There was a lot of coaching turnover. That meant staff changes and new coordinators in new places.
College football's coordinator carousel is often about the next big thing, the name you don't know yet but will soon enough. The most, where he helped engineer the program's rise alongside Dabo Swinney from 2011 to 2014.
Will Muschamp is back as defensive coordinator at, where he accelerated his "Coach Boom" reputation and spent 2009 and 2010 as head coach-in-waiting behind Mack Brown. Gary Patterson has not worked atbefore, but his arrival as defensive coordinator -- a role he hasn't held since 2000 -- under a coach he knows well qualifies as one of the splashiest moves of the winter.hired as defensive coordinator in a truly historic move. Pry began the 2025 season as the Hokies' head coach and will begin 2026 as their defensive playcaller, working for the coach who replaced him, and for whom he last served as a DC atThe theme of the cycle, and a subplot for the 2026 season, is whether proven playcallers can replicate their success at places they know and at new ones. This past coordinator carousel still has some names on the rise and key staff retentions, including at national championship participants, and several other CFP teams. Here's a look at the key coordinator moves made in each Power 4 conference and how they could impact the 2026 season. Timing is everything when it comes to many coaching hires, and Kelly's availability -- after being fired just 11 games into his tenure asoffensive coordinator -- and willingness to take on a role like this made Northwestern jump at the opportunity. Northwestern needs excitement around its program as it opens new Ryan Field. Despite seven bowl appearances since the start of the 2015 season, Northwestern ranks 129th nationally in scoring during the span. "If I was going to make a change, we can't just make a change to make a change," Northwestern coach David Braun told me. "Let's make an aggressive, transformational change." Kelly gives Northwestern a proven playcaller who can help improve its situational offense. The Wildcats tied for 60th nationally in red zone drives but were 129th in red zone touchdown percentage last season. "Chip's acumen and understanding for how we can manipulate coverages and utilize the QB run game is really exciting," Braun said. "Ultimately, someone who understands, you win in the NFL by winning on third down, winning on two-minute drives and being successful in the red zone. That's one area of the field where players matter, but scheme really matters.". Like Kelly in 2024, Smith arrives as a true autonomous playcaller, and will allow Buckeyes coach Ryan Day to focus on overall management of the team. Day likely would have needed to be more directly involved if he promoted an assistant to the OC role, and Smith's hiring makes the responsibilities clear.blanked three opponents in 2025 and allowed 10 points or fewer in five other victories. The Aztecs finished sixth nationally in points allowed , behind four CFP teams and. Aurich, in his first season as SDSU's defensive coordinator, oversaw the surge and put himself on the radar for a significant opportunity with Matt Rhule at Nebraska. He returned to the Midwest, where he grew up, played college football and began his career at stops likeafter serving as South Dakota's coach in 2025. Johansen has been at USD since 2019, spending six seasons as defensive coordinator -- Aurich worked under him from 2019 to 2021 -- before taking over the program.Not long ago, teams like Indiana, that had seasons like Indiana had, would almost certainly lose top assistants, often for the same roles at higher-profile programs. But nothing is typical about Indiana's rise. The Hoosiers have not only recorded consecutive CFP appearances and their first national title, but also have made the necessary investments to keep coach Curt Cignetti's top assistants. Since Shanahan and Haines arrived in 2024, Indiana leads the FBS in scoring and ranks second in fewest points allowed . Both coordinators are rooted with Cignetti, but other opportunities have surfaced and they've stayed put for a third season. Patricia is back for a second season at Ohio State after overseeing a historically strong group that led the FBS with just 9.3 points per game allowed.This will be interesting. Patterson is a Hall of Fame coach with a keen eye for defensive talent and developing players, as he displayed throughout his 22-year run ascoach. He has never worked at a program with USC's combination of history, resources and access to talent, and could be a significant asset for Lincoln Riley as the Trojans attempt to make their first playoff. Although Patterson has held some support roles since the end of his TCU tenure, he hasn't been a coordinator for more than a quarter-century. How will the headstrong Patterson adjust to answering to a boss 23 years younger than him?as defensive coordinator, a role he held in 2023 and 2024. Although Kane was on hand for a very rough stretch for Boiler football, he also has extensive Big Ten experience and solid coordinator stints at The Big Ten adds four new coaches, but most eyes will be on Kyle Whittingham and Matt Campbell at Michigan and Penn State, respectively. Both are bringing their offensive coordinators from previous stops while adding notable DCs. Beck, in particular, arrives with great anticipation after significantly elevating Utah's offense, which finished fourth nationally in scoring and second in rushing last season. He now must work his magic with a very different type of quarterback in sophomoreContinuity is the clear theme for Oregon ahead of a season where anything short of a national title might be deemed a disappointment. After losing coordinators Will Stein , coach Dan Lanning looked within the program for their replacements. Hampton, who spent 2021 and 2022 as Tulane's defensive coordinator before joining Oregon's staff as Lupoi's lead aide, was a fairly clear choice. Lanning went outside the program for Stein but opted to elevate Mehringer, who has coached the Ducks' tight ends for the past four seasons but also has coordinator experience from Rutgers,When Knowles left 2024 national champion Ohio State for Penn State, he did so with the hope of elevating the program he grew up rooting for to similar heights and likely setting up roots in his home state. But Penn State's surprising struggles and the midseason firing of coach James Franklin put Knowles' future in flux. Tennessee dumped defensive coordinator Tim Banks just a year after he was a Broyles Award finalist for a CFP team and quickly jumped at the chance to hire Knowles, one of the nation's most respected coordinators. Knowles takes over a defense that finished 91st in both points allowed and yards allowed. Several key Penn State transfers followed him to Knoxville, including linebacker. If Tennessee makes a move back toward the CFP in 2026, Knowles' defense likely will be leading the way. Many Ole Miss fans won't miss Lane Kiffin, but even they must acknowledge that the offensive structure he and former OC Charlie Weis Jr. created dramatically elevated the program and will be missed. Offensive coordinator was coach Pete Golding's most important transition hire, and he went with Baker, who spent 2021 to 2023 as an Ole Miss assistant before landing his first lead coordinator role atthere and helped ECU rise to No. 19 nationally in passing offense and No. 24 in scoring. Baker inherits a very talented group, which includes Doak Walker Award runner-upand others. Kiffin and Weis set a very high standard for production at Ole Miss, and Baker will be expected to match it. He will be helped by Joe Judge, whom Golding kept on as quarterbacks coach.in the fourth quarter of the 2025 Iron Bowl, momentum grew for Durkin, the team's interim coach, to land the permanent role. Auburn ended up losing and hiring Alex Golesh instead, but Golesh retained Durkin in his original coordinator role. The veteran DC oversaw top-35 defenses at Auburn despite getting very little help from the offense and has experience from, Michigan and elsewhere. Golesh hasn't worked with Durkin before but has known him for many years. If the partnership between the two holds up, Auburn should be better off. Kiffin scored a major win for LSU in keeping Baker, a candidate for'shead coaching vacancy. Baker's 2025 defense held opponents to fewer than 20 points per game, and his extensive experience recruiting and coaching in the state will be a big boost as Kiffin gets settled.Texas provided some shock value in both its firing of Pete Kwiatkowski, an experienced coordinator who did solid work in Austin, and its hiring of Muschamp, who hasn't been a full-time on-field coach since 2023 and last held a primary coordinator role in 2015 at Auburn. Muschamp has been close to thecoach, and has familiarity with Texas from his time there under Brown. Muschamp also recognizes Texas is in win-now mode and inherits a defense that returns star edgealso brought back a familiar name in Zach Arnett, who will return to the defensive coordinator role he held for the Bulldogs from 2020 to 2022. Arnett then took over as head coach following the death of Mike Leach, only to be fired after one season. He spent the past two seasons as an analyst for Florida State and Ole Miss.Arguably no coordinator enhanced his value in the postseason more than Weis, who briefly left Ole Miss to join Kiffin at LSU, only to slingshot back and forth and help the Rebels win two CFP games and nearly advance to the national championship. The 32-year-old no longer lives in Kiffin's shadow, as his playcalling and work with Chambliss and others stood out and will now help LSU, which tumbled to 109th nationally in offense and 101st in scoring last season. New Florida coach Jon Sumrall plucked Faulkner from. The Gators rank 82nd nationally in scoring since the start of the 2023 season. Faulkner's run schemes stood out at Georgia Tech, but he also has ties to the Air Raid from his time atand spent time with Todd Monken at Georgia. " taught me that volume is more," Faulkner told me last spring. "More volume gives you more answers, and it allows you to define yourself. The game's about being explosive. The biggest thing he talked about was, 'Don't bring me plays that are 5-yard gains. Bring me the 25-yard gains.'"After a historic season that featured Texas A&M's first 11-0 start since its last national championship team in 1939, coach Mike Elko chose continuity when coordinators Collin Klein and Jay Bateman left College Station. Wiggins, the team's co-OC the past two seasons next to Klein, will handle the primary role for the first time in his career. He has coached wide receivers since 2012, including a five-year stretch at Alabama, and will once again havetake the next step. Hemphill, who served as a senior defensive assistant in 2025, brings more coordinator experience after stops at James Madison,Pry's rehiring at Virginia Tech is unprecedented in major college football. Coaches have returned to programs they once led, but not right away, like Pry will in 2026. His fondness for both Virginia Tech and Franklin, who became emotional at his own introduction when talking about his history with Pry and Pry's family, should remove any awkwardness or bitterness from the reunion. But Pry still will be coaching many of the players he recruited to Virginia Tech in a different capacity, while helping Franklin fast-track the program to ACC contention. As Penn State's defensive coordinator under Franklin, Pry helped the team to a Big Ten title and four straight CFP top-12 finishes. The son of Hall of Fame coach Larry Kehres, who won 11 Division III national titles at Mount Union, is charting his own path in the FBS. Vince Kehres replaced his father and won two Division III titles at Mount Union before spending the past six seasons as Toledo's defensive coordinator. Last fall, he put together the top Group of 5 defense and one of the best in the country, as Toledo finished fourth nationally in fewest points allowed , surrendering nine or fewer in each of its final four regular-season games and more than 14 in just three regular-season contests. The Rockets were second nationally in yards allowed behind Ohio State. He makes his first move to a Power 4 program with Syracuse, which went 3-9 last season and allowed the most points of any ACC team.Mario Cristobal hasn't been shy about shuffling his staff, even after strong seasons, but he's pushing forward with both Hetherman and Dawson after the team's run to the national championship game. Hetherman made a massive impact in his first season with the U, elevating the defense from 70th nationally in points allowed to fifth. Dawson displayed his flexibility as a playcaller, pivoting from a high-octane style under quarterback., and converting third downs at a good clip. ACC championship game participants Duke and Virginia also both retained their primary coordinators, includingNew Cal coach Tosh Lupoi is making some interesting moves in returning to his alma mater, including with his first staff. Somerville has been a full-time coach only since 2020 but moved up rapidly, making stops at New Mexico and Oregon -- where he worked alongside Lupoi -- before landing the assistant quarterbacks coach job with therevive his career and become one of the NFL's top passers. Somerville now will work directly with Cal'sSwinney is, if nothing else, loyal to the people and methods that helped build Clemson into a two-time national champion under his watch. The offense clearly needed a reset after a 2025 season where neither Garrett Riley's playcalls nor quarterback Cade Klubnik's performance met expectations. Rather than look for another up-and-coming outsider, Swinney picked Morris, who held a range of roles since being fired ascoach, including his last coordinator post in 2020 with Auburn, which finished 89th nationally in scoring that fall. Morris will try to recapture the magic of his first go-around as Clemson's OC, when the offense ranked 15th nationally in scoring . The thought of Petrino calling offensive plays for Belichick at an ACC program seemed unfathomable just two years ago, but here we are. North Carolina averaged just 19.3 points per game in Belichick's first season, and Petrino should provide an upgrade. Arkansas ranked sixth in yards per game and 30th in scoring during Petrino's return the past two seasons. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is still a defensive coordinator at heart and clearly thinks highly of Sanders to promote him. Sanders replaces Randy Bates, who led Pitt's defense for the past eight seasons and helped the team to an ACC title and six bowl appearances before retiring. Pitt should benefit from Sanders being on the defensive staff throughout Bates' tenure, working primarily with the safeties. He coached standouts like. Although Sanders hasn't been an FBS coordinator, he has head coaching experience from Division II St. Joseph's, his alma mater, where he went 23-18 in four seasons. Harris, who served as Florida State's passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2025, will take over the primary coordinator duties from Gus Malzahn, who retired from coaching. He served as, following a stretch as a high school coach in Miami. Harris takes over a unit that started strong in 2025, faded a bit down the stretch but still finished 22nd nationally in scoring. Colorado's problems in 2025 stretched beyond its offense, but elevating production can help coach Deion Sanders' tenure get back on track. Marion is a young, dynamic coach who quickly facilitated improvement at UNLV, which ranked 11th nationally in scoring during his two seasons as coordinator. The "go-go offense" operates with pace and applies pressure to defenses in different ways by varying formations and emphasizing the downhill run game. Marion also has head coaching experience from, where he went 7-5 in his only season and had the No. 2 rushing attack in the FCS. If things go well in Boulder, Marion should put himself in position for Power 4 jobs.The Sammis hire is notable not only because of his recent success, but also the pivot TCU could make in coach Sonny Dykes' fifth season. Sammis is a former Virginia offensive lineman who has spent his entire coaching career in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including at, where he moved from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator to interim head coach for last year's bowl game. Last season, UConn finished 15th nationally in scoring , quarterback Joe Fagano had 28 touchdown passes and only one interception, and wide receiverwas a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. His scheme has some parallels with what Dykes has used previously but likely will emphasize the run game more and in different ways. Longtime quarterbackStability was a theme in the Big 12 coordinator ranks, especially with several potential contenders. League champion Texas Tech retained coordinators Shiel Wood and Mack Leftwich after making its first CFP appearance, awarding both three-year contract extensions through 2028. Both oversaw top-10 units in 2025. Arizona State not only kept coach Kenny Dillingham, but also coordinators Marcus Arroyo and Brian Ward , who will return for their fourth seasons in Tempe. Retention was a theme at both sides of the Territorial Cup rivalry, as Arizona will run it back with Seth Doege and Danny Gonzales after a rebound season on the field. Houston also will keep coordinators Slade Nagle and Austin Armstrong after a six-win improvement in 2025.Three Big 12 schools had head coaching changes following the season, and the new offensive playmakers for each team will be worth watching. Utah's offense surged last year under Jason Beck, and new coach Morgan Scalley looked within the state for his first OC hire in Kevin McGiven, who has extensive experience within the state, including two stints as's OC. Collin Klein's return to Kansas State as coach brought several interesting staff hires, including OC Sean Gleeson, who first built his reputation atand Rutgers. Gleeson spent the past two seasons at Missouri. New Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers leaned on his FCS background in hiring OC Tyler Roehl, whom Rogers faced in the South Dakota State-North Dakota State rivalry. Roehl coached ISU's running backs in 2024 and spent last season as
Tcu-Horned-Frogs Utah-Utes Oregon-Ducks Kansas-Jayhawks Virginia-Tech-Hokies Ole-Miss-Rebels Texas-Longhorns Florida-State-Seminoles Penn-State-Nittany-Lions Pittsburgh-Panthers Auburn-Tigers Clemson-Tigers Syracuse-Orange Nebraska-Cornhuskers Miami-Hurricanes Northwestern-Wildcats Usc-Trojans Kansas-State-Wildcats Indiana-Hoosiers Ohio-State-Buckeyes College-Football Byu-Cougars Texas-A-M-Aggies North-Carolina-Tar-Heels California-Golden-Bears Colorado-Buffaloes Lsu-Tigers Daily Tennessee-Volunteers Michigan-Wolverines Florida-Gators 18578662
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bitcoin has performed worse than a bet tracking the chance of Jesus Christ returning this yearThe Polymarket bet is a reminder that the weirdest corners of crypto are sometimes the only ones going up.
Read more »
NBC Is Live Tracking the Heart Rate of Olympians' Loved Ones, and It's BizarreParents, partners and coaches of American Olympians will have their BPMs shared during competitions this year.
Read more »
Project Hail Mary’s Box Office Tracking Reveals The Movie’s Dangerous PositionRyan Gosling holding something up while addressing a group of people in Project Hail Mary
Read more »
Your Car Tires Might Have RFID Tracking Tags - Here's Why That's ImportantBriley Kenney has written about technology and consumer electronics for nearly two decades. Starting in the days of yore, covering Blackberry, he has a vast array of bylines.
Read more »
DOJ may face investigation for pressuring Apple, Google to remove apps for tracking ICE agentsFind the latest technology news and expert tech product reviews. Learn about the latest gadgets and consumer tech products for entertainment, gaming, lifestyle and more.
Read more »
Immigrants challenging their detention have hit a historic high. Here’s a look at the increase.ProPublica is tracking the historic rise in challenges filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal.
Read more »