The college football coaching carousel is underway as the regular season concludes with numerous head coaches already fired. As always, the carousel results in constant turnover around the country with filled vacancies creating new openings. Here, we’re looking at some of the top college football coaching candidates for the offseason.
This isn’t a particularly strong year for the coaching carousel, with very few Power 4 jobs coming open and most of the top programs giving their head coaches another year. However, our pool of coaching candidates will be updated for fans to know some up-and-coming head coaches and coordinators who could become head coaches before long. Let’s dive in.
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College Football Coaching Candidates: Head coaches to know
Jamey Chadwell, Liberty Flames head coach
Liberty Flames head coach Jamey Chadwell has been one of the top college football coaching candidates for non-Power 4 jobs now for a few years. With his recent success at Liberty (.840 winning percentage) – exceeding the work of his predecessor Hugh Freeze (.694) – Chadwell is now becoming a top target for some Power 4 schools. Widely regarded for his offensive play-calling, Liberty finished this past season ranked 34th nationally in offensive touchdowns per game (3.8), 32nd in third-down conversion rate (43.41 percent) and 41st in yards-per-play average (5.9). Chadwell is a championship-winning coach – Conference USA (2023), Sun Belt (2020) and Big South (2015-’16) – who won AP, Walter Camp and Home Depot Coach of the Year honors in 2020. Over his last seven seasons at Coastal Carolina and Liberty, Chadwell has three seasons with double-digit wins and his teams have finished with 9-plus wins in five consecutive years.
- Jamey Chadwell coaching record: 60-26 overall, 21-4 as Liberty Flames head coach
Related: Jamey Chadwell emerging as top coaching candidate for this Power 4 job
Matt Campbell, Iowa State Cyclones head coach
Matt Campbell is arguably one of the best college football coaches right now. A Pittsburgh alum, Campbell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with Bowling Green (2003-’04). By 2009, he became the run-game coordinator and offensive line coach at Toledo then took over as the program’s head coach in 2012. He immediately led the Rockets to a nine-win season in his first year at the helm and finished with a 35-15 record (.700) with Toledo.
- Matt Campbell coaching record: 98-65 overall, 63-50 with the Iowa State Cyclones
With Iowa State since 2016, Campbell took over a program that went a combined 8-28 in three seasons prior to his arrival. Following a 3-9 transition year in his first season, the Cyclones are now 60-41 under Campbell since 2017. Campbell is also responsible for four of Iowa State’s six best seasons ever.
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Jon Sumrall, Tulane Green Wave head coach
After coming up the coaching ranks as an assistant with Tulane, Troy, and Ole Miss, former Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Jon Sumrall was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2021. Kentucky went 10-3, coordinating a defense that allowed just 22.1 points per game.
- Jon Sumrall coaching record: 32-7 overall, 9-3 in his first season with Tulane
Sumrall turned that one-year stint into a head coaching gig with the Troy Trojans. In replacing Chip Lindsey (15-19), Sumrall immediately turned the Trojans from a five-win team (2021) into a 12-2 program that ended with a Cure Bowl victory. After an 11-2 campaign in 20223, he took over at Tulane and went 9-3 in his first season at the helm. Tulane ranked 18th in scoring defense (20.1 PPG) in 2024, allowing the 10th-lowest third-down conversion rate (31.65 percent) in the FBS.
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Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State head coach
Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez is one of the most well-known college football coaching candidates this year. Turning 62 in May, Rodriguez has won Big East Coach of the Year (2003, ’06), Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2014) and NAIA Division I Coach of the Year (1993) with head-coaching stints at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona.
- Rich Rodriguez coaching record: 135-91 overall, 17-8 as Jacksonville State coach
Rodriguez got his first big break with the West Virginia Mountaineers, winning 8 or more games every season from 2002-’07 with three consecutive seasons of double-digit wins from 2005-’07. He quickly flamed out at Michigan (.405 winning percentage) then had issues at Arizona – one 10-win season but 17-21 in the final three seasons before leaving the program after 2017. Now back on the sideline, Jacksonville State has reached bowl games in consecutive years under Rodriguez. The Gamecock’s offense averaged the third-most rushing yards (257.4) and 20th-most points per game (35.4) this season.
Related: Rich Rodriguez emerging as coaching candidate for familiar Power 4 job
Barry Odom, UNLV Rebels head coach
UNLV Rebels coach climbed the coaching ladder with his alma mater, starting as a graduate assistant at Missouri in 2003 before taking over as head coach in 2016. However, the Tigers fired their alum after four seasons having failed to reach 9 wins in a single season. Odom then spent three seasons as associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Arkansas, before getting his second chance as a head coach with UNLV.
- Barry Odom coaching record: 44-32 overall, 19-7 with the UNLV Rebels
In replacing Marcus Arroyo (7-23 in three seasons), Odom immediately led the Rebels to more wins in 2023 (nine) than they had in three seasons combined with Arroyo. UNLV then recorded its second season with double-digit wins in program history, giving Odom as many wins in two years as UNLV had from 2015-2021 under Arroyo and former head coach Tony Sanchez (20-40 record in five seasons). This past season, UNLB ranked 36th in scoring defense (22.7 ppg) and 26th in yards-per-play allowed (4.9).
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Jeff Monken, Army Black Knights head coach
Power 4 programs searching for their next head coach are always a bit hesitant when it comes to coaches from military academies. However, Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken has also served as a head coach at Georgia Southern and worked as an assistant at Arizona State (1991), Georgia Tech (2008-’09) and Navy (2002-’07). Now, he’s leading the best football program of the academy schools.
- Jeff Monken coaching record: 80-56 with the Army Black Knights
Monken, who turns 58 years old in May, replaced Rich Ellerson after his predecessor went 8-28 in his final three seasons. Army went 6-18 in its first two years with its new head coach, but patience soon paid off. Monken has led the Black Knights to three seasons with double-digit wins, including in 2024, with a 4-1 record in bowl games and six winning seasons. He’s experienced his ups and downs over the last decade – five seasons without a winning record – but he’s a name to keep an eye on if a smaller Power 4 job opens.
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Ryan Silverfield, Memphis Tigers head coach
Memphis Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield is one of the top college football coaching candidates who is starting to earn more buzz. Not only does the 44-year-old have a track record of success in his first head-coaching gig with Memphis, but he’s also worked in the NFL in a variety of roles with the Minnesota Vikings (2008-2013) and the Detroit Lions )2015) in addition to brief stints at Toledo (2014) and Arizona State (2015).
- Ryan Silverfield coaching record: 41-20 with the Memphis Tigers
A Florida native, Silverfield was the natural successor at Memphis after Mike Norvell left to become the Florida State Seminoles coach. The Tigers slipped from 12-2 in 2019 to 21-15 in Silverfield’s first three seasons. However, the program has now been to bowl games in consecutive years and is coming off its second consecutive campaign with double-digit wins. In 2024, Memphis ranked 17th in scoring offense (34.7 PPG) and placed 22nd in third-down conversion rate (44.94 percent) during the regular season.
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Tim Albin, Ohio Bobcats head coach
Ohio Bobcats head coach Tim Albin, age 59, came up through the coaching ranks with Northeastern State (1989-1993) and Northwestern Oklahoma State (1994-‘1999) before landing his first prominent job as a graduate assistant with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (2000-’02). By 2005, North Dakota State hired him as its offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
- Tim Albin coaching record: 32-19 with the Ohio Bobcats
That’s how Albin landed on Ohio’s radar, hired in 2005 by head coach Frank Solich (115-82 record). Albin worked under Solich from 2005-2020, earning the added title of assistant head coach by 2019. When Solich was dismissed following the 2020 season, Albin was promoted to head coach. After going 3-9 in his first season, Ohio is now 29-10 in the last three years with two bowl wins. Albin also won MAC Coach of the Year in 2022.
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Jason Candle, Toledo Rockets head coach
Jason Candle started his coaching career in 2003 as a wide receivers coach for Mount Union, becoming the school’s offensive coordinator by 2007. Just two years later, Tim Beckman added him to the Toledo Rockets coaching staff. When Beckman left the program, Matt Campbell promoted Candle to offensive coordinator.
- Jason Candle coaching record: 72-40 overall with the Toledo Rockets
Following Campbell’s departure to Iowa State, Candle immediately took over as the successor. The Rockets never missed a beat. Candle is now the second-winningest coach in program history, trailing only Nick Saban (.818 in one season), Campbell (.700 in five seasons) and Gary Pinkel (.659 in 10 seasons) for the best coaches in team history. Candle also won MAC Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2023, winning two MAC Championships.
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GJ Kinne, Texas State head coach
One of the youngest college football coaching candidates this year, G.J. Kinne is making a name for himself with the Texas State Bobcats. He took over a program that went 13-35 combined in its previous four seasons under Jake Spavital, taking over a football program that was in brutal shape. However, Kinne immediately delivered an eight-win season that was capped off by Texas State’s first bowl win in program history.
- G.J. Kinne coaching record: 15-10 overall with Texas State
The 36-year-old has largely maintained that success, delivering a 7-5 record this past season with the Bobcats and sending them to a bowl game for the second consecutive year. Kinne’s coaching career has also been shaped by lessons he’s learned from Doug Pederson (spent 2007 as an assistant for Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive projects) and Chip Kelly (Philadelphia Eagles practice squad from 2013-’15). In 2024, Texas State averaged the sixth-most points per game (37.4), ranked 24th in third-down conversion rate (44.68 percent) and placed 12th nationally in yards-per-play average (6.4).
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Bob Chesney, James Madison Dukes head coach
James Madison Dukes coach Bob Chesney is another up-and-coming name in college football. The 47-year-old previously worked as a defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Johns Hopkins (2007-’09) before landing his first head-coaching gig with Salve Regina (NCAA Division III level).
- Bob Chesney coaching record: 8-4 with James Madison
Chesney posted a 23-9 record at Salve Regina before turning that success into a head-coaching gig with the Assumption Greyhounds (NCAA Division II). After going just 13-9 in his first two seasons with the Greyhounds, the team went 31-7 in his final three seasons, making the NCAA Division II playoff in three consecutive years. He was then hired by Holy Cross and experienced similar success, going 12-12 in his first two years and then 32-9 (.780 winning percentage) in his final four seasons. James Madison hired him to replace Curt Cignetti ahead of the 2024 season, with Chesney delivering an 8-4 record, including a 70-50 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
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CFB coaching candidates: Assistants, former coaches on the radar
We’ll provide coaching profiles on the top coordinators and former head coaches on Friday, with more names added later this offseason.
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- Dan Mullen, former Mississippi State and Florida coach
- Glenn Schumann, Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator
- Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator
- Mike Denbrock, Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive coordinator
- Ja’Juan Seider, Penn State Nittany Lions assistant head coach/co-offensive coordinator
- Brennan Carrol, Washington Huskies offensive coordinator
- Will Stein, Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator
- Tim Banks, Tennessee Volunteers defensive coordinator
- D’Anton Lynn, USC Trojans defensive coordinator