College Football HQ

College football program names head coach amid historic coaching carousel

One college football program is bowing out of the coaching carousel. Find out the latest team to announce their new head coach.
Jonathan Adams|
Oct 4, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Devin Kargman (15) huddles with his team during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Devin Kargman (15) huddles with his team during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Kent State Golden Flashes

Much has been made about historic college football programs like LSU, Florida and Penn State searching for a new head coach. These moves at the top also impact Group of 6 teams who could find it challenging to land a top candidate.

There were 12 college football coaching openings, but that number is shrinking to 11. This will not be for long as more programs are expected to take a spin on the coaching carousel in the coming weeks.

There are already eight Power 4 programs searching for a new head coach. Once college football programs make changes this offseason, the total number of vacancies could top 40 jobs given the likely domino effect, per The Washington Post's Steven Godfrey.

Yet, the Kent State job is officially off the market.

Kent State names Mark Carney the program's permanent head coach

Mark Carney had been Kent State's interim head coach, but the program is now making him the permanent head coach, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. It appears the Kent State players are thrilled about the news.

"Per sources, the Kent State team was just informed of Carney being named permanent coach," Thamel noted in a series of X messages on Thursday. "The team 'erupted' in celebration, per a source, and began chanting his name.

"Kent State promoting Mark Carney to full-time coach marks the first of the 12 jobs open *so far* in this cycle to be filled. Kent State is 3-5 this season and 2-2 in the MAC. They have more wins this year than the previous two combined, as Kent went 1-11 and 0-12."

Fans may be waiting until 2026 for some current college football coaching openings to be filled. With Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss firmly in the College Football Playoff picture, programs may be waiting until Jan. to name their next coach.

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Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

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