that ended his tenure in Coral Gables, Diaz may be choosy about his next stop. PJ Fleck — Head Coach, Minnesota Fleck isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. He’s high energy. High intensity. He also just continues to pile up wins at a place where stability is just hard in this day and age. Now in his 10th year at Minnesota, Fleck has won fewer than six games just twice — a 5-7 debut season and a 3-4 2020 COVID-affected campaign. That kind of serial winning will be noticed by administrators and search firms. The Gophers are off to an impressive 5-2 start and beat Iowa last week. That said, four of Minnesota’s final five games are against ranked opponents — Indiana, UCLA, Northwestern and Wisconsin. Win a few of those and Fleck might finally have the breakthrough he’s come oh so close to over his decade in the Twin Cities. Kenny Dillingham — Head Coach, Arizona State It hasn’t been the rosiest season for Dillingham at his alma mater, but that shouldn’t dissuade anyone if he’s willing to listen. Dillingham has completely resuscitated Arizona State after the mess that was the Herm Edwards era. He was in play at Michigan last year, but decided to stay put. That should be a key indicator in discussing his candidacy anywhere else. Given the lack of primo jobs that are expected to open this fall — albeit USC, Florida State and Texas could challenge this theory — it’s hard to imagine Dillingham leaving this offseason, but weirder things have happened. I’m keeping him on the list, just in case. Charles Huff — Head Coach, Memphis Huff is now onto his third different head coaching job in three years, having bounced between Marshall, Southern Miss and Memphis. The constant? He keeps winning. He’s now 45-27 at the Group of Six level, where that kind of consistency is nearly impossible in this day and age. The Maryland native figures to get some looks from the Terrapins brass given his ties to the area, while he was also at one-time a low-level assistant on Ralph Freidgen’s staff. Jeff Traylor — Head Coach, UTSA Traylor is about as Texas as Texas gets in the coaching ranks these days. The former high school coach has worked his way up and turned UTSA into a stable winner while creating one of the fiercest home field advantages in the Group of Six at the Alamodome. The knock on Traylor has been that he’d missed his window for a bigger job, but he may have his chance this fall. The Roadrunners are in a prime spot to challenge for the American Conference title and with a job like Baylor open and others like TCU under the microscope, he’d be a great fit for a Big 12 gig. JaMarcus Shephard — Head Coach, Oregon State Oregon State might be the best story in college football right now. The Beavers were left for dead in the wake of the Pac-12’s implosion, but JaMarcus Shephard and standout receiver Jesse Legree have this thing motoring toward a potential conference title. Legree has already reaffirmed his commitment to Oregon State. Will his head coach follow suit? Harder to say, but Shephard, a Fort Wayne, Indiana native, should have options this offseason. Jamey Chadwell — Head Coach, Liberty Chadwell was in huge demand when he was torching defenses with his run-heavy option-adjacent attack at Coastal Carolina, including interviewing for the South Carolina job that ultimately went to Shane Beamer. He’s since moved on to Liberty, where he battled undisclosed health issues last year. But now that he’s back full bore this fall, the Flames are 6-1 with a path to another Conference USA title. Liberty has huge resources and Chadwell is compensated as one of, if not the highest-paid coach in the Group of Six. He hasn’t generally been motivated by money, but that price tag may make him choosier during a cycle where there aren’t expected to be a huge number of major openings. Still, a place like NC State might find it worth giving him a look. Lance Taylor — Head Coach, Western Michigan Western Michigan has become the class of the MAC under Taylor’s watch. The former Alabama receiver is 21-13 over the last two-plus years following a 4-8 debut. The near-win over Michigan turned heads, and a return to the conference championship after a 10-win season last year could bolster his case for a bigger job. It’s been harder than ever for MAC coaches to make the jump to the Power Four in recent years, but Taylor has ties to Notre Dame, Louisville and the NFL. That should help his cause if he looks to move on. Dan Mullen — Head Coach, UNLV In retrospect, are we sure Dan Mullen’s tenure at Florida was that bad? It fell off toward the end, but the former Gators coach has won at the highest levels and did more with less as the second-winningest coach in Mississippi State history. UNLV was a dead-end job for decades before being resuscitated by Barry Odom. Mullen has kept the Rebels relevant with a 10-win season last year, though a 4-3 start to this year may not help his overall cause. Mullen’s squad faces three of the five worst teams in the Mountain West down the stretch, while games against New Mexico and Wyoming could prove crucial toward another high win total. Matt Entz — Head Coach, Fresno State Entz might be the best head coach in the country that nobody is talking about. The former North Dakota State head coach kept the Bison rolling following Chris Klieman’s departure for Kansas State, winning FCS national titles in 2019 and 2021. He eventually left Fargo to become Lincoln Riley’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach during the 2024 season before landing the Fresno State job. Entz has been a steadying presence at Fresno, where administration has been aggressive in trying to resource the program for the new-look Pac-12. He was 9-4 a year ago and gave Boise State a run for its money earlier this year. Expect Entz to get consideration if the Bulldogs continue winning. Mike Jacobs – Head Coach, Toledo Jacobs is one of the more interesting names that was tossed around in my conversations over the last few weeks. Like Cignetti, he has won just about everywhere he’s been, including lower-level stops at Division II Notre Dame College, Lenoir-Rhyne and Mercer. He’s kept that train rolling at Toledo, which is one of the more resourced jobs in the MAC. It might be too small a sample size at the FBS level for Jacobs to jump up to a Power Four gig after just one season at Toledo, but he’s got a lengthy-enough track record that his 5-2 start to the year should open some eyes. Sonny Cumbie — Head Coach, Louisiana Tech It’s been a weird tenure at Louisiana Tech for Cumbie, an air raid disciple and former Mike Leach quarterback. His tenure started with back-to-back 3-9 seasons followed by a 5–8 campaign. An 8-5 effort last year helped stabilize things, while the Bulldogs are off to a 5-2 start and in position to win the Sun Belt West Division. Cumbie has deep Texas roots as a former Texas Tech quarterback. He could make sense for a few of the Lone Star State jobs that open up this cycle, whether that be in the Power Four or higher up the Group of Six ladder. Arthur Smith, Matt Patricia — Coordinators, Ohio State Smith and Patricia should be viewed through similar lenses given their NFL backgrounds and current situations. Smith was involved in the North Carolina search that landed Bill Belichick two years ago, while Patricia interviewed for the Penn State job last offseason. Both are also incredibly well compensated — Patricia at $3.75 million and Smith at $1.5 million — meaning it would likely take a Power Four job to pry either away from Columbus. If the Buckeyes keep things steady sans Julian Sayin down the stretch, both should receive consideration at a few places. Glenn Schumann — Defensive Coordinator, Georgia As always, Kirby Smart has at least one coordinator who should be known among college football fans and prospective hiring managers. Schumann has a master’s degree in the Smart-Saban school of football, thanks to his time at Alabama and Georgia. He’s seen as the next big-time coordinator hire from that tree, but he’s been choosy. With the SEC expected to be mildly quiet on the coaching carousel, he may stick around in Athens another year. Buster Faulkner — Offensive Coordinator, Florida If they handed out awards over the first month of the season, Faulkner would’ve been the runaway favorite to win the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant. The Florida offense has been high-flying over the early part of Jon Sumrall’s tenure in Gainesville and Faulkner’s system is a big reason why. Need more proof? Look at the struggles at Georgia Tech this year since Faulkner left. A lifetime Southerner, Faulkner makes the most sense for jobs in that part of the world, though he could get some NFL looks given his X’s and O’s acumen. Shannon Dawson — Offensive Coordinator, Miami Dawson is on track for another incredibly successful run guiding the offense at Miami. Quarterback Darian Mensah looks like a Heisman contender and wide receiver Malachi Tony is right there alongside him. The Hurricanes may be playing well into January based off the way they’ve looked so far. Would that complicate when Dawson might be able to take another job? Perhaps. But he’s been as prolific an assistant coach as there is in the country over the last 18 months. He’ll get a few calls. Bryant Haines — Defensive Coordinator, Indiana Cignetti’s squad remains one of the most fascinating stories in college football, and it’s the defense that’s carrying the Hoosiers through Big Ten play this year. Haines is seen by most as a future head coach, though his newly-minted $3 million salary makes him a harder hire for programs in the Group of Six and lower down the Power Four hierarchy. There’s also at least some thought in and around Bloomington that he could be the man to replace Cignetti whenever the latter decides to retire – to be clear, this isn’t expected any time soon. Could this turn into a Morgan Scalley-like, coach-in-waiting situation? Perhaps. Haines succeeding elsewhere also wouldn’t preclude a return. Kane Wommack — Defensive Coordinator, Alabama Wommack is unique on this list in that he’s already been a head coach — and a successful one, at that. He went 22-16 over three years at South Alabama, including a 10-3 season in 2022. The former Arkansas/Southern Miss fullback has been a stabilizing force for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama in the post-Saban era, while the Crimson Tide defense has taken steps forward this fall. Expect Wommack to be picky, but he’s a realistic coordinator name if any SEC jobs open up. Tim Lester, Offensive Coordinator, Iowa Believe it or not, Iowa’s offense is fun — and Lester is a huge reason why. Like Wommack, Lester had a lengthy run as a head coach, first at Division II Saint Joseph’s College, Division III Elmhurst and later at Western Michigan, where he was 37-32 in six years. Lester has a good thing going at Iowa, but he should get some looks for the wonders he’s worked with the Hawkeyes over the last year-plus. Brian Kelly — Former LSU, Notre Dame Head Coach It’s no secret Kelly wants back into coaching after his time at LSU was cut short. The fit in Baton Rouge was bad. But for whatever went sideways there, Kelly can coach. He’s almost certainly a Hall of Famer and his career record at the FBS level is 179-74. I’d be surprised if he’s not on the sideline again next fall. Jimbo Fisher — Former Florida State, Texas A&M Head Coach Fisher has been trying to get back into coaching for the better part of 12 months — and he told me as much last year. There’s a faction of Florida State fans that would love to run it back in Tallahassee with the man who brought FSU their most recent national title. But whether the school can afford Mike Norvell’s buyout has made it tricky to gauge whether it will actually happen. Either way, Fisher wants back in. Will anyone give him a shot? We’ll see. Lincoln Riley — Head Coach, USC Ok, I buried the lede here. RIley’s tenure at USC has been, at best, underwhelming. Whether that means he’ll be fired given his buyout is believed to be in the neighborhood of $70 million is harder to peg — albeit games against Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA may make that decision easier on athletics director Jen Cohen. The bigger question is whether Riley gets out of Dodge, errr, Los Angeles, before the grim reaper comes for him. The West Texas native has been a weird fit on the West Coast. Could a soft landing spot like Baylor be in the cards? How about TCU if Sonny Dykes doesn’t make it through the season?