Meet the new guys: The new coaches and coordinators tracker
This has been an especially fast-moving coaching carousel this year. Coaches were getting fired in September, and the job-changing has continued into 2022.
Here’s a look at all 29 head-coaching changes that have been made as well as the announced coordinator hires for the new coaches. This will be updated as more coordinator hires become official. As it stands, 27 of the new coaches have hired both coordinators. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman still is searching for a defensive coordinator, and Hawaii’s Timmy Chang and Miami’s Mario Cristobal are looking for both coordinators.
Akron
Former coach: Tom Arth
New guy: Joe Moorhead
The buzz: Arth was fired in October in the middle of his third season. Moorhead had been Oregon’s offensive coordinator, and he is a former head coach at Mississippi State and FCS member Fordham.
Etc.: Moorhead brought Nick Toth with him from Oregon to be defensive coordinator. Toth had been an analyst for the Ducks and has been an assistant at Air Force, Fresno State, Texas A&M and UCF, among other stops. Moorhead will serve as his own offensive coordinator.
Colorado State
Former coach: Steve Addazio
New guy: Jay Norvell
The buzz: Addazio was fired at the end of the season, which was his second at the school. Norvell had been coach at Mountain West Conference foe Nevada.
Etc.: Matt Mumme is coming with Norvell from Colorado State as offensive coordinator. The defensive coordinator will be Freddie Banks, who held the same role at FCS program Montana State in 2021. In 2020, Banks was Norvell’s cornerbacks coach at Nevada.
Connecticut
Former coach: Randy Edsall
New guy: Jim Mora
The buzz: Edsall stepped down in September, two games into his fourth season in his second go-round at the school. Mora, a former NFL and UCLA head coach, was hired November 11 to replace him.
Etc.: Nick Charlton, who was coach at FCS member Maine, will be the offensive coordinator. Lou Spanos was retained as the defensive coordinator.
Duke
Former coach: David Cutcliffe
New guy: Mike Elko
The buzz: Cutcliffe stepped down at the end of the season; he spent 14 years at Duke. Elko, who had been Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator, was hired in early December to replace him.
Etc.: Elko has hired Robb Smith as his defensive coordinator. Smith had held the same role at Rutgers. The new offensive coordinator is Kevin Johns, who had held the same role at Memphis.
Florida
Former coach: Dan Mullen
New guy: Billy Napier
The buzz: Mullen was let go in November, near the end of his fourth season at the school. Napier, who had been coach at Louisiana, was named as his replacement at the end of November. He becomes Florida’s seventh coach this century, tied for the most among all Power 5 programs.
Etc.: Patrick Toney is coming with Napier from Louisiana to be co-defensive coordinator; Toney had been coordinator at Louisiana but will share the job with Sean Spencer with the Gators. Spencer, a former college assistant, also will the defensive line coach; he had held the same position with the New York Giants. Rob Sale is the new offensive coordinator; he had been the New York Giants’ offensive line coach. He is a former SEC assistant and also worked with Napier at Louisiana. Napier has said he will handle play-calling duties himself.
FIU
Former coach: Butch Davis
New guy: Mike MacIntyre
The buzz: Davis was let go at the end of the season, his fifth at the school. MacIntyre, who had been Memphis’ defensive coordinator, was hired in early December to replace him. MacIntyre is the former coach at San Jose State and Colorado.
Etc.: Longtime college assistant David Yost will be the offensive coordinator. He is a former OC for Missouri, Utah State and Texas Tech. The defensive coordinator will be Jovann Dewitt, who had been outside linebackers coach at North Carolina. Among his other stops: Nebraska, as well as UCF and FAU, FIU’s archrival.
Fresno State
Former coach: Kalen DeBoer
New guy: Jeff Tedford
The buzz: DeBoer left after the season to become Washington’s coach. Tedford was hired to replace him earlier this month. Tedford had been the Bulldogs’ coach from 2017-19 before stepping down for health reasons; DeBoer replaced him. Tedford, a Fresno State alum, also was coach at California from 2002-12.
Etc.: Kirby Moore, who had been the Bulldogs’ receivers coach and passing game coordinator, was promoted to offensive coordinator. Kevin Coyle, who had been an analyst at LSU, will be the defensive coordinator. He is a former longtime NFL assistant, including a stint as the Miami Dolphins’ DC from 2012-15, and also is a former DC at Fresno, Syracuse and Maryland.
Georgia Southern
Former coach: Chad Lunsford
New guy: Clay Helton
The buzz: Lunsford was fired on October, in the middle of his fourth season at the school. Helton was hired in November after being fired at USC in September; thus, he was both fired and hired during the season.
Etc.: Helton has hired Bryan Ellis, who had been co-coordinator/receivers coach at Western Kentucky, to be offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. The defensive coordinator will be Will Harris, who had been secondary coach at Washington. Harris has been an FBS assistant since 2016 and a college assistant since 2013, and never has coached east of Oklahoma.
Hawaii
Former coach: Todd Graham
New guy: Timmy Chang
The buzz: No school had a more contentious changeover than Hawaii. Todd Graham stepped down January 15 after abuse allegations and a hearing in front of state legislators. Former Hawaii coach June Jones seemed to be in line to get the job again, but there was controversy about that, too. Chang, who starred at quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors under Jones, became the choice; he had been receivers coach for Jay Norvell at Nevada and followed Norvell to Colorado State.
Louisiana
Former coach: Billy Napier
New guy: Michael Desormeaux
The buzz: Napier left for the Florida job at the end of the regular season, and Desormeaux — a former Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback who had been co-offensive coordinator — was promoted to replace him.
Etc.: The new defensive coordinator will be LaMar Morgan, who had been cornerbacks coach at Vanderbilt. Tim Leger, who had been co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, will be the offensive coordinator.
LSU
Former coach: Ed Orgeron
New guy: Brian Kelly
The buzz: Orgeron was fired in mid-October, in the middle of his fifth season at LSU. Kelly was hired away from Notre Dame on November 30.
Etc.: Kelly hired Matt House as his defensive coordinator. House, a former college DC, had been linebackers coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. The new offensive coordinator is Mike Denbrock, who had held the same role at Cincinnati.
Louisiana Tech
Former coach: Skip Holtz
New guy: Sonny Cumbie
The buzz: Holtz, who was in his ninth season, was fired before the final game of the season. Cumbie had been offensive coordinator at Texas Tech.
Etc.: The new defensive coordinator is Scott Power, who had been at FCS member Stephen F. Austin in the same role. Cumbie will have co-offensive coordinators, Jake Brown and Scott Parr. Brown had been a quality control assistant at Texas Tech and also will be wide receivers coach. Parr had been head coach at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, and also will be tight ends coach.
Massachusetts
Former coach: Walt Bell
New guy: Don Brown
The buzz: Bell was fired in early November, near the end of his third season at the school. Brown, who had been defensive coordinator at Arizona, was hired to replace him in late November. Brown is a former UMass coach and led the Minutemen to an FCS runner-up finish in 2006. Bell was hired as offensive coordinator at Indiana.
Etc.: Steve Casula, who had been an analyst at Michigan, will be the offensive coordinator; he is a former OC at Division II power Ferris State. Arizona outside linebackers coach Keith Dudzinski will come with Brown as defensive coordinator.
Miami
Former coach: Manny Diaz
New guy: Mario Cristobal
The buzz: Diaz was fired December 6 after three seasons with the program. Cristobal, a UM alum, officially was hired later that day; he had been coach at Oregon. Cristobal is the seventh Hurricanes coach this century, tied for the most among Power 5 schools. Diaz has been hired as Penn State’s defensive coordinator.
New Mexico State
Former coach: Doug Martin
New guy: Jerry Kill
The buzz: Martin’s contract ran out at the end of the season, and Kill was hired November 28. He had been an off-field assistant for TCU, and is a former head coach at Minnesota.
Etc.: Tim Beck, who had been an analyst at TCU, will be Kill’s offensive coordinator; Beck is a former head coach at Division II Pittsburg (Kan.) State. Nate Dreiling, who had been the linebacker coach at FCS member Southeast Missouri State, is the new defensive coordinator.
Nevada
Former coach: Jay Norvell
New guy: Ken Wilson
The buzz: Norvell left Nevada to take the Colorado State job on December 6. Wilson was named as his successor on December 10; he had been co-coordinator/linebackers coach at Oregon, and is a former longtime Nevada assistant.
Etc.: Mike Bethea, a former Nevada linebacker who had been defensive coordinator at NAIA member Ottawa, in Arizona, will be co-DC and linebacker coach. Wilson was Bethea’s position coach when he played for the Wolf Pack. The other co-DC will be Kwame Agyeman, who had been an analyst at Oregon. Agyeman, who also will be safeties coach, had spent the past seven seasons in various roles at Oregon. The new offensive coordinator is Derek Sage, who had been tight ends coach at UCLA. He also will oversee the Wolf Pack’s tight ends.
Notre Dame
Former coach: Brian Kelly
New guy: Marcus Freeman
The buzz: Kelly was named coach at LSU on November 30 after 12 seasons with the Fighting Irish. Freeman was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace him on December 3.
Etc.: Tommy Rees will remain as offensive coordinator.
Oklahoma
Former coach: Lincoln Riley
New guy: Brent Venables
The buzz: Riley left for USC the day after OU’s regular season ended; he had been coach of the Sooners for five seasons. Venables, a former Oklahoma assistant who was Clemson’s defensive coordinator, was named as his replacement December 5.
Etc.: Venables has hired Jeff Lebby as his offensive coordinator; Lebby was hired away from the same role at Ole Miss. And Ted Roof, who was an off-field assistant at Clemson, will be the Sooners’ new defensive coordinator.
Oregon
Former coach: Mario Cristobal
New guy: Dan Lanning
The buzz: Cristobal left for Miami on December 6, and Lanning was named as his replacement on December 11. Lanning had been defensive coordinator at Georgia.
Etc.: Lanning hired Kenny Dillingham away from Florida State to be his offensive coordinator. The two worked together at Arizona State and Memphis. Tosh Lupoi will be the defensive coordinator; he spent the past three seasons as an NFL assistant, including serving as defensive line coach for Jacksonville this season. He is a former college assistant at California, Washington and Alabama.
SMU
Former coach: Sonny Dykes
New guy: Rhett Lashlee
The buzz: Dykes left for TCU in late November, and Lashlee — a former SMU assistant who was Miami’s offensive coordinator — was named to replace him. Lashlee was named SMU’s coach on November 29, and TCU didn’t officially announce Dykes until November 30.
Etc.: Lashlee has hired Casey Woods as offensive coordinator; Woods had been tight ends coach at Missouri. Scott Symons will be the defensive coordinator; he had held the same role at Liberty.
TCU
Former coach: Gary Patterson
New guy: Sonny Dykes
The buzz: Patterson and TCU parted ways on October 31, near the end of Patterson’s 21st season with the Horned Frogs. Dykes was hired as his replacement in late November; Dykes had been coach at SMU.
Etc.: Garrett Riley is coming with Dykes from SMU as offensive coordinator. Dykes has hired Joe Gillespie as his defensive coordinator; Gillespie had held the same job at Tulsa.
Temple
Former coach: Rod Carey
New guy: Stan Drayton
The buzz: Carey was fired at the end of the regular season, his third with the Owls. Drayton, a longtime college assistant, was hired December 15. He had been running backs coach at Texas for the past five seasons. Drayton also has worked at, among other stops, Ohio State and Florida as well as two seasons with the Chicago Bears.
Etc.: D.J. Eliot will be the defensive coordinator. He most recently was DC at Kansas in 2019-20, and he also has overseen defenses at Kentucky and Colorado. The offensive coordinator will be Danny Langsdorf. He most recently had been at Colorado as quarterbacks coach, but he is a former OC at Nebraska and Oregon State and has been an NFL assistant for four seasons.
Texas Tech
Former coach: Matt Wells
New guy: Joey McGuire
The buzz: Wells was fired in late October, near the end of his third season with the Red Raiders. McGuire, who was Baylor’s outside linebackers coach, was hired in early November.
Etc.: McGuire has hired Zach Kittley as offensive coordinator; Kittley, a Texas Tech alum and Lubbock native, had been the OC at Western Kentucky. Tim DeRuyter is the new defensive coordinator; he had been at Oregon in the same role.
Troy
Former coach: Chip Lindsey
New guy: Jon Sumrall
The buzz: Lindsey was fired on November 21, near the end of his third season with the Trojans (he since has been hired as UCF’s offensive coordinator). Sumrall, who had been Kentucky’s inside linebackers coach, was named as his replacement December 2. Sumrall is a former Troy assistant.
Etc.: UAB tight ends coach Joe Craddock will be the Trojans’ offensive coordinator. Craddock is a former OC under Chad Morris at SMU and Arkansas. Shiel Wood is the new defensive coordinator; he had been inside linebacker coach at Army.
USC
Former coach: Clay Helton
New guy: Lincoln Riley
The buzz: Helton was fired in late September, and Riley, who had been coach at Oklahoma, was hired to replace him in late November.
Etc.: Alex Grinch came with Riley from Oklahoma as defensive coordinator. The new offensive coordinator is Josh Henson, who had been offensive line coach at Texas A&M. Henson is a former OC at Missouri and also has worked at Oklahoma State and LSU. Riley will be the play-caller.
Virginia
Former coach: Bronco Mendenhall
New guy: Tony Elliott
The buzz: Mendenhall stepped down at the end of the season, his sixth with the Cavaliers. Elliott was hired December 10; he had been Clemson’s offensive coordinator.
Etc.: Des Kitchings, who was the running backs coach with the Atlanta Falcons this season, will be the offensive coordinator. He has been a college assistant at Vanderbilt, Air Force, NC State and South Carolina. Elliott hired John Rudzinski as his defensive coordinator; Rudzinski had been in the same role at Air Force for the past four seasons.
Virginia Tech
Former coach: Justin Fuente
New guy: Brent Pry
The buzz: Fuente was fired in late November, near the end of his sixth season with the Hokies. Pry was hired in early December; he had been Penn State’s defensive coordinator.
Etc.: Pry hired Florida State linebacker coach Chris Marve as the Hokies’ defensive coordinator. And Jacksonville Jaguars tight end coach Tyler Bowen will be the offensive coordinator.
Washington
Former coach: Jimmy Lake
New guy: Kalen DeBoer
The buzz: Lake was fired in late November at the end of his second season as coach. DeBoer was hired away from Fresno State. DeBoer is the seventh Huskies coach this century, tied for the most among Power 5 schools.
Etc.: Ryan Grubb is coming with DeBoer from Fresno State as offensive coordinator. There will be co-coordinators on defense, William Inge and Chuck Morrell, who also came with DeBoer from Fresno State.
Washington State
Former coach: Nick Rolovich
New guy: Jake Dickert
The buzz: Rolovich was fired in October for violating a state mandate that said all state employees must be vaccinated against COVID. Dickert, the Cougars’ defensive coordinator, was named interim coach, then made the fulltime coach.
Etc.: Eric Morris, who had been coach at FCS member Incarnate Word, is the new offensive coordinator. Morris, who is a former Texas Tech player and assistant, guided Incarnate Word to the FCS playoffs this season; UIW lost in the second round to top-seeded Sam Houston State. The new defensive coordinator is Brian Ward, who had held the same position at Nevada.
ALSO: Jacksonville State has announced it is making the move from the FCS ranks to FBS in 2023, and hired Rich Rodriguez — the former West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona coach — to replace John Grass, who stepped down in early November during his eighth season with the Gamecocks. Rodriguez had been offensive coordinator at ULM for Terry Bowden. The new defensive coordinator for the Gamecocks will be Zac Alley, who had held the same role at ULM. Calvin Magee will be the offensive coordinator. He had been running backs coach at Duke, but served as Rodriguez’s OC at Michigan and West Virginia.