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Some of the biggest coaching jobs in college football came open last season, which invariably created a domino effect.
It wasn’t a shock that Florida opened when Billy Napier got fired, but the plight of Brian Kelly turned the carousel upside down when LSU flopped last year. Same thing when James Franklin’s Penn State team fell apart. Things got even wilder when Sherrone Moore’s off-field issues came to light and Michigan fired him.
What will the 2026 carousel bring? As detailed in last week’s hot seat temperature check, things have the potential to get hectic. Here, let’s examine it from the other side and look at some of the coaches who people in the search world are keeping an eye on.
Sometimes, the big openings don’t come from teams struggling, but rather from when a coach wins big and then gets tempted to jump to the NFL or another job. One source asked whether Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman or Ohio State’s Ryan Day could go pro, though sometimes buyouts in college contracts can be an obstacle.
Another possible scenario we’ve heard is if Baylor comes open, would the Bears make a move to bring Tennessee’s Josh Heupel back to the Southwest? Heupel did a really good job dragging the Vols out of a big ditch and into the Playoff in 2024, but if the former Oklahoma quarterback has another 8-5 type of year, does he look for a reset in a Power 4 conference that isn’t as loaded as the SEC?
Which college football teams are under the most pressure?
Chris Vannini
More sitting head coaches to watch
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State: The Arizona State grad got his alma mater into the Playoff in 2024 in just his second year after taking over a program that was in disarray. The Sun Devils then went 8-5 in 2025 — not bad considering they lost quarterback Sam Leavitt and had other standouts hobbled with injuries. Dillingham was in the mix for the Michigan vacancy and feels like he could be a good fit in any part of the country, having coached at Oregon, Auburn and Florida State — which also could be in the market for a new coach.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri: He’s 58-30 as a head coach, won 12 games in his one season at Appalachian State and is 29-10 the past three seasons with the Tigers in the SEC. That’s strong. He’s only 43, and if he can keep winning, Drinkwitz could be very attractive to Florida State and North Carolina if those jobs come open.
Jedd Fisch, Washington: He did an amazing job turning Arizona into a winner, taking over one of the most dismal power conference situations and getting the Wildcats to No. 11 in the country and a 10-win season in Year 3. At Washington, he followed Kalen DeBoer and had to replace almost every starter. Then, the AD who hired him left. Last season, Fisch led the Huskies to a 9-4 mark, but it wouldn’t surprise us if Fisch would be tempted to make a move out of Seattle. The Washington job isn’t close to the top of the Big Ten financially. If USC doesn’t win big in Lincoln Riley’s fifth season, Fisch might be an option there depending on how his team does in 2026. He has proven to be an outstanding talent evaluator and program manager based on what he built at Arizona and his rebuild in Seattle.
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest: The 43-year-old Wisconsin native has coached at every level of college football and did an excellent job in his first head coaching role after getting elevated as the interim at Washington State. He was a much-needed stabilizing force and got the Cougars to 8-4 in his fourth season at a program left behind by the top of the Pac-12. Last year, he quietly did a superb job, going 9-4 at Wake Forest. Another strong season would make him an attractive option for vacancies just about anywhere. Maybe SEC programs might be leery because he’s never coached down there, but he’d be high on Wisconsin’s radar if Luke Fickell has a disappointing season in Madison.
Jake Dickert’s 9-4 debut at Wake Forest ended in a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory celebration. (Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)
Jason Eck, New Mexico: The former Wisconsin O-lineman spent a lot of his coaching career at the FCS level and did a fantastic job at Idaho in his first head coaching stint. He just had an outstanding nine-win season with the Lobos in his debut year. Eck has a vibrant personality and a keen big-picture grasp of the job, and he appears destined for the Power 4 ranks. Our guess is he would be the Badgers’ first call if they have to replace Fickell.
Charles Huff, Memphis: The 43-year-old former Penn State and Alabama assistant wasted little time making a splash at Memphis after debuting with an upset win last Saturday over a UNLV team that just won 10 games. Huff led Marshall to the Sun Belt title in 2024 and then left to take over a 1-11 Southern Miss program, turning the Eagles into a seven-win team in his only season. It’s not a stretch to think Huff could coach at his fourth different program in four seasons if the right job opens up. The Maryland native figures to be in the mix at Maryland if Mike Locksley can’t get the Terps on track after consecutive 4-8 records.
Jeff Traylor, UTSA: A four-time Texas high school coach of the year, Traylor has been exceptional for UTSA, going 53-26, and was twice named Conference USA Coach of the Year. A former assistant at Texas and SMU, Traylor could make sense for Baylor.
Sean Lewis, San Diego State: Another former Wisconsin player, Lewis, 40, did impressive work in his first stint as a head coach, leading downtrodden Kent State to its first bowl win in 2017. Last year, he had a breakthrough season with the Aztecs, leading them to nine wins after going 3-9 in 2024. If he leads SDSU to another good season, Lewis likely will be on the radar at several P4 jobs.
Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State: The Memphis native went 31-15 in four seasons at North Carolina Central in the FCS and then worked wonders with the Owls last year. He took over a program that went 2-10 and transformed them into a 10-4 squad that won Conference USA. If Huff ends up leaving Memphis, Mack would make a lot of sense for the Tigers, but he also could warrant some Power 4 consideration after the job he did last season.
GJ Kinne, Texas State: A former NFL QB, Kinne, 37, went 12-2 in one season as a head coach at FCS Incarnate Word in 2022. At Texas State, he’s 23-16 in three seasons. If Baylor opens up, Kinne figures to be an attractive option. His dad was a star linebacker for the Bears.
Assistant coaches I’m watching
Industry sources feel like there is a deeper bench of defensive assistants than offensive coaches. There’s about a half-dozen coordinators who should be high on ADs’ radars, perhaps even more so after a bunch of top Group of 6 head coaches got Power 4 jobs last year, depleting the ranks a bit.
Bryant Haines, Indiana, DC: The 40-year-old former Ball State linebacker won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach and is someone we expected ADs to kick the tires on. His work running IU’s defense for Curt Cignetti has been elite.
Corey Hetherman, Miami, DC: Hetherman worked with Haines for three seasons on Cignetti’s staff as James Madison’s DC. He made a big impact in Miami’s breakthrough 2025 season. A former Division III quarterback from Massachusetts, Hetherman worked his way up the ranks, spending a decade at smaller programs in the Northeast working on both sides of the ball before his name started to get out for his work as Maine’s DC.
Glenn Schumann, Georgia, DC: The next branch of the Nick Saban/Kirby Smart tree, Schumann has been really good for UGA. The 36-year-old was in the mix for the UNC job that Bill Belichick got. Schumann has seen how Dan Lanning was choosy and didn’t leave a good situation until a job the caliber of Oregon came into the picture. Florida State might be such a job.
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack went 22-16 as South Alabama’s head coach from 2021-23. (Gary Cosby Jr. / Imagn Images)
Kane Wommack, Alabama, DC: Wommack already has FBS head coaching experience and did quite well at South Alabama, which hadn’t had a winning season in the FBS until he took over. Wommack led the Jaguars to a 10-3 record in his second year and went 22-16 overall before agreeing to reunite with his old friend Kalen DeBoer at Alabama. The 39-year-old Wommack was in consideration for the Arkansas job last year and likely would be in the mix for Mississippi State or South Carolina if they come open.
Blake Baker, LSU, DC: The 44-year-old former Tulane linebacker did good work as Missouri’s DC a few years back and helped stabilize things at LSU. He passed on the head coaching job at his alma mater last year and didn’t want to go to Memphis, so expect him to be choosy. But if Drinkwitz goes after and can get FSU or North Carolina, Baker would make a lot of sense for Mizzou.
Shannon Dawson, Miami, OC: The 49-year-old Dawson helped turn Cam Ward into the first pick of the draft two years ago and is the offensive assistant with perhaps the best chance to position himself for a good head coaching job. An Air Raid disciple, Dawson has proven to be an excellent counterbalance to Mario Cristobal’s bruising, grind-it-out nature, improving Miami’s offense from No. 97 in scoring the year prior to his arrival to No. 1 in 2024, his second season. The former Houston OC has coached in the Big 12, the SEC and the ACC and could be an option for programs in those conferences looking to spark their offenses — especially if Miami has another big year.
Wild cards
These are assistants I could see getting traction if their teams get rolling this fall:
Buster Faulkner, Florida, OC: After Faulkner did a superb job orchestrating Georgia Tech’s offense, Jon Sumrall hired him to give Florida more bite. The 44-year-old Faulkner spent three years as an analyst at Georgia and has extensive history as a play caller from his days at Southern Miss, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee and Murray State. If Florida bounces back as quickly as we think the Gators will, expect Faulkner’s name to heat up.
D’Anton Lynn, Penn State, DC: The son of former NFL head coach Anthony Lynn was fantastic at UCLA. He went across town to USC for a lot more money and did a solid job, but the Trojans couldn’t break through. The 36-year-old former Penn State defensive back returned to his alma mater to help Matt Campbell in Happy Valley. My hunch is Penn State will surprise a lot of folks this season — and maybe even knock off Lynn’s old USC team when the Trojans visit for a White Out. I’m not sure if Lynn would take Boston College if it opened, but Maryland might be tempting if Locksley doesn’t get back on the winning track.
Ryan Grubb, Alabama OC: DeBoer’s longtime right-hand man had a spectacular run at Washington with Michael Penix Jr. Then, after a disappointing season with the Seahawks, Grubb reunited with DeBoer at Alabama. He did help Ty Simpson emerge as a first-round QB after one season. Now, the challenge is getting Bama back to being a national title contender with some additional physicality. The hire of Adrian Klemm as O-line coach should help a lot on that front. If Alabama can take a big step forward with young Keelon Russell at quarterback — utilizing more RPOs than we’ve seen the past few years — the 50-year-old Grubb will get consideration. One potential landing spot is at Washington if Fisch moves on. Athletic director Pat Chun is a big fan.
JaJuan Seider, Notre Dame, RB coach/assistant head coach: The 49-year-old former West Virginia and Florida A&M QB has been one of the better position coaches for a long time. He’s well regarded inside the business and has been a top recruiter with deep ties to his old stomping grounds in South Florida. Seider, a longtime Penn State assistant, has gotten some consideration in past years for Group of 6 coaching jobs. His stock could rise higher if the Irish go on a run as he helps Notre Dame replace two first-round running backs.
Ben Arbuckle, Oklahoma, OC: Arbuckle is young — he turns 31 in a few weeks — but he’s been a fast-riser thanks to his offensive acumen. Oklahoma State had some interest in him last year, and if things go well in Norman this fall, Baylor — and perhaps Texas State, if Kinne gets hired elsewhere — could be on the horizon. Arbuckle had an explosive offense at WKU before landing the Washington State OC job, where he put up big numbers with Cam Ward. He then had more fireworks with John Mateer running the show before they both left for Oklahoma. Mateer was banged up last year and also played behind a green O-line. But with the talented dual-threat QB healthy and a more seasoned Sooners front, the hunch here is that OU will be much improved on offense in 2026.
Bigger wild cards
Finally, a few familiar faces:
Jason Witten, Oklahoma, TE coach: The Dallas Cowboys great, who had spent five years as a Texas high school coach and won two state titles, has made a huge impact behind the scenes at OU since joining the Sooners staff in January. If OU takes a big jump forward on offense, Arbuckle won’t be the only Oklahoma assistant who folks end up buzzing about. The 44-year-old Witten has made a big difference in transforming the Sooners tight ends. Witten, a former Tennessee great, is a name to remember if UT ends up with a coaching search down the road.
Brian Kelly, former LSU head coach: His time in Baton Rouge felt like a weird reality show. The 64-year-old, who had done a very good job at Notre Dame, was a horrible fit at LSU. He went 34-13 in four years, but the program was backsliding. Anyone looking to hire Kelly will weigh his engagement in recruiting and with his new players and staff. That part was sorely lacking at LSU and was a big reason for his undoing. The sport in the NIL/portal era is much different than it was when he was working in South Bend. He is a very bright coach and has extensive experience, winning at all levels, but can he adapt in this era? The players now get paid (often a lot), and the churn of free agency has created a different dynamic in the sport. Will he be interested in some of the jobs that may be open to hiring him?
Jimbo Fisher, former Texas A&M head coach: Fisher has won a national title (back in 2013) and is four years younger than Kelly. Fisher, like Kelly, is now working as a TV analyst and will face some of the same issues that Kelly will need to sort out in terms of his ability to adapt to a different version of college football. The sense we get is that Fisher might be a little more marketable than Kelly and could be in play at some SEC jobs. Perhaps Mississippi State could be a fit if Jeff Lebby can’t get it going in Starkville, or even South Carolina if the Gamecocks falter. They’ve found past success with older coaches such as Steve Spurrier and Lou Holtz.