2021 College Football Coaching Carousel: Head Coaching, Coordinator Changes
November was one of the busiest months in the coaching carousel in recent memory. 24 FBS schools made changes at head coach with dozens of other coordinator changes also taking place.
Kickstarted by Lincoln Riley's sudden move from Oklahoma to USC, the biggest coaching names in the country were on the move.
Below, we'll look at the most notable hires as well as every head coaching change that's taken place so far. Check back as news breaks to see who filled the current vacancies.
Head Coaches: The Blockbuster Deals
College football in the modern day is a tough place to coach. Pressure from fans, boosters, and administrators can give coaches just a year or two to make dramatic changes within the program. 2021 was a perfect exaggeration of the volatility of the industry.
Lincoln Riley -- Oklahoma to USC
This is the hire that shocked the entire nation and kickstarted an arms race. Riley pieced together historically efficient offenses and earned a 55-10 record (37-7 Big 12 record) during his five seasons with the Sooners. He produced two Heisman winners (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray), another finalist (Jalen Hurts), and seemingly a contender in the making (Caleb Williams). Three of those are NFL starting quarterbacks today.
Lincoln Riley was synonymous with Oklahoma and appeared to have the safest job in the nation. Turns out, he did have the safest job. USC just came in and dangled a fortune at him.
The impending move to the SEC was noted as a reason for Riley's leaving. Speculation surrounds him taking an easier future path to the College Football Playoff– a place he led the Sooners to twice. Of course, the main reason was the deal USC handed him.
He may have been offered the sweetest deal in sports:
- $110 million over an unspecified number of seasons
- A $1 million signing bonus via USC buying his two Norman homes at $500K over value
- A $6 million Los Angeles home (queue the L.A. housing market jokes)
- Unlimited 24/7 family use of USC's private jet
And so the coaching arms race began.
Brian Kelly -- Notre Dame to LSU
In a move as monumental as the Riley deal, Brian Kelly bolted overnight for the LSU coaching vacancy. He led Notre Dame to its most successful stretch of seasons since Lou Holtz in the mid-1990s. During his tenure that began in 2010, Notre Dame made the 2012 National Championship Game, four New Years Six bowl games, and seven 10+ win seasons (five straight).
However, rumors from Notre Dame circles emerged that Kelly was frustrated with the university's tough academic policies that made recruiting difficult and forced several players to transfer. He was also reportedly vying for a new indoor facility, which stalled out during his time.
The bottom line is: it's easier to put together a championship-caliber team at LSU than it is at Notre Dame.
He was given a 10-year, $95 million deal with the Tigers. However, the immediate question was the culture fit between Kelly and LSU– something his predecessor Ed Orgeron fit perfectly.
Kelly quickly put those doubts to bed:
Mario Cristobal -- Oregon to Miami
The writing was on the wall with Cristobal for weeks and the latest blockbuster deal was made official on December 7. An elite recruiter, he led Oregon to two 10+ win seasons and two New Years Six bowl games, including a Rose Bowl win in 2019.
The year before Cristobal was affirmed as the head coach with the Ducks, they had the 19th-ranked recruiting class nationally (2017). After that, they never fell outside the top-15 and signed two top-10 classes nationally.
Cristobal is a former Miami player, part of "The U" heyday teams of the late 80s and early 90s. His connections to South Florida run deep, making him an obvious culture fit for the program.
However, the move still came as a surprise to many. Oregon is a destination job for many, backed by Nike, and ever-successful in the Pac-12. While Miami is no recruiting slouch themselves, the allure of the Canes over the Ducks seems purely home-based. The lack of a stadium to themselves and the decision-by-committee approach to internal decisions were some of the concerns raised by the national media.
Cristobal was handed a 10-year deal with an average annual salary of $8 million.
Head Coaches: The Other Major Moves
Brent Venables -- Clemson defensive coordinator to Oklahoma
Venables was a name that appeared every year for major coaching vacancies. He was formerly the nation's highest-paid coordinator, leading Clemson to nationally-leading defenses year after year. He won a pair of National Championships with the Tigers before being chosen as Oklahoma's next head guy.
He was a longtime defensive coach with the Sooners from 1999-2011 before being hired by Clemson.
Billy Napier -- Louisiana to Florida
Since taking over the Ragin' Cajuns, Napier turned them into a formidable national team. Not only did he lead Louisiana to its first 10-win season in program history, he did it in his second year. Then he gave them their second and third 10+ win seasons in consecutive years.
The Ragin' Cajun fanbase was grateful and gave Napier a friendly sendoff. Florida signed him to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract.
Marcus Freeman -- Notre Dame
Freeman was the Notre Dame defensive coordinator and interim coach for the Fiesta Bowl before being named the full-time coach. He's reportedly beloved by the players and is a terrific recruiter.
Before joining the Irish in 2021, Freeman led Cincinnati to one of the best defenses in the nation, players who were almost exclusively recruited by Freeman himself.
Head Coaches: All Hires
- Joey McGuire, Texas Tech (Baylor linebackers coach)
- Don Brown, UMass (Arizona defensive coordinator)
- Jim Mora, UConn (Former head coach)
- Clay Helton, Georgia Southern (former USC head coach)
- Jake Dickert, Washington State (promoted interim)
- Jerry Kill, New Mexico State (TCU interim)
- Rhett Lashlee, SMU (Miami offensive coordinator)
- Kalen DeBoer, Washington (Fresno State head coach)
- Sonny Dykes, TCU (SMU head coach)
- Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech (Texas Tech interim)
- Brent Prye, Virginia Tech (Penn State defensive coordinator)
- Jon Sumrall, Troy (Kentucky linebackers coach)
- Joe Moorhead, Akron (Oregon offensive coordinator)
- Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana (promoted offensive coordinator)
- Jay Norvell, Colorado State (Nevada head coach)
- Jeff Tedford, Fresno State (former Fresno State head coach)
- Mike MacIntyre, Florida International (Memphis defensive coordinator)
Head Coaches: Open Vacancies
- Oregon – Rumors surrounding interest in BYU's Kalani Sitake. Mario Cristobal left for the Miami head coaching job.
- Nevada – Multiple possible candidates, but no frontrunners after Jay Norvell left for Colorado State.
- Virginia – Bronco Mendenhall stepped away suddenly following the season.
- Temple – Let Rod Carey go after a 12-20 record in three seasons and a declining win percentage.
- Duke – Mutually part ways with longtime coach David Cutcliffe after this season.
Coordinators: Major Hires
Jim Knowels -- Oklahoma State to Ohio State
Knowels led the Pokes to one of the Big 12's best defenses. Their 16.8 points allowed per game in 2021 is sixth nationally and their run defense ranked fifth (88.2 yards allowed per game). He turned the team's defense completely around since being hired in 2018, where Oklahoma State ranked 76th nationally in scoring defense.
The Buckeyes struggled defensively in 2021, relieving defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs of his play calling duties, though they did not fire him. Ohio State typically fields one of the most disruptive defenses in the nation annually and this past season was a stray from the norm. The hope is Knowels gets them back on track.
Jeff Lebby -- Ole Miss to Oklahoma
Behind Heisman-candidate Matt Corral, Ole Miss fielded one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. Through their first three games, the Rebels topped the charts in scoring at well over 50 points per game.Lebby's hire in Oklahoma is predicated on the back of his development of Corral, who made major strides throughout his college career (was formerly 63rd recruit nationally).
His contract with the Sooners is worth $2 million annually, making him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the nation. Lebby is an Oklahoma graduate himself and had previous stops at UCF and Baylor.
Tim DeRuyter -- Oregon to Texas Tech
Oregon fielded one of the Pac-12's top defenses largely thanks to DeRuyter. His play calling shined bright in the Ducks' early season upset of Ohio State, where they held the Buckeyes to 28 points (they finished atop the nation in scoring). During his one year at Oregon, he coached Kayvon Thibadeaux, a projected top NFL Draft pick.
Texas Tech for years has struggled in the defense department. DeRuyter marks one of the biggest defensive hires in recent program history as the Red Raiders look to revamp their team identity.
Mark Whipple -- Pitt to Nebraska
Whipple had the benefit of calling plays for Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett– an expected first-round NFL Draft pick. He brought the Pitt offense up from the ashes, where they sat 86th nationally in scoring in 2018 (25.1 points per game), to fifth nationally (40.1 points per game) this past season.
He stepped down from Pitt suddenly and before the news of him being hired by Nebraska broke. The hire was announced shortly after. Nebraska struggled offensively this past year, finishing 79th in scoring.
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