College Football Coaching Carousel: Grades for Every Hire in 2025

Michigan tapped veteran coach Kyle Whittingham, while Ohio promoted defensive coordinator and interim coach John Hauser into the permanent head coaching role.

John Hauser led Ohio to a win in the Frisco Bowl as the interim coach then was promoted to the permanent job. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The college football coaching carousel is spinning after a flurry of activity at the end of the regular season. Throughout the cycle, Sports Illustrated will grade the hires.

2025 College Football Coaching Carousel

Coaches Hired

Update: Dec. 26

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Michigan	Kyle Whittingham	A

Sometimes it’s hard to fail upward in finding a coach at a place like the Big House, but that sure looks like what has happened at Michigan. In Whittingham, the Wolverines secured a coach who embraces how the fan base likes to play football, will be able to significantly revamp the culture at Schembechler Hall for the better and will have more resources than he’s ever had to win games. It may not be a 15- or 20-year move for the program, but it’s the perfect one right now. Read more on Whittingham to Michigan.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Ohio	John Hauser	B

The Bobcats were another team that didn’t expect to be in the thick of a coaching search this year but make about as good a move as they could in elevating Hauser into the full-time role. He showed how he runs things as the interim coach and brings tons of MAC experience that should serve the program well as they navigate a third guy in charge in three years.

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Update: Dec. 19

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Missouri State	Casey Woods	B+

It’s been a quick rise up the ranks under some notable head coaches for Casey Woods, who finally gets the chance to run his own program in Springfield, Mo. His background should allow the Bears to tap into connections in Texas and the rest of the South while putting together a pretty fun offense to watch. 

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Update: Dec. 12

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Washington State	Kirby Moore	B

It’s a tall task to win on the Palouse, but Kirby Moore at least understands the area and is a highly respected offensive mind. The big question for the Cougars with the hire of an unproven first-time head coach is how much they’re still going to invest in the program.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Toledo	Mike Jacobs	B+

The Ohio native continues a trend of hiring experienced head coaches at lower levels and now takes over one of the most well-resourced MAC programs around. It will be hard to reach some of the heights his predecessor did, but it’s a hire that should help mitigate some of the puzzling losses the Rockets suffered as big favorites over the years.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Coastal Carolina	Ryan Beard	B

It's not an easy thing transitioning a team from FCS to FBS, but Beard did a great job leading Missouri State to a bowl game in their first season in Conference USA. His teams play hard and his offense should make the Chanticleers competitive even with the step up to the much tougher Sun Belt. 

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Southern Miss	Blake Anderson	A-

No surprise the Golden Eagles moved swiftly to elevate a veteran head coach who knows the program so well from two different successful stints in Hattiesburg, Miss. Anderson understands what it takes to win in the Sun Belt, has a ton of good relationships in the region and should help add to his total of nine bowl games in charge of a team with an offense that produces plenty of points.

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Update: Dec. 8

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Tulane	Will Hall	C

The Green Wave got down the road with a number of top-tier defensive-minded coaches but instead opted for the continuity on offense by promoting Will Hall into the top job. He did have success as a Division II coach, but his track record in the FBS ranks at Southern Miss (14–30) doesn’t inspire confidence in a much tougher league.

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Updated: Dec. 6

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
UConn	Jason Candle	B-

It was only a matter of time before Jason Candle finally made a go at a new job and it’s an intriguing move to Storrs, Conn., for the longtime Toledo coach. This is an incredibly difficult job as a football independent and seems like a hire that could lead to a handful of more upsets while also lowering the overall floor given Candle’s tendency to lose with the more talented team.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Memphis	Charles Huff	A

Charles Huff built a winner at Marshall and nearly took his Southern Miss team back to the Sun Belt title game in his first season. Memphis is a step up from those jobs but should give him the resources and local talent needed to run the American for the next few years. 

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Updated: Dec. 5

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Iowa State	Jimmy Rogers	A-

The Cyclones wasted, quite literally, no time in replacing Matt Campbell in Ames, Iowa. Rogers has extensive ties in the Midwest and knows how to keep a high-functioning program going given how he won a national championship with South Dakota State. He did a great job at Washington State this season and fits the mold of what works at a place like Iowa State.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Penn State	Matt Campbell	A

It may have been a meandering search in retrospect to land a guy Penn State should have targeted in the first place. But the Nittany Lions wind up with a great coach who can not only make the program a CFP regular, but one who can pull a few more of those Top 10 upsets that his predecessor could not. Read more on Campbell to Penn State.

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Updated: Dec. 4

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
James Madison	Billy Napier	A-

You can’t fault the Dukes for making a string of hires involving coaches with a proven track record. Billy Napier’s time at Florida didn't go well, but he proved to be a quality recruiter and he understands how to win the Sun Belt. Things may take a slight step back from the ultra-high level they’ve been at in Harrisonburg, Va., but it wouldn’t be surprising if Napier wins the league at James Madison a few times.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
UAB	Alex Mortensen	B

The Blazers embarked on a fascinating search despite having plenty of lead time after axing Trent Dilfer early in the season. Alex Mortensen is highly regarded in coaching circles, but the track record of interim coaches getting the tag taken off in the Group of 5 is a bit of a mixed bag. His staff hires will prove key to success in Birmingham, Ala.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Kansas State	Collin Klein	A-

It’s hard to find a better fit to take over for a retiring head coach late in the process than landing a rising assistant coach who is also a program legend. Kansas State isn’t the most effortless of jobs but if anybody can tackle it, it would be Collin Klein. Read more on Klein to Kansas State.

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Update: Dec. 3

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
South Florida	Brian Hartline	A

The Bulls aimed high in their search and landed one of the biggest names available out of the assistant ranks in Brian Hartline, who has proven to be a phenomenal recruiter in the state of Florida since returning to his alma mater. He’s the best wide receiver developer in the country and should be able to keep things rolling in Tampa before inevitably leaving for a Power 4 job in a few years.

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Update: Dec. 2

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Cal	Tosh Lupoi	B-

The Bay Area native and former assistant with the Golden Bears was an early name connected to this opening and winds up taking over at his alma mater. There’s no question that he should be able to significantly amp up the recruiting efforts in Berkeley, Calif., and improve the talent level on the roster, but this is a difficult job that will much more come down to Tosh Lupoi’s ability to hire a good staff and not have too many hiccups as a first-time head coach. 

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
North Texas	Neal Brown	B+

Neal Brown was in the mix for several Group of 5 jobs but landed in a great spot taking over a Mean Green program that has shown it can compete at the top of the conference. He’s had plenty of experience in the state of Texas and knows how to win at this level with an offense that puts up points, two qualities that should serve him well in Denton, Texas.

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Update: Dec. 1

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Kentucky	Will Stein	B+

It’s no easy thing to learn on the job in the SEC, but Will Stein is a fantastic offensive mind with a great track record of developing quarterbacks. That’s a welcome sight in Lexington, Ky., as the Wildcats go with the complete opposite of his predecessor and hope it’s enough to turn the team’s fortunes around in the next few years. Read more on Stein to Kentucky.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Michigan State	Pat Fitzgerald	B-

This is a high floor, but ultimately low ceiling, hire for Michigan State in bringing Pat Fitzgerald back to college football. That’s not a bad thing for a program which has been unable to find much of a footing for much of the past decade, but it probably limits the upside for a program that should be much more successful than it has been compared to other, more exciting options. Read more on Fitzgerald to Michigan State.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
UCLA	Bob Chesney	B+

The only thing that could hold this back from being a slam dunk for the Bruins is that there’s always a slight bit of the unknown for smaller school guys translating to the power leagues—especially without any regional ties. Bob Chesney has proven to be a great coach though and UCLA fans should be thrilled they landed him to buoy hopes that he follows Curt Cignetti’s path some more and will make their program relevant on the national stage. Read more on Chesney to UCLA.

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Update: Nov. 30

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Ole Miss	Pete Golding	C-

If you were to ask opposing SEC coaches and fan bases if they were excited that Ole Miss simply promoted Pete Golding instead of going out to land a proven head coach, they would be over the moon. Maybe he unlocks the place and keeps things rolling outside the Grove, but history and common sense says this is taking a big chance on a coordinator who didn’t particularly distinguish his units on the field either. Read more on Golding at Ole Miss.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
LSU	Lane Kiffin	A

It’s possible this all ends in a spectacular failure for LSU and Lane Kiffin wins up being Brian Kelly 2.0 in Baton Rouge. But on the surface, it’s a great marriage that will wind up being judged by just one thing. Read more on Kiffin to LSU.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Arkansas	Ryan Silverfield	B-

The Razorbacks conducted a wide-ranging and active coaching search before finally settling on Ryan Silverfield—who they know up close what he can do having a victory over Arkansas this season. He should be able to significantly raise the floor in Fayetteville, Ark., by making this a consistent bowl-bound program with the occasional ability to compete for much more every so often, too. Read more on Silverfield to Arkansas.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Auburn	Alex Golesh	A-

Alex Golesh did a fantastic job turning around USF over three seasons and was an easy decision for Auburn to hire on this chaotic coaching carousel. He should be immediately able to help juice the Tigers offense and have them competing for CFP bids moving forward once he really gets rolling on the Plains. Read more on Golesh to Auburn.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Florida	Jon Sumrall	A

No, Florida didn’t land Lane Kiffin and will have to deal with angry fans worried the Gators just made a carbon copy of the hire that just recently didn’t work out. But Jon Sumrall is a potential home run with the way he runs things and could be key to unlocking a program capable of competing at the very high end of college football. Read more on Sumrall to Florida.

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Update: Nov. 28

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Stanford	Tavita Pritchard	C

There is no more powerful general manager out there than Andrew Luck on the Farm, so it shouldn’t be a surprise he would hire somebody he’s quite familiar with in Pritchard, who has spent all but two years of his playing and coaching career with the Cardinal. This is a difficult job, doubly so in the ACC rather than the old Pac-12, and feels like an uphill climb for a first-time head coach given everything he has to navigate on campus before even kicking off.

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Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Oregon State	JaMarcus Shephard	B-

The Beavers moved on from alum Trent Bray in part because he was having to learn on the job about how to run a program, so it’s interesting they are going with someone who is also a first-time head coach who hasn’t called plays before. Shephard brings plenty of connections on the West Coast and will be a tremendous infusion of energy in Corvallis, Ore., but it’s a bit of a risk given how difficult the gig is in general.

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Update: Nov. 26

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Colorado State	Jim Mora	A-

Colorado State is aiming high in the new Pac-12 and landing a proven head coach with West Coast ties like Jim Mora is a big win for a program that should be regularly contending for a conference title. Mora did a terrific job in tough circumstances at UConn, but has a chance to revive the Rams sooner rather than later.

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Update: Nov. 25

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Oklahoma State	Eric Morris	A

Eric Morris not going to be Mike Gundy 2.0, but Oklahoma State checks off all the boxes in landing a proven head coach who can win in tough places and has plenty of connections to the talent-rich state to the south. Hard to argue with either side given how perfect a match this looks to be on paper. Read more on Morris to Oklahoma State. 

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Update: Nov. 17

Team	Coach Hired	Grade
Virginia Tech	James Franklin	A

James Franklin still needs to answer questions about why things went so off the rails at Penn State, but it’s hard not to see this as anything but a great marriage between coach and program. The Hokies get a proven program builder who recruits the area extremely well and should instantly make them relevant in the lower pressure of the ACC. Read more on Franklin to Virginia Tech.

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2025 College Football Coaching Carousel

Team	Previous Coach	Date	Hired Coach
Ohio	Brian Smith	Dec. 18	John Hauser
Missouri State	Ryan Beard (left for Coastal Carolina)	Dec. 11	Casey Woods
Michigan	Sherrone Moore	Dec. 10	Kyle Whittingham
Toledo	Jason Candle (left for UConn)	Dec. 6	Mike Jacobs
Southern Miss	Charles Huff (left for Memphis)	Dec. 6	Blake Anderson
Washington State	Jimmy Rogers (left for Iowa State)	Dec. 5	Kirby Moore
Iowa State	Matt Campbell (left for Penn State)	Dec. 5	Jimmy Rogers
Kansas State	Chris Klieman (retired)	Dec. 3	Collin Klein
James Madison	Bob Chesney (left for UCLA)	Dec. 1	Billy Napier
Coastal Carolina	Tim Beck	Nov. 30	Ryan Beard
Kentucky	Mark Stoops	Nov. 30	Will Stein
Michigan State	Jonathan Smith	Nov. 30	Pat Fitzgerald
Ole Miss	Lane Kiffin (left for LSU)	Nov. 30	Pete Golding
Memphis	Ryan Silverfield (left for Arkansas)	Nov. 30	Charles Huff
South Florida	Alex Golesh (left for Auburn)	Nov. 30	Brian Hartline
Tulane	Jon Sumrall (left for Florida)	Nov. 30	Will Hall
UConn	Jim Mora (left for Colorado State)	Nov. 26	Jason Candle
North Texas	Eric Morris (left for Oklahoma State)	Nov. 25	Neal Brown
Cal	Justin Wilcox	Nov. 23	Tosh Lupoi
Auburn	Hugh Freeze	Nov. 2	Alex Golesh
LSU	Brian Kelly	Oct. 26	Lane Kiffin
Florida	Billy Napier	Oct. 19	Jon Sumrall
Colorado State	Jay Norvell	Oct. 19	Jim Mora
Penn State	James Franklin	Oct. 12	Matt Campbell
Oregon State	Trent Bray	Oct. 12	JaMarcus Shephard
UAB	Trent Dilfer	Oct. 12	Alex Mortensen
Arkansas	Sam Pittman	Sept. 28	Ryan Silverfield
Oklahoma State	Mike Gundy	Sept. 23	Eric Morris
UCLA	DeShaun Foster	Sept. 14	Bob Chesney
Virginia Tech	Brent Pry	Sept. 14	James Franklin
Stanford	Troy Taylor	March 25	Tavita Pritchard

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