- Virginia Tech hires James Franklin: The first domino of the coaching carousel has fallen with the Hokies hiring the former Penn State head coach.
- Lane Kiffin to LSU: We’re predicting the Ole Miss coach and hottest commodity on the market to head to Baton Rouge.
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Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
This year’s coaching carousel in college football is shaping up to be an all-timer. There are currently nine vacancies in the Power Four, with more potentially coming by season’s end. Four of those nine openings are widely seen as top-20 jobs in the sport: LSU, Penn State, Florida and Auburn. That means there could be a massive domino effect, where proven coaches at other Power Four programs leave for those bigger opportunities, which would create even further chaos this offseason.
Here’s how I think every coaching search in the Power Four will end up, along with three other candidates to know for each job.
Completed Searches
Virginia Tech Hokies: James Franklin (Former HC, Penn State Nittany Lions)
The first domino of the coaching carousel has fallen with Virginia Tech hiring James Franklin. This is a home-run hire by the Hokies, as Franklin led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals just last year and they finished No. 5 in the country, their highest finish in nearly two decades. He had six 10-plus win seasons over the last decade at Penn State, something the program hadn’t accomplished since the 1980s. He has plenty of connections to the area and should have Virginia Tech competing near the top of the ACC very soon.
Open Searches
LSU Tigers: Lane Kiffin (HC, Ole Miss Rebels)
Other candidates to know
- Eli Drinkwitz (HC, Missouri Tigers)
- Jon Sumrall (HC, Tulane Green Wave)
- Joe Brady (OC, Buffalo Bills)
Lane Kiffin is the belle of the ball in this coaching carousel, as his name has been linked to the LSU, Florida and even New York Giants vacancies. While it’s certainly possible that he remains at Ole Miss, he did recently give an eye-opening answer at a press conference when describing what makes a coaching job attractive:
“The size of stadiums, traditions, Heismans and national championships. Then your location to talent.”
LSU fits that description to a T and is arguably a top-five job in the sport. Kiffin’s family was also spotted in both Baton Rouge and Gainesville recently, fueling rumors that he may be on his way out. If Kiffin does decide to leave Oxford, this is the most attractive (college) job on the market.
Penn State Nittany Lions: Eli Drinkwitz (HC, Missouri Tigers)
Other candidates to know
- Brian Hartline (OC, Ohio State Buckeyes)
- Brent Key (HC, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets)
- Manny Diaz (HC, Duke Blue Devils)
Drinkwitz has done a great job at Missouri over the last three years, compiling a 27-8 record since 2023. If the Tigers close out this year ranked, it’ll be the first time in program history where Missouri has finished three consecutive seasons inside the AP Top 25. Missouri has brought in a top-25 recruiting class in each of the last two cycles and has done an outstanding job in the transfer portal.
Drinkwitz could do even better at a bigger program like Penn State.
Florida Gators: Jedd Fisch (HC, Washington Huskies)
Other candidates to know
- Lane Kiffin (HC, Ole Miss Rebels)
- Eli Drinkwitz (HC, Missouri Tigers)
- Brent Key (HC, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets)
Florida is the other school vying for Kiffin and could very well beat LSU for his services. But with Kiffin (hypothetically) off the board, the Gators go with Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.
Fisch is a Florida alum who spent two years as a graduate assistant there under Steve Spurrier after he graduated. Fisch has done a solid job over the last three seasons at Arizona and now with the Huskies, compiling a 22-13 record since 2023. He’s not the splashiest hire that the Gators could make, but he has familiarity with the program and could provide some much-needed stability in Gainesville.
Auburn Tigers: Jon Sumrall (HC, Tulane Green Wave)
Other candidates to know
- DJ Durkin (Interim HC, Auburn Tigers)
- Clark Lea (HC, Vanderbilt Commodores)
- Eli Drinkwitz (HC, Missouri Tigers)
Jon Sumrall has ties to the state of Alabama, having served as the head coach at Troy in 2022 and 2023. He had a combined 23-4 record across his two seasons with the Trojans, which were two of the three best years in program history. Sumrall is off to a 7-2 start at Tulane this year and has the Green Wave firmly in the College Football Playoff race. He has spent almost his entire coaching career in the southeast and played linebacker at Kentucky.
Sumrall is an up-and-coming star at only 43 years old whose ability to build quality rosters with limited resources should make him an intriguing candidate for a top-20 program like Auburn.
Arkansas Razorbacks: Ryan Silverfield (HC, Memphis Tigers)
Other candidates to know
- Alex Golesh (HC, USF Bulls)
- Jon Sumrall (HC, Tulane Green Wave)
- Eric Morris (HC, North Texas Mean Green)
It seems likely that Arkansas will hire one of the many up-and-coming coaches from the American Conference. Razorback fans are very familiar with Silverfield, as his Memphis Tigers beat Arkansas by a 32-31 final score back in Week 4. He has spent the last decade at Memphis, rising from offensive line coach to head coach in 2020. The Tigers have a 29-7 record under Silverfield's watch since 2023.
Even though Silverfield has 26 years of coaching experience under his belt, he’s still just 45 years old. With the support of the wealthy boosters in Fayetteville, he can help turn this Arkansas program around.
Oklahoma State Cowboys: Zac Robinson (OC, Atlanta Falcons)
Other candidates to know
- Alex Golesh (HC, USF Bulls)
- Eric Morris (HC, North Texas Mean Green)
- Collin Klein (OC, Texas A&M Aggies)
Following 21 years with Mike Gundy at the helm, Oklahoma State’s next head coach may be one of Gundy’s former quarterbacks. Robinson finished his career with the Cowboys fourth all time in career passing yards and passing touchdowns and has been an assistant coach in the NFL for the past seven seasons.
The former PFF senior analyst is now the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, a position he’s held for the last two years. The Falcons have had a 37.2% successful play rate since he took over, which is 11th in the NFL.
Robinson would be a familiar face on the sidelines and would ease the transition to the post-Gundy era.
UCLA Bruins: Tommy Rees (OC, Cleveland Browns)
Other candidates to know
- Bob Chesney (HC, James Madison Dukes)
- Tony White (DC, Florida State Seminoles)
- Eric Morris (HC, North Texas Mean Green)
Tommy Rees is a rising star in the coaching ranks at only 33 years old. The former Notre Dame quarterback was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater for three seasons before leaving to become Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2023. He departed Tuscaloosa after one year to join the Cleveland Browns and was promoted to offensive coordinator this season.
Rees has ties to UCLA, as his father, Bill, was an assistant coach there for 15 years. His older brother, Danny, played for the Bruins as well.
Considering Rees was a favorite for the North Carolina job before the Tar Heels hired Bill Belichick, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he gets his shot as a head coach.
Stanford Cardinal: Tavita Pritchard (QBs coach, Washington Commanders)
Other candidates to know
- Frank Reich (Interim HC, Stanford Cardinal)
- Greg Roman (OC, Baltimore Ravens)
- Pep Hamilton (OC, Maryland Terrapins)
While it’s possible that Reich remains as the permanent head coach, both he and general manager Andrew Luck were adamant when he was hired that this is merely a one-season stopgap solution while Luck searches for the long-term answer. It seems likely that Luck will hire someone who he’s familiar with and has ties to the program.
That could be one of Luck’s former teammates in Tavita Pritchard. He was Stanford’s starting quarterback for a couple seasons before being replaced by Luck in 2009. Pritchard then spent 13 years with the Cardinal as an assistant and served as the offensive coordinator for five seasons from 2018-2022.
He left Stanford to become the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders, where he’s spent the last two years. The 38-year old helped Jayden Daniels complete one of the greatest rookie seasons we’ve ever seen by a quarterback.
Luck and Stanford athletic director John Donahoe were spotted at a Commanders game back in September, further fueling rumors that Pritchard may be the Cardinal’s guy.
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