Penn State hires new OC from Kansas

December 1, 2023 7

The college football coaching carousel picked up steam as the regular season wound down through a wild weekend of action.

The big news was Michigan State finding a replacement for Mel Tucker, hiring Jonathan Smith away from Oregon State.

But that wasn’t all, as rumors began to pick up around the vacancy at Texas A&M.

Joel Klatt’s breaks down new coaching hires in weekend check-in

The deep-pocketed school has plenty of money to spend while searching for its replacement for Jimbo Fisher, and on Sunday, it made its move by hiring Mike Elko.

No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas Jayhawks Highlights

Penn State’s offense had some successes in former five-star quarterback Drew Allar’s first season as the Nittany Lions’ starter, but struggled mightily when it mattered most, mustering just 12 points against Ohio State and 15 points against Michigan in losses to the two Big Ten heavyweights that coach James Franklin aims to compete with. Yurcich was fired on Nov. 12, one day after Penn State’s 24-15 loss to Michigan.

Indiana set to hire James Madison’s Curt Cignetti as head coach

Cignetti helmed one of college football’s greatest success stories in 2023, leading James Madison to an 11-1 record in just the Dukes’ second season of play at the FBS level. Cignetti has gradually climbed through the head coaching ranks with successful stints at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania and FCS Elon before taking over at James Madison in 2019, immediately leading the Dukes to an FCS title game appearance and then back-to-back conference championships in the FCS spring and fall seasons of 2021.

Before his first head coaching job, Cignetti was Nick Saban’s first wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama, a position he held from 2007-2010, which included the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national title team. While there, Cignetti was future NFL superstar Julio Jones‘ position coach and also spearheaded the recruitment of other Alabama greats, including running back Mark Ingram, who went on to win the 2009 Heisman Trophy and is now a college football analyst for FOX Sports.

The Hoosiers fired head coach Tom Allen earlier this month following three straight seasons of three wins or fewer. Indiana finished 6-2 and No. 12 in the AP Poll in the pandemic-altered 2020 season, but Allen was never able to recreate the success from that season after quarterback Michael Penix Jr. tore his ACL at the end of 2020, struggled through an injury-plagued 2021 campaign, and then transferred to rejoin former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer at Washington.

San Diego State hires Colorado offensive coordinator Sean Lewis as head coach

The Aztecs are hiring one of Deion Sanders’ most high-profile assistants to replace the retiring Brady Hoke, the school announced Wednesday. Sanders drew rave reviews when he convinced Lewis, a successful Group of 5 head coach at Kent State, to leave his post there and run Colorado’s offense, which quickly became one of the highest-scoring in the nation as the Buffaloes roared to a 3-0 start and became the biggest story in sports.

But Colorado won only one more game the remainder of the season and the offense struggled as quarterback Shedeur Sanders — Deion’s son — became the most-sacked quarterback in the FBS behind a weak offensive line. Deion Sanders stripped play-calling duties from Lewis after Colorado’s Oct. 28 loss at UCLA in favor of former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur, drawing criticism for doing so.

Lewis was already well-regarded for what he did at Kent State, taking the Golden Flashes from a two-win team in 2018, his first season, to a bowl win in 2019. Kent State was then the MAC runner-up in 2021. The Golden Flashes went 1-11 in 2023 without Lewis.

For the Aztecs, hiring Lewis represents a substantial shift from their identity as a hard-nosed, run-first, defense-oriented team under head coaches Hoke and Rocky Long.

Oregon State promotes DC Trent Bray to take over for Jonathan Smith

Oregon State has promoted defensive coordinator Trent Bray to head coach, filling the immediate void Jonathan Smith left when he departed for Michigan State on Saturday. The school announced Bray’s promotion Tuesday night.

Bray appeared to be the frontrunner for the job in the wake of Smith’s departure, especially when his name did not appear on a list of Beavers assistants reportedly following Smith to East Lansing. Bray, like Smith, played college football at Oregon State and is well-regarded throughout the sport for the role he played in turning around the Beavers’ program from one of the worst in the Power 5 to one that won 10 games in 2022 and eight games this season, remaining ranked in the AP Top 25 for most of the year.

Rumors that Bray would be promoted started to grow on social media as several current Beavers players — who are immediately eligible to jump in the transfer portal due to Smith’s departure — posted positive messages on X (formerly Twitter) throughout Tuesday. Several of those messages came from players who had publicly endorsed Bray for the head coaching job. Star running back Damien Martinez also publicly recommitted to Oregon State earlier Tuesday.

The Beavers were No. 24 in total defense in the FBS last year and currently rank No. 35 this year, a testament to the unit Bray has built on that side of the ball.

Bray had previously been an assistant at Arizona State and Nebraska under former Oregon State head coaches Dennis Erickson and Mike Riley. He briefly took over as Nebraska’s interim head coach when Riley was fired in 2017.

Bray is now tasked with leading the Beavers into an uncertain future as one of the two teams that did not leave to a major conference amid the dissolution of the Pac-12. Oregon State and Washington State will reportedly enter a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for 2024.

Syracuse hires Georgia assistant Fran Brown

The Orange are hiring a coach who played a role in winning a recent national title to be their next head coach. Syracuse has hired Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown to be its next head coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Brown, 40, is a New Jersey native and has been on Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia since 2022. Even though he’s only in his second year at Georgia, Brown has already made a major impact. On top of helping the Bulldogs win the national title last season and going 12-0 during the regular season this year, he’s ranked as the No. 1 recruiter for the Class of 2024 by 247Sports. He’s helped Georgia secure commitments from six prospects, including two five-star recruits.

Prior to his stint at Georgia, Brown mostly spent his coaching career in the Northeast. He served as an assistant at Temple from 2011-16, working as the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator by the end of his tenure there. He followed Matt Rhule to Baylor in 2017, working as the assistant head coach/defensive backs coach for two seasons before going back to Temple to become its co-defensive coordinator in 2019. He joined Greg Schiano’s coaching staff at Rutgers in 2020, working as its defensive backs coach for two seasons.

Smart’s assistant coaches who have gone on to become head coaches have had a mixed bag of success. Dan Lanning has Oregon in a spot to potentially make the College Football Playoff in just his second season on the job. Mel Tucker spent one season at Colorado before becoming Michigan State‘s head coach in 2020, leading the Spartans to 11 wins in 2021. But he had a disappointing five-win season in 2022 and was fired in September after allegations emerged he sexually harassed a rape survivor and anti-sexual violence advocate. Sam Pittman and Shane Beamer both enjoyed early success at Arkansas and South Carolina, respectively, but both of their squads didn’t win enough games to be bowl-eligible in 2023.

Bobby Petrino returning to Arkansas as offensive coordinator

In one of the most stunning college football hires in recent memory, former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino is returning to the Razorbacks as offensive coordinator under head coach Sam Pittman, replacing former coordinator Dan Enos after the team went 4-8 last season. Arkansas is finalizing a deal for Petrino to return, per ESPN.

Petrino led Arkansas to 10 wins in 2010 and 11 wins in 2011, but his head coach tenure came to a bumpy end — literally — when he got in a single-vehicle crash in April 2012 while riding his motorcycle with a 25-year-old athletic department staffer. The fallout of the crash exposed an affair Petrino was having with the staffer, and he was soon fired for what then-athletic director Jeff Long described as “knowingly misleading” the program about the relationship and abusing his position of power.

An image of Petrino — with his face bruised and in a neck brace after suffering a cracked vertebra due to the accident — fielding questions about the scandal shortly before his dismissal has long been associated with the incident and went viral on social media again Tuesday when rumors first surfaced that Arkansas was vetting him to take over as offensive coordinator.

After leaving Arkansas in 2012, Petrino eventually returned to Louisville for a second stint there as head coach, developing future NFL MVP Lamar Jackson into a Heisman Trophy winner before being fired in 2018 after a 2-8 start to the season. He spent last year as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, but his future there appeared in doubt after head coach Jimbo Fisher was fired earlier this month.

Texas A&M announces hire of Duke‘s Mike Elko

Texas A&M hired Duke coach Mike Elko to lead the Aggies on Monday, replacing Jimbo Fisher with his former defensive coordinator for four years in College Station.

Elko left the Aggies to take his first head coaching job at Duke after the 2021 season and went 16-9 in two seasons. The Blue Devils had won just 10 games combined in the three previous years.

“Coach Mike Elko is one of the best leaders and coaches in college football and has had high-level success at each stop of his career,” A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said. “He is known amongst coaching circles as one of the best defensive minds in the country and has shown his ability to lead and turn around a program as a Power 5 head coach.”

Texas A&M fired Fisher earlier this month, paying a record buyout of more than $75 million to move on from him with two games left in his sixth season with the Aggies.

Elko, who also had stints as defensive coordinator at Wake Forest and Notre Dame, led defenses that ranked in the top three of the Southeastern Conference in his final two seasons with A&M.

This season at Duke, Elko guided the Blue Devils to a 4-0 start, but they struggled after quarterback Riley Leonard was injured at the end of a close loss to Notre Dame. Duke finished 7-5.

Meanwhile, Duke starts its search for a replacement

Duke made a rapid climb under Mike Elko. Now they’re searching for a new football coach after an unusually short tenure.

Athletics director Nina King said it had been “a busy day” that included conversations deep into Sunday night with Elko as he was engaged in talks with Texas A&M, where he worked as defensive coordinator before taking over in Durham in 2021.

“We’ll be thorough in our process and we will certainly work swiftly as we have done before,” King said in a statement to reporters Monday, though she didn’t take questions.

That will be important. NCAA rules permit players to enter the transfer portal for 30 days after a coaching change, allowing them to formally explore moves elsewhere. Additionally, the portal window officially opens next Monday, which offers coaching staffs the ability to seek out help from other schools.

The school needed 12 days to hire Elko after David Cutcliffe’s exit.

The last time a Duke coach stayed three or fewer seasons came when Steve Spurrier left for Florida after a 1987-89 run that included the program’s last Atlantic Coast Conference title in his final season. Elko and Spurrier are the only Duke coaches to stay three or fewer years since 1925, spanning the Blue Devils’ time in the Southern Conference before becoming a charter ACC member in 1953.

King said associate head coach and running backs coach Trooper Taylor would work as the interim coach while the school searches for Elko’s replacement. She said she met with the players Monday morning, and has Zoom meetings scheduled for that night with verbally committed recruits as well as in the coming days with the families of current Blue Devils players.

Middle Tennessee fires coach Rick Stockstill

Middle Tennessee fired coach Rick Stockstill on Monday after 18 seasons, capped by a 4-8 record and an ugly road loss in the Blue Raiders’ regular-season finale.

Stockstill was hired in December 2005. He had a 113-111 record at Middle Tennessee, with his win total ranked third all-time in program history. He had been the fourth-longest tenured coach nationally and third-longest with the Blue Raiders.

He took the Blue Raiders to 10 bowls, with Middle Tennessee bowl eligible 12 times. They beat San Diego State a year ago in the Hawaii Bowl.

Mississippi State hires Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to be its new head coach

Mississippi State hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as its new head coach on Sunday, hoping to bring a wide-open offensive style back to the Bulldogs.

Lebby has been the offensive coordinator for the Sooners for the last two years after two seasons holding the same position at Mississippi.

Lebby is the son-in-law of former Baylor coach Art Briles, who was fired by the school in 2016 after an investigation found the school and athletic department mishandled sexual assault allegation cases, some involving athletes.

“I am confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter of Mississippi State football,” Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon said in a statement. “He will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development, and a winning culture to Starkville, all while doing so with high integrity. He is a dynamic recruiter who will attract an elite coaching staff and the nation’s top talent.”

This is will be Lebby’s first head coaching job and Mississippi State’s third head coach in as many seasons.

Zach Arnett was fired after less than one full season as head coach of the Bulldogs. Arnett replaced Mike Leach, who died of a heart condition after the 2022 regular season.

Under Leach, Mississippi State ran the Air Raid offense and put up prolific passing numbers. The Bulldogs finished their season 5-7 by losing to rival Mississippi last Thursday and the passing offense was one of the worst in the Southeastern Conference.

New Mexico fires Danny Gonzales

New Mexico has fired coach Danny Gonzales, who never won more than four games over four seasons.

The Lobos were 11-32 under Gonzales and ended this season 4-8 after a 44-41 loss to Utah State on Saturday.

Athletic director Eddie Nuñez said Gonzales brought stability to the football program during a difficult time and that he is grateful for the positive impact Gonzales had on his players.

“In the end,” Nuñez said, “we did not achieve the results on the field that we had wanted.”

Gonzales, 47, is an Albuquerque native who played for the Lobos and was an assistant under former coach Rocky Long.

UTEP fires Dana Dimel

UTEP fired football coach Dana Dimel on Sunday, a day after the end of his fifth losing season in six years.

The Miners finished 3-9 after a 42-28 loss to undefeated Liberty before a sparse crowd at the Sun Bowl. It was the fourth time UTEP failed to win more than three games under Dimel, who had a year left on his contract.

Dimel ended a 16-year absence from head coaching when he took over the Miners in 2018. He had three winning seasons in Wyoming from 1997-99 before three losing years with Houston.

Indiana fires Tom Allen

Allen’s time in Bloomington is over after seven seasons as Indiana’s head coach, FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman reported.

Allen went 33-49 during his tenure at Indiana, but there was once promise for the program in the earlier seasons of his career there. He led Indiana to an 8-5 record in 2019 after two five-win seasons and progressed to 6-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

But right as Indiana appeared to be close to competing for a Big Ten title, it fell back down to the bottom of the conference. Allen’s Hoosiers went 2-10 and winless in conference play in 2021. It never got much better than that for Allen, as he went 4-8 in 2022 and 3-9 this season.

Allen will be owed over $20 million by the school for terminating his contract early. The search for his replacement has already begun.

Dana Holgorsen fired by Houston

Holgorsen’s tenure with Houston is finished after four years at the helm, according to multiple reports.

The 62-year-old had a pair of solid seasons when Houston was still in the AAC. He led the Cougars to a 12-2 record in 2021 and an 8-5 record in 2022.

But Holgorsen couldn’t steer Houston to success in its first season in the Big 12. The Cougars went 4-8 this season and 2-7 in conference play.

Houston hired Holgorsen away from West Virginia following the 2018 season, looking to find some of the success he had during his time in Morgantown. Instead, it’ll reportedly pay him $14.8 million not to coach the program anymore.

Michigan State hires Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith

The Michigan State Spartans have found their next head football coach, prying Jonathan Smith away from Oregon State after a wildly successful tenure at his alma mater, the school announced Saturday.

The 44-year-old Smith replaces Mel Tucker, who was fired in September amid an investigation into sexual harassment allegations. Tucker’s former assistant Harlon Barnett served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season, in which the Spartans finished 4-8 and missed bowl eligibility for the second straight year. Barnett and the other assistants were reportedly relieved of their duties Saturday morning.

Smith, a star quarterback with the Beavers in the early 2000s, returned to Corvallis after the 2017 season with the program widely considered one of the worst in the Power 5, having gone 12-36 over the previous four seasons. He became one of the most widely respected head coaches in the country for rebuilding Oregon State’s program into one that was ranked throughout the 2023 season.

He went 34-35 over six seasons with the Beavers, his first head coaching job, including 25-13 over the past three years. Oregon State entered this weekend at No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but lost 31-7 at archrival Oregon on Friday. Smith did not deny the rumors connecting him to Michigan State after the game while Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said this week that keeping Smith was his “No. 1 priority.”

Smith received extensions and pay raises at Oregon State in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but the Beavers’ future is murky as one of the two Pac-12 teams left behind in the realignment-reshaped conference. Smith had six years remaining on his contract, worth $31.2 million through 2029, with a $3 million buyout.

Mike Yurcich out at Penn State

The Nittany Lions parted ways with their offensive coordinator after their loss to Michigan.

Penn State was averaging nearly 38 points per game in its third season under Yurcich but struggles against Big Ten East powers Michigan and Ohio State proved to be too much to overcome.

Zach Arnett out at Mississippi State

Mississippi State announced Arnett’s dismissal on its athletics website. Arnett, who took the job after the death of Bulldogs coach Mike Leach last December, leaves the university with a 5-6 record, including a 4-6 mark this season, and the program tied for last in the Southeastern Conference West Division at 1-6.

MSU athletic director Zac Selmon said in a statement that he determined a change in leadership was needed for the football program to move forward and “position it for the highest level of success.”

Senior offensive analyst Greg Knox will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Andy Avalos out at Boise State

Avalos was fired on Sunday, 10 games into his third season leading Boise State. He led the Broncos to a 22-14 overall record.

“I am grateful for the passion, effort and dedication Andy has given to our community and his alma mater while serving as our head coach,” Boise State athletic director Jeremiah Dickey said. “Andy will always be a Bronco, and we wish him and his family all the best in their next steps.”

Defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson was named interim head coach.

Mel Tucker out at Michigan State

Michigan State officially fired Tucker after a suspension and investigation into sexual harassment allegations came to light.

The university terminated what’s left of Tucker’s $95 million, 10-year contract for acknowledging actions that subjected the institution to ridicule, breaching his contract and moral turpitude.

Tucker was 20-14 in three-plus seasons with the Spartans, who he led to 11 wins in 2021, and his career record as a college football head coach is 25-21.