The college football coaching carousel creates chaos on an annual basis. With 10 jobs open already before the end of October (not including two gigs filled over the offseason on what may be a temporary basis), insiders are forecasting one of busiest seasons of coaching changes we’ve seen in recent years. It’s not just about the coaches who are fired and filling those jobs. It’s then about filling whatever vacancies are left behind, creating domino effect of coaching changes.
This week on CBS Sports HQ, we sought out to create the most chaotic series of coaching dominos while still maintaining some tie to reality. It is very important that you, the reader and the viewer, to understand that this is a work of fan fiction and not to be mistaken for reporting. Some of these moves very well could end up happening, but ultimately the goal was to connect as many dots as possible while also creating as much upheaval as possible across the coaching landscape.
So let’s have some fun and set off a couple of dominos to see how far down the coaching carousel rabbit hole we can go.
Domino 1: The B1G One
- UCLA hires James Franklin
- Penn State hires Mike Elko
- Texas A&M hires Lincoln Riley
- USC hires Jedd Fisch
- Washington hires Ryan Grubb
Penn State is already open, and while candidates like Matt Rhule and Curt Cignetti were the first names mentioned after James Franklin was fired it’s possible that both coaches are going to stay with their current employer through at least the 2026 season.
That would have the Nittany Lions looking for some of the other top names in the industry, which would include seeing if a former Penn player and New Jersey native Mike Elko would be interested in getting the keys to one of the most storied programs in the country. Texas A&M opening would be an intriguing opportunity for anyone, but here we’re using it as a chance for Lincoln Riley to return to Texas to restart the clock.
And while Jedd Fisch has been doing great work at Washington, USC would be smart to check his availability given his success with the Huskies and at Arizona. UCLA gets the program-builder it needs with Franklin (sorry, Virginia Tech), and finally Washington could fill its open spot with former Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who is currently doing great work with Ty Simpson at Alabama.
Domino 2: The Lane Train fallout
- Florida hires Lane Kiffin
- Ole Miss hires Jon Sumrall
- Tulane hires Hugh Freeze
- Auburn hires Rhett Lashlee
- SMU hires Eric Morris
While Ole Miss fans are feeling increasingly confident that Lane Kiffin will remain in Oxford, we all realize that any chaos scenario probably requires the Lane Train to be on the move and get the dominos falling in the SEC.
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is widely viewed as one of the top candidates for any SEC job, and in this run we’ve got Ole Miss securing his commitment to take over an operation that now has the blueprint for success in the modern era. That’s where things get a little tricky, because Tulane will need a coach and it’s possible that Hugh Freeze will need an off ramp after some tough years at Auburn. In a very Dana Holgorsen-to-Houston type move, our fan fiction has Freeze out at Auburn and landing on his feet with the Green Wave, which then opens up another opportunity in the SEC.
As coaching carousel floods, will other big schools — like Auburn and Florida State — pause on changes?
Brandon Marcello
While SMU is well-funded and certainly prepared for a bidding war, we’ve got Rhett Lashlee leaving to return to Auburn where he was previously an offensive coordinator and then the Mustangs tap one of the top Lone Star State coaches to replace him by hiring North Texas’ Eric Morris.
Domino 3: LSU, Beamer Ball and Brian Kelly
- Virginia Tech hires Shane Beamer
- South Carolina hires Brent Key
- Georgia Tech hires Brian Kelly
- LSU hires Eli Drinkwitz
- Missouri hires Scott Satterfield
- Cincinnati hires Mike Denbrock
Shane Beamer was very careful about his coaching moves while Frank Beamer was still at Virginia Tech, choosing to link up up with his father only near the end of his program-changing run in Blacksburg. But enough time has passed now and things have been rocky enough in Columbia to guess (again, in fan fiction) that returning to Virginia Tech looks more enticing now than it may have in September. Beamer leaving South Carolina could have the Gamecocks looking to Brent Key given the previous SEC assistant experience and success he’s had with Georgia Tech.
As for replacing Key we’re using Atlanta as a soft landing spot for Brian Kelly, who might not command the same salary in the wake of the LSU buyout.
Speaking of LSU, Eli Drinkwitz remains one of the top coaches on the hot board for any power conference job that thinks they can lure him away. The Tigers have arguably one of the best jobs in America, with three national championships under three different coaches in the 21st Century (only Ohio State can also claim such an honor).
So Drinkwitz lands in Baton Rouge, which then has Missouri looking to another former App State coach in Scott Satterfield, who has flipped Cincinnati into a Big 12 title contender in just a few years. Then when it’s time for the Bearcats to make a hire it’s not going to be running it back with Brian Kelly, but instead with a former offensive coordinator in Mike Denbrock, who is currently doing great work with Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame.
Phew. How’s all that sound?
