Greg McElroy ranks top targets on coaching carousel, others names to know

The FBS has ten head-coaching jobs that are currently open as of October 28th, setting up what could be an all-time kind of coaching carousel with that many positions, and at the specific programs they’re at, available midseason in 2025. But, with that in mind, who all is in line to take those jobs, whether open now or will come open at this rate over the next month, all around college football?

On ‘Always College Football’ on Tuesday, Greg McElroy put together a comprehensive list of possible candidates for the upcoming carousel. It includes 15 names labeled as top candidates, as well as 15 more who are either candidates from out of the Group of Five, or are current coordinators or past coaches in either the NCAA or the NFL.

Here is that list compiled together and shared this morning by McElroy:

Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin

At this point, we all know that Kiffin is “the top candidate right now in college football” and “the number one candidate by a mile for everybody”, says McElroy. It’s just a matter of if he chooses to remain at Ole Miss, where he is currently at 51-19 (.729) and where he has the Rebels in contention again, or if he’d leave for somewhere else in the sport, specifically one of the three open jobs elsewhere in the Southeastern Conference.

“The entire market is going to revolve around Lane Kiffin here, and he is the number one consensus target for probably everybody,” said McElroy. “And, it depends on fit, it depends on where would things kind of work out for him, what’s he interested in, what does he want…It’s not like it’s only going to be about money for Lane Kiffin. It’s going to be about fit, it’s going to be about desirability, it’s going to be about alignment, all of these other things, if he were to decide to leave Ole Miss. Because, guess what? He’s got a pretty good thing going right now. He has established a proven, portal-fueled, top-ten program in the SEC.”

Nebraska’s Matt Rhule

To this point, Rhule has only been really connected to the open job at Penn State. But, with a coaching career in college known for successful rebuilds, with three stops where the program improved record-wise in every season he was there, he’s a proven commodity that could come under consideration this cycle.

“He has a proven track record of rebuilding programs like Temple, like Baylor and his Nebraska Cornhuskers are off to a 6-2 start. So, it’s understandable that he is a desirable candidate for some of the openings that might come up,” McElroy said. “To be honest with you, I think it’d be hard to leave Nebraska. He’s got a good thing going right now, and it looks like that good thing could continue here in the weeks to come.”

Iowa State’s Matt Campbell

Campbell is another one of those proven coaches, being 69-54 (.561) in a decade spent in Ames as the Cyclones’ all-time winningest coach. But, that said, McElroy noted that any school wanting to hire him away will likely have to adjust their thoughts to doing it his way.

“He has done a lot with less for a number of years. He’s also not an outrageously high-paid coach. So, you look at what others are making elsewhere? He’s not in the top-ten in college football in terms of coach’s salary,” said McElroy. “Here’s the thing about Matt Campbell, though, that you have to be comfortable with. If you want to go hire him, by all means. Or, if you want to have a conversation with him, totally support that. I think he’s one of the best coaches in America. But Matt Campbell will not be interested in recruiting people based on how many stars they have in high school. That’s part of what’s made the Iowa State job so appealing to him. He can do it his way. He can go find those diamonds in the rough. And, if he takes a top-five, top-ten job, the expectation with taking that job is, well, you better recruit top-five, top-ten classes on a year in, year out basis, and those players that have the star rankings that would warrant a top-five, top-ten class might not fit what Matt Campbell wants to coach.”

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz

Drinkwitz is one of several coaches on this list who’s become a bigger and bigger commodity, being 56-27 (.675) in seven total seasons as a head coach and 27-7 (.794) the past two and a half seasons at Mizzou. He may not be at the very top of all of these lists for the programs involved, but, especially in this era of the sport, he’s done enough lately in CoMo to warrant interest.

“He has kind of remade Missouri into a consistently relevant program…He’s been a top-tier candidate for years. If he were to make a move, would he be in the mix at a place like Florida? Would he be in the mix at a place like LSU? I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that,” McElroy said. “All I know is that his system, offensively, is very, very fun to watch. It works. They do a really good job of evaluating talent. I also think he’s done a really good job of navigating the NIL world. He has made Missouri into a big spender…And I think he’s done a really good job of engaging with players and being a players coach that has high expectations while also being able to maintain and deal with some of the circumstance that come with being a head coach nowadays.”

Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea

Lea is “another one of the hottest candidates that’s out there right now” because of his complete and almost unprecedented turnaround of the Commodores, having them at 14-7 (.667) the past season and a half and at 7-1 so far this season to be on pace for one their best campaigns ever at Vandy. The question is could he continue that work elsewhere based on what he’s done, or will he keep his anchor down at his alma mater in Music City?

“You could make a case that he is having the most impressive season in the entire country, given where he’s at and what he’s done at Vanderbilt. Frankly, it’s borderline miraculous. They currently sit comfortably in the Top-10, are 7-1, and they are a legitimate College Football Playoff contender,” said McElroy. “He’s been at the top of the list for a lot of job openings as well. Now, he’s also a Vanderbilt grad. Is he really open to leaving Nashville? I don’t know. But I would imagine that his agent is working overtime, because everybody wants to find out exactly how it is he’s doing what he’s doing because it’s been really remarkable.”

Georgia Tech’s Brent Key

Similarly to Lea, Key has led quite the turnaround himself of the Yellow Jackets, with GT being undefeated at 8-0 this season and at 26-16 (.619) since taking over as interim in 2022. His job now has him in consideration elsewhere too, but he will have to decide if he would want to leave his alma mater as well.

“Another kind of miracle worker. He is also at his alma mater. They currently sit at 8-0, are ranked in the Top-10. He’s been a prime target as well,” McElroy said. “The toughness, the edge, the physicality that his teams have played with have become very admirable across the board in college football. So, everybody’s paying very close attention to what Brent Key is doing, both offensively and defensively. He’s pressed all the right buttons at his alma mater, and they are in prime position to potentially make the College Football Playoff this season.”

Louisville’s Jeff Brohm

Again, similarly, Brohm is doing his own great work at his alma mater, being 25-9 (.735) to this point of his tenure at Louisville to bring him to a career record of 91-53 (.632) when paired with stops at Western Kentucky and Purdue. That resumé makes him “another name that continues to come up” ahead of this carousel, especially if he’d actually consider leaving the Cardinals.

“Also at his alma mater is Jeff Brohm. And, anybody that’s watched college football for five minutes knows that that guy can flat-out coach ball. He can flat-out coach, and he’s at a place in Louisville that is fantastic and it fits. The fit is ideal. Very few in college football have a better feel for the university than Jeff Brohm,” said McElroy. “I don’t see him as a real candidate to leave, but I can understand why other schools are looking at him like, man, I hope he takes our phone call and just hears what we have to say. So, he’s been very desirable as well.”

Tulane’s Jon Sumrall

Sumrall seems to be considered as the top candidate out of the Group of Five, with McElroy separating him from that portion of his list as, to him, he was “slightly more desirable to those in the coaching search world”. That’s as “he is a rising star”, with a record of 38-10 (.792) through two years apiece with the Trojans in the Sun Belt and the Green Wave in the American, with real consideration for a job in the Power Four, with him having been connected to multiple places in the SEC.

“He has done nothing but win in his time at both Troy and at Tulane. He’s on the short list for a lot of programs. Now, I don’t know if LSU would be willing to hire the Tulane head coach. I don’t know if Florida is going to kind of go the same route that they just went with Billy Napier by going and getting a G5 coach from a school in Louisiana that’s won at a high level. But, I could see a place like Arkansas being willing to take a peek at Jon Sumrall, and a handful of other schools that would also be very interested in him as well,” McElroy said. “Jon Sumrall, at some point, will get that Power Four opportunity, but he’s been patient. At some point, though, someones going to make him an offer he cannot turn down.”

Kansas’ Lance Leipold

Leipold may have been a more highly-regarded candidate a year or two ago out of Lawrence. However, he, still a multi-time champion and a winner across all of his stops at multiple levels with a record as a head coach of 168-67 (.715), could be considered if he decides for a change from being with the Jayhawks.

“The guy won six national championships at the DIII level. And, while the performances at Kansas have been a little up and down, this is a guy that has done a really good job over the course of his entire tenure – at the DIII level, at Buffalo, and then early on there at Kansas to make Kansas relevant and to make Kansas dangerous,” said McElroy. “So, Lance Leipold is a name that continues to come up from time to time in coaching search circles that, if you can get ahold of him, if he’s willing to listen, he is still a very attractive candidate to many people across the college football landscape.”

James Franklin

Franklin makes the case as the best overall candidate on the board, having an overall record of 128-60 (.681) with Vanderbilt and Penn State and a mark of 104-45 (.698) with the Nittany Lions, including an appearance just last year in the CFP, despite his firing two weeks ago in Happy Valley. If he wants another job, it’s likely he could expect another soon to be right back in the sport next fall.

“Why did it take me so long to get there? I don’t know. He’s going to be in the mix again this year,” McElroy said. “He’s now on the market. He’s going to be on the short list for a lot of places as well. I don’t know exactly where he’s going to end up, but, if he wants to coach this upcoming year, I think he will. It seems likely that he will land a big job. Some have said maybe Virginia Tech, some have said a few other places. But James Franklin, in all likelihood, will be a head coach again in 2026. It’s just a matter of where.”

SMU’s Rhett Lashlee

Lashlee will have to continuously make a decision of either staying at Southern Methodist, where he has the opportunity at the pace of being 34-15 (.694) in his tenure with the Mustangs, or go elsewhere for maybe a higher-profile gig in the FBS. That’s why McElroy was unsure of where his candidacy stands, namely this year.

“His name is always circulating because of how good a job he’s done at SMU. But, man, I don’t know why you’d mess with happy,” said McElroy. “He’s got tremendous financial support. He’s in the ACC, which is a league in which you can go from just joining the league to the ACC Championship depending on your schedule. He’s already proven that he can do it, and he’s got tremendous support there in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. So, I think it would take a lot for him to listen, but it doesn’t mean that people won’t make that call to begin with.”

Washington’s Jedd Fisch

Fisch was mostly mentioned because of his reputation to change jobs and change jobs often. He is 29-31 (.483) as a college head coach, more specifically at 22-12 (.647) the past three seasons at Arizona and Washington, but it’s more about him having had jobs with 14 different teams, in college and the pros, since 1992, averaging out to less than two seasons per stop for Fisch.

“A lot of people are pointing to his track record. Jedd Fisch has not been a guy that has been in one place for a really, really long time. He’s done a pretty good job at Washington this year. They’re 6-2. But, seems like he’s finally in a destination spot, right? You cannot necessarily say some of the stops he’s had along the way that they were always destinations. Well, Washington is,” McElroy said. “However, just looking at his track record, staying in the place two, three years? Kind of rare. He kind of goes from place to place to place to place to place. So, would he be willing to entertain some offers down the road? Perhaps. But, I don’t know, man. To me, Washington is a really good spot. I wouldn’t be looking to leave there, if I were him, for any reason whatsoever.”

Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham

Another alumni on this list, Dillingham, wasn’t much of an option for McElory as he doesn’t expect him to leave Tempe. Still, with a record of 19-15 (.559) with the Sun Devils, including being 16-6 (.727) the past season and a half with a Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the CFP, his name would absolutely come up elsewhere with what he has already done at ASU.

“I don’t think Kenny Dillingham is leaving. Kenny Dillingham is an alumnus. He’s got a great thing going. They have one of the better programs in the Big 12. He knows he can be competitive in the Big 12. They’ve already won it in just a couple of years,” said McElroy. “But, his offense is very exciting and a lot of people are very curious about that youthful energy that he displays on a week-to-week basis. I think some people might be willing to have a conversation with him if he were open to having a conversation.”

Duke’s Manny Diaz

Diaz is back proving himself as a head coach, being 13-7 (.650) so far with the Blue Devils to bring him to a career record of 34-22 (.607) over his time at Miami and Duke. It’s only a wonder if a bigger job would come calling to give him a chance with a brand name again after his work to this point in Durham.

“He’s done a really good job at Duke, even though they haven’t played super consistent football this year. He was the head coach at Miami. A lot of people felt like he was rushed out of there, didn’t get a fair shake there at the end of his tenure,” McElroy said. “Manny Diaz still remains very highly regarded within the coaching world.”

South Carolina’s Shane Beamer

Finally, McElroy didn’t think that Beamer would be leaving the Gamecocks after this year. It’s just, with where things have trended for him in Columbia, being 3-5 (.375) so far this season to bring him to 32-27 (.542) there, and with all the jobs open elsewhere, specifically that one that naturally keeps coming up with him in Blacksburg, he didn’t think it was impossible that he’d take another job elsehwere.

“One other guy that I also want to put on this list? I don’t think Shane Beamer is really thinking about leaving South Carolina. I don’t think so. And, while things haven’t gone the way you want them to go – he’s 3-5, he’s not had a really good run in the conference so far and some people are a little frustrated with some of the conservative coaching that we’ve seen from time to time from him? I don’t think he is in any jeopardy of being on the hot seat by any stretch,” McElroy said. “But, Virginia Tech will make a full run at Shane Beamer at some point, I would assume. Depending on where he’s at on their board, I don’t know. But I think he will absolutely be in pursuit, so somebody is going to go after him. I don’t know if he’ll take it. If I were him, I probably wouldn’t. But, he is also a guy whose name continues to come up. Don’t be surprised if someone makes him an offer, and he decides to go. I don’t see it, like I said, but he is another guy that continues to be on that short list.”

Group of Five Candidates

USF’s Alex Golesh
James Madison’s Bob Chesney
Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield
Texas State’s G.J. Kinne
North Texas’ Eric Morris

McElroy highlighted this portion of the list for “proven winners at the G5 level.” They are candidates “whose names continue to come up from a standpoint of possibly making the leap to Power Four head coach.”

Golesh (20-14), Silverfield (49-21), and Morris (18-15) are like Sumrall in being options who are currently trying to get their respective teams to the CFP from out of the American. Chesney (15-5) is then looking to do the same with the Dukes out of the Sun Belt, while Kinne (19-14) could also get consideration after three pretty successful years with the Bobcats.

Coordinators

Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady
Texas A&M OC/QBC Collin Klein
Ohio State OC/WRC Brian Hartline
Oregon OC/QBC Will Stein
Oregon DC/LBs Tosh Lupoi
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb
Georgia Tech OC Buster Faulkner

This was another portion that McElroy really wanted to feature. He noted how many top coaches that we know today who were previously coordinators before taking their current jobs, which could mean one of these coordinators could maybe be the next one to make that kind of move with names from several of the top programs in the country represented here.

“Coordinators, I don’t feel like, get talked about enough, by the way. But, think about some of the best coaches in college football right now? Think about some of the best coaches in college football and think about how recently they’ve been a coordinator,” said McElroy. “So, coordinators? I think we don’t talk enough about them and their candidacy.”

Recycled

Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern: 2001-2022)
Jon Gruden (NFL: 1995-2021)
Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, Texas A&M: 2010-2023)

This final section is then reserved for coaches who have been out of the sport for one reason or another for a while. That’s with Fitzgerald being fired suddenly at Northwestern before the start of 2023, Fisher being fired at a record-setting buyout before that season was over in 2023, and Gruden being out of the NFL since his resignation from the Raiders in 2021.

Pending on how these searches go, Fitzgerald or Fisher could reasonably come back to a sideline somewhere. Gruden then continues to put his name into consideration anywhere in football, although not having any prior collegiate experience as a head coach.