Chronicling the Coaching Changes Across the Nation

It's late November and many NCAA college football head coach positions are open.

Let the rumor mongering begin!

Let's take a look at the carnage that's happened already, the carnage that could happen soon, and who the candidates out there who will find themselves leading a D-1 football team next season.

~

THEY BE GONE:

Arkansas- John L. Smith

Status: Fired

Record at School: 4-8

Job Desirability (Out of 5 excited Houston Nutt's):

What's to Like:

It's the SEC, baby. That means more money, power, influence, and fame. Football coaches all like those things. The Arkansas tradition is underrated, and they can certainly claim to be a top program with the 16th best winning percentage out of all BCS schools since 1958. What's more, the Razorbacks have had 5 coaches since '58 who have won at least 62% of their games while staying at the school for 4 or more years.

What's Not to Like:

Recruiting is solid but not exactly easy. The current roster isn't loaded even if there's some nice parts to work with. Arkansas is an underrated state in terms of football talent but the Razorbacks typically work with the scraps from Texas and the Southeast. Then there's being in the same division as Alabama, Auburn and LSU. You'll be lucky to be second fiddle in your good years. Arkansas hasn't won the SEC since joining in 1992 and they've only won their division outright twice.

Auburn- Gene Chizik

Status: Fired

Record: 33-19

Desirability:

What's to Like:

You'll be inheriting a boat load of talent. The cupboards are fully stocked to be competitive, even in the SEC, right away. The school wants to win and will bend the rules for you in order to do so (see keeping Trooper Taylor around). It's an easy place to recruit to. A national title was won just two years ago and the program has gone undefeated twice over the past 10 years. The facilities, history, and tradition are all very strong. Saban could move on to the NFL and Miles to Mars and you could be sitting on a kingdom in the SEC West.

What's Not to Like:

You're still in the SEC West. If history is any guide you pretty much have to cheat to win. The school won't hesitate to throw you to the curb side once the NCAA starts sniffing around. You'll constantly fight uphill battles with Alabama in-state. It's possible you could be walking into a situation similar to what Al Golden did at Miami.

Boston College- Frank Spaziani

Status: Fired

Record: 22-19

Desirability:

What's to Like:

There's not a ton of pressure. You get the perks of being a BCS coach without playing an arduous schedule like you would in the SEC. The middle of last decade proved you can put together a strong program in Boston.

What's Not to Like:

Poor facilities and a tiny stadium. Tepid fan support. Cornered in a poor region of the country where recruiting is very difficult. Losing 2 or 3 games a season and sneaking into your league title game is about the top of the mountain.

California- Jeff Tedford

Status: Fired

Record: 82-57

Desirability:

What's to Like:

Improved facilities and beautiful weather. Very good and fertile recruiting area. Strong academics. Just the right amount of pressure for the vast majority of coaches. In a strong but not suicidal conference. Potential for improvement in historical standards. A very winnable rivalry game, by historical standards. You'll get paid pretty well.

What's Not to Like:

The Stanford game isn't very winnable nowadays. There's potential but it's capped at winning 8 or 9 games a season. Maybe a conference title for one season if you're lucky to stick around long enough. Ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi is no longer around. The fan base isn't exactly rabid. The program hasn't won a major bowl since 1937. 5 of the last 7 coaches have had .500 or worse records.

Colorado- Jon Embree

Status: Fired

Record: 4-21

Desirability:

What's to Like:

There's literally nowhere to go but up. It's a nice part of the country. A determined recruiter could do pretty well if he tried. The history and tradition are underrated. The program isn't exactly a sleeping giant but it needs to be shaken out of a coma which is not an impossible task.

What's Not to Like:

If the complaints from the recently fired Jon Embree are any indication, facilities are not great. Recruiting isn't easy with the pipeline to California destroyed many years ago. The fan base's expectations are probably out of whack in the post-internet world. The program is a tire fire right now.

Georgia State- Bill Curry

Status: Retired

Record: 10-23

Desirability:

What's to Like:

There are worse state's to be in for college football than Georgia. You also get to play in the Georgia Dome. It's a new program and there's not a ton of pressure. You'll be slowly transitioning to the Sun Belt conference where winning isn't that hard.

What's Not to Like:

Literally no history whatsoever. The program is 3 years old. There's no identity. You'll have to build a foundation all by yourself. The program is in an awkward transitional phase. Recruiting won't be easy at all.

Idaho- Bill Akey

Status: Fired

Record: 20-54

Desirability:

What's to Like:

What's Not to Like:

You're the second fiddle in the state of freakin' Idaho. The smallest stadium in the country awaits you. The school is in the middle of nowhere. The last 3 coaches have been unable to win even a third of their games.

Kentucky- Joker Phillips

Status: Fired

Record: 13-24

Desirability:

What's to Like:

You're nominally part of the SEC. Facilities are better than the recent history. Recruiting won't be super challenging. Going .500 on a consistent basis would be considered a great success.

What's Not to Like:

4 to 6 SEC losses await you every single year. No one cares about you in relation to the basketball team. You are in the SEC but gain very little benefit from it, in fact it's actually a major burden. It could be a decent stepping stone job but the program has left a graveyard of coaches over the past 30 or 40 years.

UPDATE: Kentucky has hired Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.

NC State- Tom O'Brien

Status: Fired

Record: 40-35

Desirability:

What's to Like:

The fan base is solid as are the facilities. Most coaches have had a decent amount of success here. There are worse places to recruit from. The history is pretty good and the ability to develop NFL talent is a plus.

What's Not to Like:

The fan base's expectations are way higher than they should be (see the program firing TOB after winning 9, 8, and 7 games over his last 3 years). It's a basketball school. You're stuck in a division with Florida State and Clemson. The school has 1 season of winning 10+ games and hasn't won a conference title in over 30 years.

Purdue- Danny Hope

Status: Fired

Record: 22-27

Desirability:

What's to Like:

Expectations are in a proper spot. The roster isn't devoid of talent and there's something to work with. There's a decent pipeline in Florida, and the facilities are pretty good. History has proven this program can contend with the right coach.

What's Not to Like:

You'll fight to stay at .500 every year. The program has only 1 conference title since 1967. You might be walking into a situation where Ohio State has the division on lock down for the next 5 to 8 years. You have to face Notre Dame every year while everyone else in your division plays MAC teams.

Southern Miss- Ellis Johnson

Status: Fired

Record: 0-12

Desirability:

What's to Like:

Pretty decent history for a smaller school. A coach probably can't do worse than what Johnson just 'accomplished.' Most coaches have had good success here. Until the 2012 debacle, the program went 10 seasons winning at least 7 games. Brett Favre went there.

What's Not to Like:

How much damage did Johnson do? Holy crap he took a 12-2 team and then went 0-12! Expectations are probably fairly high due to the success achieved by Larry Fedora---now at North Carolina. Brett Favre might be hanging around.

Tennessee- Derek Dooley

Status: Fired

Record: 15-21

Desirability:

What's to Like:

Rabid fan base, great facilities and one of the best stadiums in the country. A rich history and proud tradition in the country's best conference. Cool checkerboard end zone design.

What's Not to Like:

Only the 4th best team in their division over the past 10 years or so. Not a great recruiting ground compared to most SEC schools. Haven't won a conference title since the national winning 1998 season. Program has taken a nose dive after Kiffin and Dooley put their hands on it.

UTEP- Mike Price

Status: Retired

Record: 48-61

Desirability:

What's to Like:

A cool stadium to play in? I don't know you think of something.

What's Not to Like:

It's like the 28th best program in the state of Texas. The uniforms are ugly. Price, one of the sneaky good coaches out there (seriously he won at Washington State) couldn't stay over .500 at UTEP.

Western Michigan- Bill Cubit

Status: Fired

Record: 51-47

Desirability:

What's to Like:

Coaching in the MAC is like good luck dust sprinkled all over your resume. It's the cradle of coaches. Western Michigan has a decent history too. The program isn't in shambles either.

What's Not to Like:

Cubit had a decent amount of success but he was ultimately limited. The program hasn't won a conference title since 1988, or a bowl game...ever. A MAC job can be a nice stepping stone but this is one of the weaker stops in the league.

~

THE POSSIBLE CHOPPING BLOCK:

Army- Rich Ellerson

17-31 nearing the end of his fourth season. Nice 2010 season (7-6 record) balanced with only 5 wins over the past two years. 1-6 vs. the other service academies. A win over Navy this season would be his first.

Eastern Michigan- Ron English

Just finished his fourth season. People were excited after a 6-6 season in 2011. The Eagles were just 2-10 this year and English has won a mere 10 games over 4 seasons.

Georgia Tech- Paul Johnson

Still 40-25 after his 5th season in Atlanta, but 6 win seasons in 2 out of the past 3 years isn't generating much excitement. He's also 0-4 in bowl games and likely to get crushed in the ACC title game where his team makes an appearance due to postseason bans on Miami and North Carolina.

Iowa- Kirk Ferentz

Just finished his remarkable 14th season at Iowa, but it may have been his worst since year one of his regime. His buy out is ridiculous so this isn't likely to happen this year. Still, he's 11-14 over the past 2 years and led one of the worst Big Ten teams this season.

Illinois- Tim Beckman

One year in and it looks like Illinois might be ready to move on. Beckman had some decent success at Toledo but he just coached an Illini team that went 2-10 and didn't have a single win over a BCS team in 2012.

UPDATE: Illinois' AD has said Beckman will stay for 2013.

Missouri- Gary Pinkel

Some whispers out there that Pinkel could be let go soon. He just finished his 12th season at Missouri and the Tigers are not bowl eligible for the first time since 2004. They went 2-6 in SEC play too, so how much pressure will there be to compete in their new league?

New Mexico State- Dewayne Walker

Yes, no one cares about NMSU but the program has gone nowhere under Walker and it may be time for a change. He's finished his 4th season and won just 10 games while losing 39.

South Florida- Skip Holtz

The USF athletic department is in disarray and Holtz may be on his way out. The Bulls have gotten worse in each of his 3 seasons in Tampa and there appears to be no hope on the horizon. Holtz is now under .500 for his career at USF (16-20) and he's won just 2 Big East games over the past 2 years and only 5 league games overall since 2010.

Texas- Mack Brown

Would Longhorns, Inc. actually fire him? He's won a national title of course. He was in the 'ship just 3 years ago. But isn't it getting stale? Haven't the fans moved on? Brown won 9+ games in his first 12 seasons in Austin, and he won 10+ games from 2001-2009. But with a loss to Kansas State he'll be just 21-16 over the past 3 seasons with top 3 talent.

UNLV- Bobby Hauck

Odds are you've never heard of Coach Hauck but he was very successful at Montana from 2003 to 2009. He's finished his 3rd season at UNLV and lost double-digit games in every single season.

~

THE CANDIDATES:

Gary Andersen- Head Coach, Utah State

25-24 overall at Utah State, but coming off a 10-2 season and WAC title.

Todd Berry- Head Coach, Louisiana-Monroe

Previous head coach at Illinois State and Army. 17-19 after 3 seasons at La-Monroe but coming off a 8-4 season with a win over Arkansas and near victories over Auburn and Baylor.

Bill Blakenship- Head Coach, Tulsa

17-8 over two years with the Golden Hurricane, and 14-2 in Conference USA play.

Art Briles- Head Coach, Baylor

No one teaches fundamentals better than Briles. Will he be tempted to take a more high profile job? He did well at Houston before coming to Waco. He's 31-30 at Baylor and had a bit of a reality check without RG3 this season.

John Chavis- Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker Coach, LSU

Long-time Tennessee defensive coordinator has coached some fearsome defenses at LSU since 2009. He's getting up there in age and may be ready to take his first head coaching gig.

Mario Cristobal- Head Coach, Florida International

Finishing his 6th season at FIU and was a hot name on the market more so a season ago. He stayed at his current job after a solid 8-5 season and fell back to 3-9 in 2012. How wanted is he now?

Tim DeRuyter- Head Coach, Fresno State

Solid experience as a defensive coordinator who has taken Fresno State to a 9-3 season in his first year. Will somebody grab him up this offseason?

Butch Davis- Unemployed

Last seen coaching at North Carolina, he's recruited lights out at both Chapel Hill and at Miami. With that usually comes recruiting hi-jinx and assorted recruiting violations. Overall 63-43 record as a head coach. Perfect for Auburn perhaps?

Bob Diaco- Defensive Coordinator/Assisatant HC/Linebackers Coach, Notre Dame

Is he ready to leave? Will he leave? Please, no.

Dave Doeren- Head Coach, Northern Illinois

There may be no hotter coaching candidate out there. After serving as Wisconsin's defensive coordinator for 5 seasons he is 22-4 through 2 seasons at Northern Illinois. He's a little young but could be looking at multiple job offers and promotions soon.

Sonny Dykes- Head Coach, Louisiana Tech

Finishing his 3rd season at La Tech and is 22-15 so far. Not a ton of experience but he's 17-8 over the past two years and a pretty enticing candidate for a better job.

James Franklin- Head Coach, Vanderbilt

His loyalty is already being tested. He's been Doing Good Things™ in Nashville and just won 8 games at Vanderbilt for the first time since 1982. How long will he stay?

Ralph Friedgen- Unemployed

Remember him? He coached at Maryland for 10 years and compiled a 75-50 record. Not too shabby, right? I'm not sure if he'll get back into coaching as he nears 70 though.

Willie Fritz- Head Coach, Sam Houston State

Successful head coach at Central Missouri for many years. He's 28-9 over 3 year at Sam Houston State.

Al Golden- Head Coach, Miami (FL)

Some rumors that he may take a better job. Given the situation he inherited he hasn't disappointed in Coral Gables but he's only 13-11 over two years. Will he jump ship?

Jon Gruden- MNF Announcer

His experience in college is woefully minimal. He's been out of coaching entirely for 4 full seasons now. Good luck if anyone signs him up---which I think is a long shot anyway.

Mike Gundy- Head Coach, Oklahoma State

He's a man who has been in Stillwater for 8 full seasons now. He's well paid and probably has a lot of leverage with old T. Boone Pickens, but would he jump to one of the job openings that might be a step up from his current visibility?

Pep Hamilton- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Stanford

No not a 1920's era hockey player, but an up and coming offensive coach with a lot of success under his belt at Stanford. Not a ton of college experience which may be worrisome.

Darrell Hazzell- Head Coach, Kent State

Maybe one of the sneaky good candidates out there right now. He worked at 3 good BCS schools before taking a head coaching position, and that includes being an assistant head coach at Ohio State for 6 seasons. He's 16-8 overall at Kent and coming off a 11-1 and perfect 8-0 league record in 2012.

Mark Helfrich- Offensive Coordinator, Oregon

He's been Chip Kelly's OC in Eugene since he took over. Heck, Helfrich might be the Oregon head coach next year if Kelly bolts for the NFL. No doubt some teams wants to get their hands on Helfirch though.

Mark Hudspeth- Head Coach, Louisiana-Lafayette

Not real well known to most people but he dominated at North Alabama (66-21 over 7 years) and has been 16-8 over 2 years at Lafayette.

Butch Jones- Head Coach, Cincinnati

He replaced Brian Kelly at Central Michigan and then at Cincinnati, now his name is linked to several high-profile jobs. He had a rough start at Cincy, but he has a chance for back-to-back 10-win seasons this year.

Kliff Kingsbury- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Texas A&M

He's crazy young (33) and only in his second year as a college coach, but his rise has been meteoric so far. Might help to have directed a Heisman winner too.

Rocky Long- Head Coach, San Diego State

He's got a lot of experience and is one of the few people to succeed at New Mexico as well. He took over for Mr. Man Ball himself at SDSU after being the DC there, and Long is 17-8 over 2 seasons.

Mike MacIntyre- Head Coach, San Jose State

Solid experience and one heck of a turn around at San Jose State. He coached one of the most underrated teams in the country this season. MacIntyre is only 16-21 at SJSU but that 10-2 record this season is awfully impressive.

Guz Malzahn- Head Coach, Arkansas State

He's been successful wherever he's been over the past decade. Malzahn is only in his first season as a head coach in college but he has a chance to go 9-3. At some point he'll get a high profile job.

Mark Mangino- Unemployed

The former Kansas head coach has been out of football for 3 years now. His name is starting to pop up with some of the openings and why not? He was just 23-41 in the Big 12 but his 50-48 overall record with the Jayhawks makes him look like a miracle worker today.

Chuck Martin- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Notre Dame

He's the most ready to leave out of all the Irish coaches. Will he walk away from a young Everett Golson when he also deeply loves Notre Dame?

John McNulty- Quarterback Coach, Arizona Cardinals

The former offensive coordinator at Rutgers has had a nice career as the wide receivers and now quarterbacks coach with the Cardinals. His name is being thrown out there by a variety of people.

Chad Morris- Offensive Coordinator, Clemson

He doesn't have much experience in college but he's already making a ton of money at Clemson right now. His stock has been on the rise for a couple seasons and he's linked to a number of job openings.

Dan Mullen- Head Coach, Mississippi State

He's 8 games over .500 at Miss State and he's played .500 ball inside the SEC 2 out of the last 3 years. He seems loyal but how much longer is he going to stick around at a place where the potential is almost maxed out?

Pat Narduzzi- Defensive Coordinator, Michigan State

He's been a DC for 10 years in the big leagues of the NCAA and is finishing his 6th season in that role in East Lansing. His name has been brought up for the past couple years and he's done a great job turning the Spartans defense in to one of the best in the B1G.

Houston Nutt- Unemployed

He'll be back eventually. Nutt was 75-48 at Arkansas and had 2 good seasons at Ole Miss before faltering his final two years.

Gary Patterson- Head Coach, TCU

Is he a lifer at TCU or what? Patterson is finishing his 13th season and might see fit to just stay where he is with the Frogs now in the Big 12. It might not be a bad idea, but there's probably more money out there for him. He's a remarkable 116-34 at TCU.

Brent Pease- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Florida

Solid experience, he did really well at Boise State and all things considered he's done fairly well in his one season in Gainesville. Somebody might be willing to take a chance.

Chris Petersen- Head Coach, Boise State

His name has come up over the past couple offseasons but it seems more serious this time around. Petersen has been 82-8 while at Boise---would he leave for Cal or Tennessee?

Bobby Petrino- Unemployed

His record is way too good for him to stay out of the game much longer. Petrino has won 10+ games in half of his 8 seasons as a head coach at Louisville and Arkansas.

Paul Rhoades- Head Coach, Iowa State

He was the defensive coordinator at Pitt for a long time before spending a year at Auburn and then taking the Iowa State job. He hasn't done anything mind blowing in Ames, but he's built a solid competitor.

Greg Roman- Offensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

He has a lot of NFL experience and has been with Jim Harbaugh since 2009. Roman's name is being thrown out there for a number of jobs.

Kirby Smart- Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach, Alabama

Smart is still really young and yet finishing his 5th season as defensive coordinator at Alabama. He's easily the hottest and most prized young coordinator in the country but it will likely take a huge contract to pry him away from his $1 million a year salary in Tuscaloosa.

Mark Stoops- Defensive Coordinator, Florida State

Now finishing his 3rd season as DC under Jimbo Fisher at Florida State. Many expect Stoops to finally leave and find his first head coaching job in college.

UPDATE: Hired to be the head coach at Kentucky.

Charlie Strong- Head Coach, Louisville

He has a ton of experience and has done fairly well as the coach at Louisville. After back-to-back 7-6 seasons he has the Cardinals at 9-2 right now. Are any of the job openings worth leaving for?

Jim Tressel- Unemployed

The Vest will be 60 soon but he's got something left in the tank and a heck of a resume. I also think people will be able to move on from his downfall at Ohio State soon too. 94-22 at a major BCS program will lure someone to pay the big bucks to Tressel.