Future Group of 5 Coaching Candidates

AAC

Central Florida
If Josh Huepel were to leave, which is unlikely given the buyout attached to his current contract, this search would be wide open. Tony Elliott has been the mastermind behind Clemson’s offensive dominance, and he could be intrigued by one of the nation’s top Group of 5 head coaching jobs. James Coley was promoted to offensive coordinator at Georgia this offseason, and has deep ties to the South Florida region. He could see his stock rise if he runs a good offense this year. Despite his connection to the Baylor scandal, Kendall Briles could be another strong contender. He is currently coaching at Florida State, and has experience with multiple assistants on Huepel’s staff. He also has the strong backing of Lane Kiffin, who currently works for AD Danny White’s brother.

Cincinnati
If Luke Fickell were to leave for a Power 5 job or other, expect AD Mike Bohn to target coaches with strong ties to the state. It is possible that Jason Candle is holding out for a Power 5 head coaching job, but the resources at Cincinnati compared to Toledo are much better. If Bohn presses hard enough, he could make the move. Kerry Coombs is familiar with many people in the athletics department and his son played for the Bearcats. He was reportedly a contender in the last coaching search. Harlon Barnett has a good reputation in coaching circles, and played high school football at nearby Princeton High School. He has a similar profile to Fickell when he got the job.

Connecticut
This school hasn’t really figured out how to run a good FBS football program. Randy Edsall has been a disaster, and his seat is one of the nation’s hottest. If it were to open up, plenty of candidates would rightfully be scared due to the athletic department budget problems.
The first logical candidate would be Todd Orlando. He’s done a good job at Texas and coached there for eleven seasons, but he might be out of their price range. Don Brown is another previous assistant who has seen his coaching stock rise in recent years, as he was a contender at Temple in their coaching searches. Although Rhett Lashlee left before last season for SMU, he is close with AD David Benedict and could be a cheaper alternative to others.

Memphis
When Justin Fuente left for Virginia Tech, then-AD Tom Bowen looked for a rising coordinator. He recently resigned, which makes this a bit trickier to predict. Chip Long could be a logical target to replace his former boss. He’s done a great job at Notre Dame, and helped them make a push into the CFB Playoffs this past season. Tee Martin is deeply familiar with coaches in the southeast, and has been connected to other FCS head coaching jobs in the state. Brent Pry has been a finalist for several head coaching jobs in recent years, and he seems bound to get his chance to run a program soon.

Navy
Given its military school status, there will always be a set of disadvantages that come with this job. He had an off year in 2018, but Ken Niumatalolo is one of the most successful coaches in school history. He’s flirted with Power 5 jobs and BYU in the past, and its realistic to think he might eventually move on. If so, expect them to go after triple-option coaches. Ivin Jasper would be the easy frontrunner in any coaching search. He’s an internal candidate that can keep the status quo, and he’s been up for other head coaching jobs before. Paul Johnson retired from Georgia Tech after last offseason, but this could be a fit if he ever has the urge to return to coaching again. Brian Bohannon has done a great job at Kennesaw State, and could garner some consideration for this job.

South Florida
Let it be clear that Charlie Strong is on the hot seat heading into this season. The current AD Michael Kelly did not hire him, and might be inclined to start over with a new coach if they don’t win 7+ games. The profile for this search would be similar to UCF. Tony Elliott and James Coley are two very obvious candidates for this job. Both have plenty of experience recruiting in Florida and have the chops to run their own program. Shaun King could be a sneaky internal candidate for the job too. He is seen as one of the best recruiters in the conference, and could raise the profile within the city of Tampa as he’s very well-known here.

SMU
Sonny Dykes could be at SMU for a while: he’s a very good fit for what the school is looking for in a football coach. If they were to change direction, Todd Orlando would be an initial frontrunner. There were reports that he was involved in the last coaching search, but nothing came to fruition. Seth Littrell who is doing a phenomenal job up the road at North Texas, but he might be holding out for a bigger job. It would be a weird look for him to leave for a nearby rival school. Frank Wilson has done a solid job at UTSA building a relatively new football program and would likely have interest in this job. His strong recruiting chops, especially in nearby Lousiana, could make him a frontrunner.

Tulane
Willie Fritz seems to have good job security. He is doing well at a place where it is hard to win. If a change were to be made, Frank Wilson would be a great fit for this job. He’s a former high school coach in the state, and has done well at UTSA leading a program with disadvantages. His experience coaching as an assistant at LSU would be major plus too. David Johnson would be another interesting candidate for many of the same reasons, but he doesn’t have head coaching experience at the collegiate level. Matt Viator has been a college head coach in the state for over a decade, and this job is certainly a step up from ULM in terms of resources.

Tulsa
Phillip Montgomery has shown a strong dedication to the school, but the on-field results have been quickly regressing. If a search were to happen, all eyes should be on Jake Spavital. Yes, he is entering his first year at Texas State, but his ties to the city of Tulsa run deep. He could see this as enough of an upgrade to leave early on in his tenure. Larry Fedora left UNC on rocky terms, but he has been a successful head coach in the past. He has experience recruiting in Texas and Oklahoma which are important for this job. Herb Hand was an assistant coach there from 2007-09, and is one of the country’s highest-regarded offensive line coaches. This could be the right landing spot for his first head coaching job.

C-USA

Florida Atlantic
Lane Kiffin has considerably raised the standard for football here. It’s honestly one of the best coaching jobs at a Group of 5 school in the past decade. He’s one of the highest profile coaches in college football, and seems bound to leave for another job eventually. James Coley makes sense for most coaching jobs in the state and knows the South Florida region better than most assistant coaches. Randy Shannon led Miami for several seasons and is another elite recruiter. He could keep the buzz going from a recruiting standpoint, and this would be a chance for him to lead a program again. While his exit from USC was downright embarrassing, Steve Sarkisian is on a similar career resurrection path as his friend Kiffin. He might have enough backing to be a contender for this job.

Florida International
It appears that Butch Davis will be able to leave, and likely retire, on his own terms. Ken Dorsey makes a lot of sense as his eventual replacement. He played under Davis at Miami and worked under AD Pete Garcia last season as an Assistant A.D. before returning to the NFL as an assistant coach. Garcia is well-connected to the Miami football community, which could make Randy Shannon a real contender. It seems likely that Shannon wants to be a head coach again. In the last coaching search, Eddie Gran was widely speculated to be a candidate. He’s taken Kentucky’s offense to the next level, and got offered to coach at Georgia but turned it down. This could be the chance for him to be a head coach if that’s in his cards.

Louisiana Tech
Skip Holtz probably has a long leash on this job. He’s done consistently well, but conversely hasn’t come close to getting a Power 5 head coaching opportunity. If the job ever opens up, Tim Rattay would make a lot of sense. He was a former starting quarterback who ended up doing well in the NFL. He was an assistant coach under Holtz from 2013-18 before jumping to the pros, and the homecoming story would make this hire an easy sell. Matt Viator coached at McNeese State when AD Tommy Clelland was in-charge there, which makes him a very logical candidate for an opening. Taking this job would be a logical progression in his coaching career. Frank Wilson has done well at UTSA and might be pining to return to his home state, but the optics of moving to a conference rival would not look great.

Marshall
Eventually, Doc Holliday will have to retire as head coach. There were reports that Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia was pushing to have him canned last season, but nothing really came to fruition there. Ja’Juan Seider played/coached at West Virginia and coached at Marshall from 2010-12. He knows the area better than anyone else, and has learned from some of the game’s best head coaches. Todd Goebbel has coached as an assistant at Marshall during two separate stints, and gained head coaching experience at Ohio Dominican from 2010-14. He could be a candidate with support from both Holliday and AD Mike Hamrick. Bob Pruett is close to the people with political inluence at the university, but it would be shocking if he ever returns to coaching.

Middle Tennessee State
This program is synonymous with Rick Stockstill, who has been in charge for over a decade. He will likely be able to leave on his own terms. Joe Craddock played under him for three seasons as quarterback, and has built his coaching profile considerably under Chad Morris at Arkansas. Returning to his alma mater could be the perfect for him to be a head coach. Scott Shafer didn’t have enough success to keep the Syracuse job, but he wasn’t all that awful. He has done well coaching under Stockstill, and being an internal candidate could give him an edge over others. Tee Martin was connected to FCS searches last season, and returned to Tennessee in part to become more familiar with recruiting in the southeast. He is well known in the state from his time playing for the Vols, and would bring a lot of buzz to the program.

North Texas
Seth Littrell seems bound to leave for a bigger job in the next few seasons, and he was in serious contention for Kansas State last year. Graham Harrell recently left UNT to run USC’s offense, but is well known in the state from his playing days at Texas Tech. It would make a lot of sense for him to return as head coach if Littrell leaves. Sonny Cumbie fits the profile from their last coaching search, and knows how to recruit the DFW area well from his time at TCU. Joey McGuire was one of the top DFW high school coaches during his time at Cedar Hill. He is widely credited for Rhule’s recruiting success during his time at Baylor. He’s got question marks in his past but is undoubtedly an elite DFW recruiter.

Old Dominion
Bobby Wilder has been in charge of the program since it was reinstated in 2009, but things have gone stale recently outside of the Virginia Tech upset last season. Most names for this job would be pure speculation. Shane Beamer is the son of the legendary Virginia Tech coach, and makes sense as an up-and-coming offensive mind with recruiting ties and name recognition in the area. Jeff Scott has been up for other head coaching jobs before because he’s an integral part of the operation at Clemson. He knows how to recruit the Mid-Atlantic region well and seems bound to get a head coaching chance eventually. Josh Gattis is likely going to be an FBS head coach in the near future. His coaching stock is going to rise if Michigan’s offense takes the next step this season, and he could like this job because of its fertile recruiting landscape.

Rice
This is a tough place to win, so Mike Bloomgren probably has a long leash to get things right. However, the early results aren’t encouraging. In a potential search, Drew Mehringer stands out as an obvious candidate. His profile has skyrocketed since returning to Texas as receivers coach and has been a strong recruiter. He’s a former quarterback at the school and knows the Houston area very well. Kurt Roper is another alum who could be a contender. He has prior experience coaching at Duke, a school with similar academic challenges. He was reportedly in contention during the latest search. The wild card option would be installing the triple-option offense, and if that’s the case then Brian Bohannon could be a name to watch. He’s gone 11-2 and 12-2 in his last two seasons at Kennesaw State.

Southern Miss
Jay Hopson has won six or more games in each of his three seasons, but the Art Briles fiasco signals some discord between him and the administration. Mark Hudspeth is a native Mississippian who spent has spent time at Delta State and Mississippi State. He replaced Will Healy at Austin Peay, another coach who jumped fast to a C-USA job in Charlotte. Pete Golding is a former USM assistant coach who played at Delta State. He’s highly regarded in the industry and was recently promoted to be Alabama’s defensive playcaller. This could be a job that entices him to leave given the superior resources to C-USA competition. His UNC tenure didn’t end well, but a reunion with Larry Fedora shouldn’t be out of the picture. He did very well there, and will probably look in the coming years for another head coaching job.

UAB
The efforts of Bill Clark here can’t be understated. He’s done very well here and could be in contention for bigger jobs in the future. John Grass would be the frontrunner to replace him. Grass coached under Clark for one season at Jacksonville State before taking the full-time job, and has similarly done exceedingly well. Will Hall is an Alabama native with head coaching experience in the state. He was named Tulane’s offensive coordinator this past offseason and is seen as a rising star in the coaching industry. Althoug he is an older coach, Kevin Steele has been associated with some openings in the last few years. He’s done a great job at Auburn and would seemingly run a strong football program.

UTSA
Frank Wilson has done a good job building an identity around UTSA football, which is one of the newest in the FBS. He could be up for bigger jobs in the future. Eric Morris had a terrific first season at nearby Incarnate Word and could be an easy sell to the fanbase. He runs a stellar offense and has plenty of experience recruiting in the state. Pete Golding would be one of the other names to watch. He was hired away from UTSA to Alabama after the 2017 and was recently promoted to be their defensive playcaller. The only problem is that he would probably have to take a paycut to take this job. Drew Mehringer has been an elite recruiter in the state and was connected to head coaching jobs this past offseason. He’s young, but has a similar profile to Wilson when he was hired.

UTEP
It was surprising to see Dana Dimel land the job during its last coaching search. The first year results were bad, but it’s going to take some time for him to rebuild the program. If they look to the FCS, Colby Carthel and KC Keeler are two standout candidates. Carthel has a ton of experience coaching in the state, and has roots in West Texas. He recently took the Stephen F. Austin job, and his next step could be at a school like UTEP. Keeler is a coaching veteran, but probably has the gas for one more run at an FBS program. He’s run dynamic offenses and could spark some change in the program. If they look to coordinators again, Craig Naivar would be an interesting candidate. He’s coached all throughout the state, and was promoted to co-defensive coordinator at Texas this offseason.

Independents

Army
Being a military school comes with disadvantages in FBS college football. But Jeff Monken has made Army relevant again in the national discussion. It wouldn’t be shocking if they clinched the Group of 5’s spot in a selection committee bowl game. If he were to leave, Brent Davis would be a strong internal candidate for the job. He’s regarded as an elite offensive line coach, and last year’s offense reached new heights under his direction. Ivin Jasper coaches at Navy and is very familiar with the program. It seems he is waiting to be promoted at Navy, but it’s possible he could jump ship to their rival school. Ben Kotwica is one of Army’s better defensive players in school history. He doesn’t have college football coaching experience, but it would be exciting for the school to recruit an active NFL coach to run their program.

BYU
Nobody expected Bronco Mendenhall to leave when he did, yet Kalani Sitake is doing a decent job as his replacement. He has two bowl victories in three seasons but some believe he is still on the hot seat from the disastrous 2017 season. Many kept an eye on Ken Niumatalolo during the last search, but he opted to remain in his current job. He would be a strong cultural fit as one of the Mormon leaders in college football, but converting BYU’s spread offense to the triple-option would likely frustrate some fans. Lance Anderson was another candidate last time around. He’s also a Mormon and has experience coaching at Stanford, another school with recruiting challenges. Robert Anae is a veteran spread offensive coordinator who could return to BYU as head coach. He produced some of the school’s better offenses in recent memory before following Mendenhall to Virginia.

New Mexico State
There’s a fair argument to be made that this is the most challenging FBS job in the country. They don’t have a conference after the WAC dissolved football and there are major budget limitations. For as long as they remain in the FBS, it will be challenging to make bowl games. Tony Sanchez is on thin ice at UNLV, and it seems unlikely he will be there in the long run as head coach. He’s an alum and could shoot for this job if he wants to remain in the college coaching profession. Chase Holbrook played for NMSU from 2005-08 and ended up one of the better quarterbacks in school history. He spent one year at Washington State in a quality control role, and would make an interesting candidate to run the program. Steve Spurrier Jr. has spent several years recruiting the same region as NMSU, and could have the drive to run his own program even with such strong disadvantages.

Mid-American

Ball State
Mike Neu has done an underwhelming job at his alma mater since coming from the NFL. He’s on the hot seat heading into this season. Curt Mallory would be an early frontrunner to replace him. He took Indiana State from 0-11 to 7-4 last year in a remarkable feat. He was an assistant coach at Ball State from 1995-00 so he is familiar with the school. Mike Elston is another name to watch. He has been involved in several MAC openings over the years, and was a reported finalist for the Bowling Green gig this past offseason. He has gotten experience recruiting the midwest from his current job at Notre Dame. Anthony Poindexter is another name to watch. He coached as an assistant at UConn during the same period as AD Beth Goetz which may help. His coaching stock has skyrockted since becoming a vital part of Jeff Brohm’s staff at Purdue.

Buffalo
Lance Leipold has done a fantastic job since jumping to the FBS from D-III football just four years ago. He may be in line for bigger jobs in the next few years. Brent Pry would be an immediate frontrunner to replace him. He played for three seasons at Buffalo and started his career here as an assistant coach. He was a contender for the Louisiana-Lafayette job before last season and is on one of the country’s better coaching staffs at Penn State. Chip Long has excelled since taking over Notre Dame’s offense, and was a key part in their return to the College Football Playoff. He coached as an assistant at Memphis during the same time AD Mark Alnutt was there, giving him a connection to this job. The third name is Rob Ianello, who would be an internal candidate. He has been Leipold’s associate head coach and has done a fantastic job recruiting the area for the program. If they want to keep in-house continuity, he holds an advantage due to his prior FBS head coaching experience at Akron.

Eastern Michigan
This is a very challenging place to win consistently, but Chris Creighton has managed to do it. He’s been connected to bigger jobs recently, and was associated with the Temple search this last offseason. The resources are very limited here, which could restrict the candidate pool relative to other MAC jobs. Mike Elston has been involved in multiple MAC head coaching searches over the years, and coached here from 2001-03. This could be the right landing spot for him. Billy Gonzales has been one of Dan Mullen’s top lieutenants for many years, and he knows AD Scott Wetherbee from their shared time at Mississippi State. Although he’s primarily a South Florida recruiter, he does have experience coaching in this conference. Joe Harasymiak did a fantastic job at Maine before leaving to join P.J. Fleck’s staff at Minnesota. His past head coaching experience could give him an edge in coaching searches.

Kent State
Sean Lewis hasn’t gotten off to the best start, but he appears to have some security as he rebuilds this program. This is historically a very challenging place to win. Ben McDaniels played quarterback here from 2000-01 and remains connected to the program. If Shea Patterson takes the next step under his development, he could be a name to watch. Matt MacPherson is an Ohio native who has been involved in other MAC head coaching searches. He has coached on both sides of the ball and is on one of the better coaching staffs in college football at Northwestern. Bob Nielson was connected in the last coaching search, but South Dakota seriously regressed last year which could hurt his stock.

Miami (OH)
Chuck Martin has done a decent job, but has failed to take this program to the next level. He’s entering his sixth season as head coach on the hot seat. Mike Yurcich recently left his offensive coordinator at gig to join Ryan Day’s staff at Ohio State. Even though he won’t have playcalling duties, he could be a name to watch in MAC coaching searches. Matt MacPherson would be another logical candidate here due to his Ohio ties and experience coaching under Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern. Aaron Kromer is a former Redhawk who also began his coaching career here. He has rehabilitated his stock since joining the LA Rams, but has question marks in his past that could rule him out.

Ohio
Frank Solich is the longest tenured coach in the conference, but appears to be on the path towards retirement soon. Jim Schaus recently left as AD to be the Southern Conference’s commissioner, making this harder to predict. Tim Albin has been on Solich’s staff since he began coaching here, and would be a very logical internal candidate to keep the momentum going. Despite lacking a MAC title, Ohio is regularly one of the better teams in the conference. Tyler Tettleton is one of the school’s better quarterbacks in history, and is seen as an up-and-coming coach. He recently joined the Cleveland Browns coaching staff where he works closely with one of the game’s better young quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield. He would be an easy sell to the fanbase. Bo Pelini would be another name to watch. He coached under Solich at Nebraska and currently coaches at nearby Youngstown State. If he wants to jump back into FBS coaching, this could be the right landing spot.

Toledo
Jason Candle is arguably the hottest coaching candidate in this conference, and it seems likely he will get a bigger job in the next few years despite some regression last year. Vince Kehres makes a ton sense as his possible successor. Toledo’s last two coaches came from the Mount Union coaching tree, and he remains close friends with Candle and his predecessor Matt Campbell. He showed some interest in jumping to the FBS last year at Bowling Green, and this would be an even better landing spot. Promoting Brian Wright would be another good option. He’s done a great job running Toledo’s dynamic offense, and has deep ties recruiting in the state of Ohio. He has turned down interest from bigger programs and could be rewarded for his loyalty. Jon Heacock was a finalist when Candle was promoted, and it could make sense for him to return as head coach. Iowa State’s defense has been among the best in the conference since his arrival.

Western Michigan
PJ Fleck brought one of the more magical seasons in school history before jumping for the Minnesota job. Tim Lester as a decent hold on this job, but simply hasn’t had the same level of success. Matt MacPherson interviewed for the job last time around, and would make sense if it opens up again. He’s a strong Midwest recruiter and would fit in well as several MAC schools. Josh Gattis is seen as one of college football’s better young coaches and might like the resouces that WMU can offer him. His first season at Michigan will be very telling about how he likes to run his offense. Jeff Hafley recently left the San Francisco 49ers to join Ryan Day’s staff at Ohio State. He is very similar to PJ Fleck in a lot of ways and has the charisma to eventually run his own program.

Mountain West

Air Force
Troy Calhoun has made Air Force a competitive football program on a regular basis. He’s primed to have a long run like his predecessor Fisher DeBerry. If he were to leave, expect them to target coaches with strong ties to the school. Mike Thiessen would be the first logical candidate. He’s a former starting quarterback who has been on staff since the 2007 season. It would be surprising if he wasn’t the pick. Tim DeRuyter has head coaching experience at rival Fresno State, and has done a good job anchoring Cal’s defense for the past two seasons. Returning to his alma mater could be in the cards for him. Chad Hall is another name that might get some consideration. He was one of the best players in school history and he has gotten good experience coaching as an NFL assistant.

Boise State
Bryan Harsin has won 10 or more games in four of his five seasons as head coach which is an impressive feat. He has been connected to jobs in the past, but for some reason hasn’t landed a power conference job. Jimmy Lake would be the first logical candidate to replace him. He currently coaches under Chris Petersen at Washington, who led Boise State to magical heights during his time as head coach. He has experience coaching at Boise State from 2012-13. Kellen Moore is one of the most famous players in team history and has gotten fast-tracked on the coaching profession. He was named offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys last year. He hasn’t coached in college football, but would likely have interest in this job. Pete Kwiatkowski is another Petersen assistant who makes sense. He played on the defensive line for the school from 1984-87, and was on his staff here from 2006-13.

Colorado State
Last year did not go according to plan, and AD Joe Parker put Mike Bobo on the hot seat with his end of the year comments. Tony Alford and Billy Gonzales are two notable alums in coaching right now. Alford continues to recruit the area for Ohio State, and was a runner-up in the last coaching search. Gonzales has spent most of his time coaching in the southeast, but could make some sense if he wants to return to his alma mater. Matt Lubick is the son of legendary coach Sonny Lubick, and the former Washington assistant left the coaching profession to return to Fort Collins and work in the private sector. His new role works closely with the football program.

Fresno State
The Jeff Tedford hire in the last coaching search was the safe and obvious pick, and it appears to have worked out. The program is in much better shape now under his lead. Tim Drevno has deep roots in the SoCal region and belongs to the well-respected Jim Harbaugh coaching tree. His struggles at Michigan could hurt him though. Mike Johnson is another coach with strong ties to the area. He coached at UCLA at the start of the decade and was head coach for a local high school team before re-entering the college coaching profession. Trent Dilfer re-entered coaching at the high school profession in Nashville this year. He’s been around top high school quarterbacks in his role with the Elite 11, so the jump to college football isn’t unfathomable.

Hawai’i
Nick Rolovich is a fantastic cultural fit for the program, but the on-field results have been up and down in his three years as head coach. Tony Tuioti has become one of the state’s more effective recruiters, and has extensive experience coaching for his alma mater. He recently left Cal for Nebraska as he continues building his coaching resume. Ikaika Malloe is another strong regional recuiter and current defensive line coach. He is credited with building the Hawai’i to Washington pipeline, as the school landed three of the five top prospects in the state during the last recruiting cycle. Johnny Nansen has led USC’s recruiting efforts in the area for many seasons, and has the chops to be a head coach in the future.

Nevada
Jay Norvell won his first bowl game as head coach last season, which probably gives him some security for the next few years. Angus McClure became the program’s assistant head coach, and is one of the most high-profile assistant coaches in the conference. In a potential search, he could be a strong internal candidate. Beau Baldwin is a proven winner from his time at Eastern Washington. He left to become Cal’s offensive coordinator and has underwhelmed in the eyes of most, but he was a finalist at Oregon State in their recent search. Andy Buh was one of the legendary Chris Ault’s lead assistants but never landed the head coaching job in preivous searches. The chance to lead his alma mater could still be appealing though.

New Mexico
Bob Davie has been on the hot seat in recent years. He was suspended last year after an investigation into program misconduct, but he still managed to keep his job. Charlie Ragle is a high-energy special teams coach who was born and raised in New Mexico. He also has high school head coaching experience. Danny Gonzales is a former player who started his coaching career at UNM. He has deep ties to the school, and has excelled since arriving to coach under Herm Edwards at Arizona State. Rich Rodriguez is a high-profile coach who has re-entered the coaching profession as Ole Miss’s offensive coordinator. Some of his coaching tenures have ended badly, but this could be a soft landing spot for him to run his own program again.

San Diego State
Rocky Long is among the nation’s oldest college football coaches, and his teams have been consistently good in since he took over the program. His longtime assistant Jeff Horton is the probable choice to takeover when he retires. He is a veteran coach who has a breadth of experience coaching in the conference. Ironically, Long’s predecessor Brady Hoke is another internal candidate who could possibly be the handpicked successor. Hoke returned to SDSU this offseason as defensive line coach after several disappointing stints at bigger schools and one year in the NFL. Ron Caragher is another assistant on the current staff with head coaching experience at San Jose State and San Diego. It seems likely that Long’s successor will come from within the coaching staff.

San Jose State
This is one of the harder jobs in the country due to budget limitations and poor administrative support for football. Brent Brennan was named head coach after a previous lengthy stint as an assistant coach, and he will likely have some time to turn things around. In a possible search, Mike MacIntyre would be an immediate frontrunner. He led SJSU to a 10-2 record in 2012 before leaving to coach at Colorado. He led the Buffs to a 10-win record in 2016, but was fired after failing to reach a bowl game in consecutive years. This could be a similar situation to the reunion between Gary Andersen and Utah State. Marcus Arroyo and Donte Williams are two current Oregon assistants with ties to the program. Arroyo runs Oregon’s pistol offense and was in contention last time around. Williams is a dynamic recruiter whose resume has gotten much stronger over the last three years.

UNLV
Tony Sanchez is firmly on the hot seat after the end of the season comments made by AD Desiree Reed-Francois. While this search would be wide open, Tee Martin would make plenty of sense as head coach. He took the fall for bigger problems that existed at USC last year, but is still held in high regard as a recruiter. He’s famous in college football circles too from his time at Tennessee. Rich Rodriguez is another high-profile coach whose latest tenure at Arizona didn’t end well. If he wants to be a head coach again, resurrecting a program like UNLV could be in the cards for him. Tim Drevno is a veteran assistant coach on the west coast who has been up for Group of 5 jobs in the past. He doesn’t have any ties to the school, but would bring stability and experience that the program is sorely missing.

Wyoming
Craig Bohl has sustained success at a school with mediocre football expectations. It’s possible this could be the final stop of his coaching career unless a bigger school poaches him in the next few years. Brent Vigen is a strong internal candidates to replace him when the time comes. Vigen is perhaps best known for developing Carson Wentz into a top NFL draft pick during his time at NDSU, and he’s produced productive offenses at Wyoming in his time there. Bob Nielson is a strong candidate to take over if the look to the FCS pool again. He’s done a good job at South Dakota before regressing last year, but he knows how to recruit the region and has been connected to FBS jobs in the past. If they look to the assistant pool, Pete Kwiatkowski stands out as a possible fit over others. He’s coached under Chris Petersen for many years, but his high current salary might be challenging for Wyoming to match.

Sun Belt

Arkansas State
Blake Anderson has done an exceptional job in his time here and has brought much-needed stability after a string of one-year coaches. He is from Jonesboro and connects well to this job. It would probably take a Power 5 job to poach him away. Joe Cauthen recently joined Houston’s staff as defensive coordinator. He ran great defenses during his time here, and makes sense as a potential replacement. Walt Bell is a former assistant under Anderson from the start of his tenure. He recently became UMass’s head coach, which is a very challenging job right now. He could see this job as leaving for greener pastures. Barry Lunney Jr. is a famous ex-Arkansas quarterback whose name is very well-known throughout the state. His profile has gone up since Chad Morris retained him on the Arkansas staff. He could be interested in being the head coach in his home state, albeit at the smaller school.

Georgia State
In the last search, AD Charlie Cobb turned to a well-known friend in Shawn Elliott to run the program. There are massive stadium renovations being done and this is starting to become one of the better jobs in the conference. Dell McGee is one of the top recruiters in Atlanta and has high school head coaching experience. He was the interim head coach at Georgia Southern before being passed over for Tyson Summers, which proved to be a mistake. Jeff Scott and Mickey Conn are two Clemson assistants that make sense for this job. Scott’s name was often mentioned in the last coaching search, and Conn’s experience as a high school coach in Atlanta make both strong potential fits.

Louisiana-Lafayette
This has typically been one of the better jobs in the conference. Billy Napier took over last year, and has brought new life into the program. Ron Roberts left his job as Southeast Louisiana’s head coach to be the defensive coordinator. If Napier were to leave for a bigger job, he’d be a strong internal candidate for the job. Tim Rebowe is another from assistant from 2001-14 who has gotten things rolling at Nicholls State in recent years. He had the support of many boosters in the last search. Brent Pry was another contender in the last search, as he is very familiar with the program from his time as an assistant coach here from 2002-06. He hasn’t coached in the region since though.

Louisiana-Monroe
Matt Viator has done a good job since jumping into FBS football for this job. They had their first .500 season last year but were passed over for a bowl appearance. Sterlin Gilbert was named McNeese State’s head coach this year. Turning there for a head coach in their next search would make sense, as he runs a very dynamic offense that attracts recruits. He is also well known for his short stint as Texas’s offensive coordinator. Tim Rebowe is another in-state FCS head coach with strong ties to the state. He seems likely to make the same jump as Viator if he gets the opportunity. David Johnson is a former high school head coach in the state and now serves as Tennessee’s running backs coach. He could be an appealing candidate if they look to the Power 5 or Group of 5 assistant pools.

South Alabama
In their last search they turned to an FCS head coach in Steve Campbell to turn things around. The first season didn’t go much better as they went 3-9. John Grass was perhaps the more qualified FCS coach for this job. He has made Jacksonville State one of the FCS’s elite programs and seems bound to make the jump to the FBS in the future. Kevin Sherrer is a former South Alabama assistant who has coached as a defensive assistant at several SEC schools. This could be a strong landing spot for him to run his own program. Will Hall has six seasons of head coaching experience in the FCS. He is regarded as one of the sport’s better young offensive minds, and recently joined Tulane’s staff as offensive coordinator.