Matt Campbell, Jason Candle, Charles Huff and more
The Carousel keeps spinning through conference championship week
I’ve said it many times on this newsletter this year: the Coaching Carousel stops for no one. Not even conference championship week, though, can slow that down.
Because there were some massive moves made and some ones that left many people scratching their heads. But that’s what these series are for, right? To make sense of the carousel and why and how moves were made?
In today’s Coaching Carousel Recap, you’ll get both Coaching Report Cards and Coaching Shortlists. The Coaching Report Cards are my initial thoughts and grades on each hire. I’ll take a look at two factors surrounding the hire - the off-field things like fundraising, recruiting and such, and the on-field results. Then, I’ll assign a grade.
For the Coaching Shortlists, you’ll get an overview of the open job and some context to consider for candidates and the program going forward. Then, the five names that make the most sense to me. There usually purely speculation, but I’ll let you know when I have sources telling me things.
And yes, I know that Michigan fired Sherrone Moore for cause last night. He won’t be included in this as it’s already way too long and I want to let that situation breathe a bit before getting into it.
Report Card - Penn State
We’ll start with the big fish to fry - Penn State hiring Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
If you remember way back in October, I floated Campbell as a potential fit for Penn State. It only took two months to get there.
On-Field
On the gridiron, Campbell has been the most successful coach in Iowa State history. In a decade in Ames, Campbell posted a 72-55 record that ranks him as the winningest coach in Iowa State history, and his .537 winning percentage is also the top mark.
In the entire existence of the Iowa State program prior to Campbell’s hire in 2016, the Cyclones made only 12 bowl games. In ten years, Campbell has guided the program to eight. He’s taken the program to their highest ever postseason ranking (No. 9 in 2020), both of their Big 12 Championship Games (2020 and 2024) and gotten Iowa State closer to a national championship than any man - living or dead.
They did this behind a tough, gritty personality that fits the Midwestern coach’s upbringing through DIII Mount Union - where he won three national championships as a player - and in the Midwestern town of Ames, Iowa. The same formula - smart, tough offense and opportunistic defense - can work in State College.
Campbell has developed talent as well, with 15 NFL picks in the last seven years, including NFL stars like Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, Will McDonald IV and David Montgomery. McDonald was the first Cyclone drafted in the first round since 1973.
If it feels like you have another coach like James Franklin coming in, that’s because there is. Campbell and Franklin both had great runs at traditional Power Four bottom feeders before they made their move to College Station. Though, Campbell’s has been much longer and more sustained.
Even better? Campbell has a 4-6 record against Top 10 teams compared to Franklin’s 4-21 mark. Improvement.
Off-Field
I talked about fit a lot during the Michigan State hire of Pat Fitzgerald, but fit is vital to a program having success. If Penn State went with Kalani Sitake, as there was a ton of reporting on ahead of the Campbell news breaking, would he have been a fit?
I’d answer that with a resounding “no.” There is no way Sitake, who has only lived, recruited and coached on the West Coast, could’ve ran a team like Penn State this far east of the Mississippi.
And, while Campbell was plying his trade in the Great Plains, he’s still a Midwesterner through and through. I bet he even says “ope” when he needs to sneak past someone in a Meijer.
That means that Campbell is going to have access to places he knows how to recruit. Sure, he may lose out on the DMV or Tidewater where Franklin was so good and will continue to be good at Virginia Tech, but who’s to say an Ohio-born Campbell can’t get into the Buckeye State and make some noise?
Sure, he’s never put together major recruiting classes at Iowa State, but that’s a program that has some serious financial concerns and a fraction of the resources of a blue blood like Penn State.
Campbell is a coach that has built his reputation on doing a lot more with less. I’m excited to see what he can do with more. I don’t think there’s much change in his style and roster construction, but he’ll have better athletes and more talent to develop than he ever had.
Grade: A-
Penn State could do a lot worse than this. And, to be frank, I think once they struck out on the big names like Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule (still confused about that one), Campbell was likely the clear leader.
He doesn’t have an agent, and often times pushes any contract-related talk until the end of the season. If he even got a whiff of what Penn State was offering him - eight years, $70.3 million guaranteed - that’s something you’re willing to give a non-committal non-denial and then revisit at the end of the season. And you knew that Iowa State had no means to match that.
In the end, Penn State hired one of the best coaches that was or wasn’t on the market. It’s a solid hire. Now, he’ll just have to do more than Franklin did. Which may be easier after Franklin laid the groundwork by aligning the athletic department.
Report Card - Iowa State
It only took Iowa State athletic director a few hours to make his next hire official: Jimmy Rogers from Washington State was heading to Ames.
On-Field
Rogers was in his first season at Washington State, which didn’t seem like a major fit for the Midwestern coach who cut his teeth and got his first experience at South Dakota State.
Still, his lone year in Pullman wasn’t horrible. He guided the Wildcats to a 6-6 record, becoming just the fourth Wazzu head coach to lead the program to a bowl game in their first season. Of those six losses, three came to teams that were in playoff contention until the bitter end - Ole Miss, Virginia and James Madison. Those three losses came by a combined seven points.
Before coming to Washington State, Rogers spent a dozen years on the staff at FCS powerhouse South Dakota State, including as head coach in his final two seasons. His first season leading the Jackrabbits was a perfect 15-0 campaign capped off with an FCS National Championship. In his second season, SDSU rode a 29-game winning streak before finishing third in the nation in a semifinal loss with a 12-3 record.
He’ll continue the tradition set by Campbell of fielding strong defenses, which were his calling card at his previous stops. After all, Washington State, once a paragon of the air raid, ranked 18th in scoring defense this year. But, there is a glaring lack of Power Four - or even FBS - experience on his resume. After all, with 12 years at South Dakota State and him being only 38 years old, it’s hard to have much experience elsewhere.
Off-Field
One of the things that always stuck out to me with Rogers was that he was pretty far away from his Dakota roots at Washington State. I worried a bit on how that would affect recruiting, especially since South Dakota State isn’t one of the FCS programs to go after the Pacific coast.
Here, at Iowa State, he’s just an hour and a half away from his previous home. He knows the area and the recruiting grounds much better. Plus, he’s bringing some of his staff along with him to Ames. So far, Chief of Staff Jon Shaeffer and General Manager Ricky Ciccone have departed from Washington State along with Rogers, giving him his roster management team from the jump. There are also whispers of some of his staff, many of whom also came from South Dakota State along with Rogers, also heading to Iowa State, but that remains to be seen. Defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit is perhaps the biggest piece of the puzzle, but Bobbit is staying with Washington State as interim head coach for the time being.
Perhaps the biggest thing here is the support behind Rogers at his new school. He already has a great relationship with athletic director Jamie Pollard, who stated that Rogers had expressed interest in succeeding Campbell to Pollard “several years ago.” Since that meeting in Austin, Texas, Pollard and Rogers kept in touch with Pollard reportedly texting Rogers a good luck message ahead of every game. So, when the time came to make the move, Rogers was the easy choice.
He also knows how to navigate taking over for a program legend. At South Dakota State, Rogers succeeded John Stiegelmeier, who led the program for 26 years, won 199 games, and ended his tenure on an 11-year FCS Playoff appearance streak.
Granted, that was at his alma mater and he was promoted from within the staff, but still. Succeeding a program legend isn’t tough, and Rogers will have to do it for a second time.
Grade: C+
The fit seems to make sense, with Rogers closer to his Midwestern roots. But I keep going back to his lack of experience. True, he’s a rising star in coaching circles, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s possibly the least experienced Power Four head coach.
But he also has parallels to Campbell. Both had major success at a lower-tier school before jumping to Iowa State, granted Campbell’s was at least FBS experience at Toledo. Both are defense-first guys that value toughness. Both are Midwesterners that can connect with area prospects.
But that lack of experience scares me off.
Shortlist - Washington State
Let’s pick up where Rogers left off, shall we?
The Washington State job has been an interesting one in recent years. The death and subsequent revival(?) of the PAC-12 has taken a toll on the athletic department that was going well, but relied on those Power Five media deals. That cash isn’t coming through the door.
But this is also a program that prides itself on doing more with less. Mike Leach had free reign to do whatever he wanted before he moved to Mississippi State. Nick Rolovich kept the ball rolling and the offense humming when Leach left before COVID-related disagreements with the administration forced him out. Then Jake Dickert brought his brand of tough defensive football that meshed with the hero-ball offenses piloted by Cam Ward and John Mateer to become a potent program.
All that’s to say: Washington State is an adaptable program that is willing to make changes.
They also have major changes underway at the university level. There isn’t a sitting athletic director. They’re also hamstrung by the financial constraints that have threatened to suffocate the program since their former conference mates looted the ship and left Wazzu out at sea to die.
Here, the finances are really going to make things difficult. Rogers only made $1.3 million annually, far below where pay for a Power Four coach should be. But, then again, Washington State isn’t Power Four anymore. If anything, they’re a high-tier Group of Six school. And that’s a tough pill to swallow for a fan base that wants to be a Power school desperately.
The Candidates
As always, all candidates are speculation unless stated otherwise.
Jesse Bobbit, Washington State DC/Interim HC: Of course, you could just try to stave off Rogers and keep the band together. It’s telling that most of the coaching staff stayed in Pullman when Rogers hopped onto his flight to Ames. Bobbit has the talent to keep everyone together and keep it moving forward. He led the defense, which was among the nation’s best this year at keeping points off the board and instrumental in their plentiful near-upsets.
Jonathan Smith, former Michigan State HC: Smith bolted from fellow PAC-12 castaway Oregon State when the conference was going up in flames, but his first experience east of the Mississippi didn’t go well. Perhaps returning to a program more his speed would be better? Smith was great at Oregon State and understands the region well. There are much worse places for him to try to reinvigorate his career.
Brent Vigen, Montana State HC: Vigen was a finalist for the Oregon State job, so it makes sense he’s also here. He also is a near-replication of Rogers: a young, star FCS coach ready to make a jump. Working at much closer Montana State may also be a plus, since proximity to home was a piece of Rogers leaving after just one season.
Ed Orgeron, former LSU HC: Coach O has been on the trail ready to coach his butt off. He was reportedly in on Oregon State as well, but it didn’t break his way. Orgeron is a strong recruiter and has experience all across the nation, so I don’t worry about that much. Is it a longshot? You bet. But it would sell tickets, which would help this financial situation a ton. But it would also cost a lot.
Nick Rolovich, Cal interim HC: Rolovich presents something so crazy and stupid that it might just work. Remember those COVID-related issues? Well, the university has a whole new administrative system with a new president and no athletic director. Rolovich did well his last time in Pullman, so maybe a reunion is in the cards? Never say never, as Bobby Petrino somehow found himself leading the Arkansas program again this season.
Report Card - Cal
Speaking of Rolovich, how about we take a look at how his school fared with their hire? The Golden Bears finalized a hire of Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi last week. Lupoi will remain with the Ducks through their Playoff run.
On-Field
A former California defensive lineman himself, Lupoi finally gets his shot as a head coach from the ever-expanding Dan Lanning tree. Plus, he’s already set some records as the youngest full-time football coach in program history when he was named defensive line coach in 2008 at just 26 years old.
Since then, Lupoi has directed some seriously elite defenses. His most recent work at Oregon has the Ducks ranking third in total defense, passing defense and passing yards allowed; eighth in scoring defense; and 20th in rushing defense. All that worked well enough for Lupoi to be named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award for the second consecutive year.
Lupoi also has experience as Alabama’s sole defensive coordinator for one season where he coached Quinnen Williams and Dieonte Lawson to All-American seasons and Williams winning the Outland trophy.
He also spent time in the NFL, including serving as rush game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, who finished with the sixth-fewest rushing yards allowed that season and he had a hand in Myles Garrett’s development in 2019.
Pairing Lupoi with general manager Ron Rivera gives the idea that California is looking to get physical and defensive-focused going forward.
Off-Field
It’s almost startling to think that Lupoi’s off-field acumen is probably better regarded than his on-field.
Lupoi is one of the best recruiters on the West Coast. His docket includes defensive stars like Shaw Thompson, Mack Wilson, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Trevon Diggs. But he’s also been turned loose on offensive talent, signing future stars like Najee Harris, Jonah Williams, a then-safety Keenan Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle.
Perhaps even more important, though, is the buy-in on Lupoi around the California program. It wasn’t just Riverboat Ron that was pursuing the former Golden Bear standout, it was a strong contingent of former players and boosters. With the university’s leadership across the board overhauled since the death of the traditional PAC-12 and alignment now clear, this may be the hire that can put the Golden Bears back on the map.
Grade: A-
It’s hard to find a better situation for a first-time head coach, but Lupoi has cut his teeth and earned this shot. I think it’s going to go well, especially with most of the institutional-level concerns seemingly addressed.
Still, as with any first-time head coach, we have to monitor his hires. Lupoi is a defensive coach by trade, who is going to lead the offense? And, with a star on that side of the ball in JKS, can they capitalize on that talent? Ultimately, that will be the make-or-break move for Lupoi in Berkeley.
Report Card - James Madison
The Dukes, fresh off their first Sun Belt Championship and heading to their first College Football Playoff, have established themselves as the clear top Sun Belt program and sending off point for talented coaches. Now, they’re going to look to become a potential coaching rehab destination after locking up former Florida head coach Billy Napier as their next leader.
On-Field
You know when your head coach comes with a moniker bearing the conference’s name like “Sun Belt Billy,” you’ve likely made a good hire.
Sure, Napier’s tenure in Gainesville was a lowlight, with just a 22-23 record leading the Gators. They were inconsistent at best and downright bad at worst. He held onto the reigns too long, refusing to give up control of an offense that floundered despite the massive amounts of talent on the team.
But that model worked before, earning Napier the “Sun Belt Billy” title. At Louisiana, which was then the Sun Belt’s best program, Napier went 40-12, won two SBC Coach of the Year awards, and posted three consecutive 10-win seasons to close out his tenure.
The question looming here is what went wrong for Napier in Gainesville? Was it simply that he couldn’t adjust to the higher-level competition? Or, is there something wrong with his coaching style that didn’t work. After all, the Gator offense - Napier’s baby - was oftentimes the problem by staying off the scoreboard.
He’s also stepping into what might be the Group of Six program with the highest expectations. James Madison has gone 40-10 since coming up from the FCS ranks and has made it clear CFP appearances are the goal, not just conference championship wins.
Off-Field
Napier has always had a reputation as a talented recruiter, but he’s done most of his work in the Southeast. He’s jumped up north a few times, signing four-stars from Maryland (Trevon Diggs) and Ohio (Derek Keif), but the bulk of Napier’s recruiting has come south of the Carolinas.
I’m not sure how that fits with James Madison’s traditionally DMV and Tidewater recruiting. And that worries me.
There were also concerns that Napier wasn’t hitting the trail enough at Florida. Sure, he brought in some high-level talent like D.J. Lagway and Jordan Baugh, but Napier’s recruiting classes didn’t massively outpace what Dan Mullen was pulling in. And he got tons of heat and eventually fired partially due to his lack of work on the recruiting trails.
Grade: B-
I try to stay optimistic and look at Sun Belt Billy’s success in the league, but he’ll have to face that there are fundamental flaws in how he’s run programs in the past, not to mention that he’s in a completely new area of the nation.
First, he has to step out of what he was doing at Florida. I mentioned his offenses being poor earlier, it’s time to hand over playcalling. After all, his poor playcalling also got Napier canned as offensive coordinator at Clemson.
Second, he has to acclimate himself to the area and likely get someone on staff that knows it. So far, it’s looking like a bunch of his guys from Florida are making the trek up to Virginia. Not what I love to see.
Report Card - Memphis
From one Group of Six powerhouse to another, Memphis has found their replacement for Ryan Silverfield in Southern Miss’s Charles Huff. Interestingly, this is the second consecutive season Huff has left for a new job.
On-Field
Huff has always had teams that punched above their weight class, as we’ve seen in his signature upset in South Bend while coaching at Marshall.
This year, he oversaw a massive turnaround, taking Southern Miss from 1-11 to 7-5. Though, much of the team was portalled in from Huff’s last spot at Marshall, where the Thundering Herd conveniently won the Sun Belt championship the year before. Remember, folks, context is important.
But that context really can’t take away from how great this Southern Miss turnaround was. Sure, it’s easy for a coach to take his same team and have success. But, at least to me, it’s infinitely harder for a coach to import his team to a new school with new expectations and new challenges and still have massive success like Huff did at Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss was opportunistic and played with a swagger you hadn’t seen in years, if ever. The offense led the Sun Belt in passing yards per game. The defense had the most interceptions in the FBS and their 26 forced turnovers ranked fourth in all of Division I. A whopping nine Golden Eagles were named to All-Sun Belt teams. It was a massive success.
Off-Field
That can be attributed to Huff’s talent as a program builder. He hasn’t put together elite recruiting classes, but his time at Marshall was marred by disagreements and infighting with the administration and Southern Miss was just fresh into the modern era with a new group of boosters. That’s all been achieved and activated already at Memphis, allowing Huff to step into the best position he’s led a program.
You can see the fruits of his labor based on how many players from Marshall decided to pack their bags and move to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to follow their head coach. There’s likely a whole host that will then move to Memphis with him.
We can’t debate the fact that Huff builds teams from the ground up, focusing on culture and making a team ready to play their hearts out for each other.
Grade: B
With that said, moving jobs so often worries me some. Sure, one move for a much better situation isn’t too hard to swallow. But two in two years? How many guys on the staff, let alone the roster, signed up for that? Will Huff be able to keep his guys in place?
You could argue that he doesn’t need them and can build a shiny new staff and roster at Memphis, but that hasn’t been his forte. He’s had most of his success with these players and this staff. Stepping away from that, though he’s proved he can build the program, has some potential to disappoint.
Shortlist - Southern Miss
Speaking of Huff’s Southern Miss, the Golden Eagles are now looking for their second coach in as many seasons. We already talked about the job above, so I’ll keep it brief here.
There is donor and collective support we haven’t seen before, making this a much more appealing job. And, Huff just showed that you can be competitive in the modern Sun Belt at Southern Miss.
But who will carry the torch?
The Candidates
As always, these are all speculation unless stated otherwise.
Blake Anderson, Southern Miss interim HC/OC: Anderson seems to be the early favorite, as he’s had success with the Golden Eagles some 15 years ago under Larry Fedora and has had solid head coaching tenures at Arkansas State and Utah State before this. Though, his last job came crashing down due to some Title IX kerfluffles.
Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State HC: Mack will be a hot name on the cycle after orchestrating what I believe is the best turnaround in the nation at Kennesaw State, where the Owls are 10-3 and CUSA champions one year removed from a 2-10 debut. Mack has NFL pedigree and could use a raise from where the underfunded Kennesaw State program has him.
Bryant Vincent, UL-Monroe HC: Vincent was apparently a wildcard in last year’s search that went to Huff, so Southern Miss might just go back to that pot. He’s worked in the southeast extensively at UAB and now ULM, elevating previously moribund programs at both stops. He was ULM’s interim athletic director this past season, so he’s well-regarded and respected there. That might complicate a potential poaching.
Derrick Nix, Auburn OC: Auburn’s offense wasn’t much to cheer for, but Nix has connections within the department as a former standout Golden Eagle running back. He was also assistant head coach at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin prior to heading to Auburn, where Nix mentored star tailback Jarquez Hunter.
Hugh Freeze, former Auburn HC: Here’s the true wildcard: Freeze. He'd be the big swing to truly establish Southern Miss as a top Sun Belt program, and may be in range after the underwhelming at Auburn the past four years. Freeze did well at Group of Six Liberty before taking the Auburn job, so the hope would be that he would raise the level of the program like he did with the Flames. In reality, the jokes of the two best-known football guys being connected to Southern Miss being Brett Farve and Hugh Freeze write themselves.
Report Card - Tulane
Since we have Southern Miss on the mind, let’s check in on their last head coach, Will Hall, who was just promoted to head coach at Tulane. Hall will take over at the conclusion of the Green Wave’s CFP run when Jon Sumrall departs to Florida.
On-Field
The Green Wave know what they’re getting here, as Hall called the offense this season. Under his guise, Tulane posted one of the program’s best ever offensive seasons, ranking 11th in rushing offense, 22nd in total offense and 30th in scoring offense. Five times this year, Tulane crossed the 500-yard mark on offense.
Of course, we can’t talk about Will Hall without acknowledging his tenure at Southern Miss, where he went 14-30 and had the Golden Eagles among the nation’s worst programs. But, that was before all the investment that Huff enjoyed.
Before his time with Southern Miss, Hall was one of the Group of Six’s top offensive coordinators with a different stint at Tulane, as well as time with Memphis. Before that, he was a wildly successful coach in the Division II ranks at West Georgia.
Off-Field
Hall knows that he wasn’t the first choice in this job search. But he also won’t talk much about what went wrong at Southern Miss. If this is going to work out, he has to know how to fix those issues.
For one, Tulane has vastly more resources available than Southern Miss even has now, compared to when Hall was the head coach. He also reportedly understands and agrees with the Green Wave’s goals of continued CFP appearances.
He clearly knows the program well from two stints with the Green Wave. Both have had wildly successful quarterback development in Hall’s pro-style offense, Michael Pratt in 2019-2020 and Jake Retzlaff this year. That should help on the recruiting trail.
Grade: C-
I’ll line up right in the middle of this one. Hall was one of my Shortlist candidates for this job, so I can understand why he was hired. They want to try to keep the band together, especially with Sumrall saying he’s not loading the entire staff into his moving van to Gainesville.
On the other hand, that Southern Miss tenure ended in 2024 and it was bad. Has he learned from that? What even went wrong? Without know that, it’s hard to say this was a solid hire or not.
Report Card - UConn
UConn had quickly landed their replacement for the departed Jim Mora, poaching away longtime Toledo head coach Jason Candle. Interestingly enough, Candle’s last coaching move was his promotion to head coach by the Rockets when Matt Campbell left for Iowa State. Now, both Campbell and Candle have new jobs for the first time since that offseason 10 years ago. Does that mean anything? Absolutely not! But it is a fun fact.
On-Field
You can’t discredit Candle’s talent development. Stars like Diontae Johnson, Kareem Hunt, Dequan Finn, Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Alexander and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren have thrived under Candle, with plenty of NFL talent.
He’s also had a knack for punching above his weight class at Toledo, with the Rockets winning the most games of any MAC team during his decade at the helm. He’s the winningest coach in Toledo history, passing Gary Pinkel this year, along with two MAC Championships and seven bowl appearances. He went 2-0 with two blowouts of SEC programs last year and has had near-upsets at Kentucky, Illinois and Notre Dame in recent years.
But there’s also the flip side, which had folks in Toledo looking at greener pastures: Candle had 17 losses in games his Rockets were two-score favorites in the last five years. Despite the massive talent discrepancy between Toledo and the rest of the MAC, the Rockets underachieved and always found ways to lose.
Off-Field
Candle is a bit out of his comfort zone, spending his entire career inside the state of Ohio. How will he adapt to a new environment in the Northeast?
Personally, I think he’ll be okay. He’s proven to be an elite talent developer and have an eye for talent on the recruiting trail. Just look at the 10 NFL draft picks that have come through Candle’s program that will surely increase this April.
Still, he’s mostly pulled his talent from the area, focusing on the fertile recruiting grounds of Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. UConn doesn’t have a presence in those areas. Will he force his way in? Or will Candle try to adapt to his new home and forge some connections in the New England area?
Grade: C+
I want to get excited about this, I do. But I keep going back to what I know about Candle’s Toledo teams. And that’s that they lose a lot of games they shouldn’t. Like a lot.
I’m a Bowling Green alum. It’s part of my personality to hate on Toledo. Candle is a good coach. But he got outclassed by a lot of bad teams in the MAC. What caused that? He almost always had his boys ready to go against power conference foes, but that fell apart when the calendar hit MACtion.
Unless he has an answer for what caused those teams to fail, I can’t sign off on this in good conscience.
Report Card - Toledo
Toledo moved quick, securing Candle’s successor in Mercer’s Mike Jacobs. Jacobs has been a guy that I’ve long thought was MAC-bound, and he finally makes it to the conference with the Rockets.
On-Field
What do you do to replace the winningest coach in program history? We saw Iowa State go with a hot, up-and-coming guy in Jimmy Rogers. Toledo went in a more opposite route - selecting a gamer that has won at lower levels.
Jacobs has a decade of head coaching experience already under his belt, and he ranks fourth in winning percentage across the Division I and II ranks with a sterling 0.803 mark. In case you thought that’s because Jacobs hasn’t coached a while, he has more career wins than Candle does, sitting at 94-23.
In his decade of head coaching, Jacobs’ teams have won seven conference titles and made the playoffs six times. He’s won five conference Coach of the Year awards, including taking home the SoCon crown the past two seasons with a 15-1 in-conference record.
Like Candle, Jacobs has a knack on the offensive side of the ball, with Mercer ranking third in the FCS with 485.2 yards per game and averaging 36.2 points per game this season. His Bears climbed up to sixth in the FS rankings and produced a whopping 13 All-SoCon players.
Off-Field
Of course, Jacobs has to adjust to the higher competition level in the MAC. But the man knows the area. He’s a Maumee, Ohio native, which is just 20 minutes outside of Toledo proper. He also played at Ohio State under John Cooper and Jim Tressel as an offensive lineman and long snapper.
So, yeah, he clearly knows the area. And he can use his Ohio State status for pull, even if Toledo is the originating area for the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry way back when the states actually wanted Toledo. Though, his rival down I-75 Eddie George might have more pull with the Ohio State fans of the area (yes, I have to mention it.)
Jacobs comes as an FCS coach, meaning he hasn’t been a recruiter of elite talent. But he didn’t have to be. His winning percentage and turnarounds at all the schools he’s coached show that he’s among the best program builders in the nation. Every single school he’s coached has been in a better place when he left.
Grade: B+
I think I’ll always be a little wary of FCS coaching coming up to the FBS ranks, but Jacobs has already won big across multiple competition levels. And, come on, the dude wins 80 percent of his games.
Still, I have concerns with how he’ll handle recruiting and a more wild transfer portal and revenue sharing world that hasn’t impacted the FCS ranks as much as the FBS. That’s the reason he stays in the B range.
Shortlist - Coastal Carolina
If you’ve read this far, congratulations. I really appreciate you sticking with me on all these coaching musings that have me going silly.
We’ll end our day with a position that I just flat out missed, as Coastal Carolina fired Tim Beck over a week ago. Oops.
The Job
When Jamey Chadwell was in town, Conway, South Carolina was hopping. The Surf Turf was one of the hottest places in the nation, drawing eyeballs to potentially burn depending on how hot the playing surface was. Their brash, exciting option playstyle coincided with the Chanticleers making mullets of all things fun again.
But then Chadwell left and Beck took over. And things began to slip.
The program has financial constraints, and may even play second fiddle to their College World Series bound baseball team that actually competes for national championship. Still, it wasn’t too long ago that Coastal was the talk of the Group of Six. Shows how fast life comes at you in the FBS.
You have to give it to the team at Coastal, they’re inventive. The free concessions caused a noticeable bump in attendance, even if the team didn’t perform as well. And, even going with Chadwell and his inventive scheme in the first place was a huge risk.
The Candidates
Garrett Riley, Clemson OC: Younger brother of Lincoln Riley, Garrett seems to be the main target in what factors to be a quickly coming hire. Garrett has a similar coaching philosophy as his brother, but hasn’t quite put it together with the Tigers like Lincoln did with Oklahoma. Still, maybe a new stop and a chance to truly make his mark is what Riley the younger needs.
Ryan Beard, Missouri State HC: Beard vastly overperformed expectations in the Bears’ first season at the FBS ranks. He’s a defensive coach by trade, so would be a bit of a departure for the young Chanticleer program. But, a 7-5 season by a team that was expected to finish towards the bottom of the FBS in their first year of competition is enough to get Beard some buzz.
Drew Cronic, Navy OC: Is the option back on the menu? Cronic has been the architect of one of the nation’s most exciting offenses, marrying his up-tempo spread with the traditional service academy triple option to make defenses pay. Blake Horvath, Eli Heidenreich and Alex Tecza are legitimate stars in the nation’s most punishing rushing attack.
Nick Rolovich, California interim HC: Rolovich also is getting looks here. He’s the most experienced of the bunch in the mix, so may be the safest option. Well, as safe as Rolovich can be. But, it’s important to note Rolovich is mostly a west coast guy, and this is most certainly not out west.
Shannon Dawson, Miami OC: And, if the Chanticleers want to throw for a bazillion yards, Dawson is their guy. He was reportedly in on Tulane’s job as well, and his work with Cam Ward and Carson Beck in the past two seasons show what he wants so do: score. A lot.
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