The college football coaching carousel is spinning after a flurry of activity at the end of the regular season. Throughout the cycle, Sports Illustrated will grade the hires.
2025 College Football Coaching Carousel
Coaches Hired
Updated: Dec. 6
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| UConn | Jason Candle | B- |
It was only a matter of time before Jason Candle finally made a go at a new job and it’s an intriguing move to Storrs, Conn., for the longtime Toledo coach. This is an incredibly difficult job as a football independent and seems like a hire that could lead to a handful of more upsets while also lowering the overall floor given Candle’s tendency to lose with the more talented team.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis | Charles Huff | A |
Charles Huff built a winner at Marshall and nearly took his Southern Miss team back to the Sun Belt title game in his first season. Memphis is a step up from those jobs but should give him the resources and local talent needed to run the American for the next few years.
Updated: Dec. 5
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa State | Jimmy Rogers | A- |
The Cyclones wasted, quite literally, no time in replacing Matt Campbell in Ames, Iowa. Rogers has extensive ties in the Midwest and knows how to keep a high-functioning program going given how he won a national championship with South Dakota State. He did a great job at Washington State this season and fits the mold of what works at a place like Iowa State.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Penn State | Matt Campbell | A |
It may have been a meandering search in retrospect to land a guy Penn State should have targeted in the first place. But the Nittany Lions wind up with a great coach who can not only make the program a CFP regular, but one who can pull a few more of those Top 10 upsets that his predecessor could not. Read more on Campbell to Penn State.
Updated: Dec. 4
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| James Madison | Billy Napier | A- |
You can’t fault the Dukes for making a string of hires involving coaches with a proven track record. Billy Napier’s time at Florida didn't go well, but he proved to be a quality recruiter and he understands how to win the Sun Belt. Things may take a slight step back from the ultra-high level they’ve been at in Harrisonburg, Va., but it wouldn’t be surprising if Napier wins the league at James Madison a few times.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| UAB | Alex Mortensen | B |
The Blazers embarked on a fascinating search despite having plenty of lead time after axing Trent Dilfer early in the season. Alex Mortensen is highly regarded in coaching circles, but the track record of interim coaches getting the tag taken off in the Group of 5 is a bit of a mixed bag. His staff hires will prove key to success in Birmingham, Ala.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | Collin Klein | A- |
It’s hard to find a better fit to take over for a retiring head coach late in the process than landing a rising assistant coach who is also a program legend. Kansas State isn’t the most effortless of jobs but if anybody can tackle it, it would be Collin Klein. Read more on Klein to Kansas State.
Update: Dec. 3
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| South Florida | Brian Hartline | A |
The Bulls aimed high in their search and landed one of the biggest names available out of the assistant ranks in Brian Hartline, who has proven to be a phenomenal recruiter in the state of Florida since returning to his alma mater. He’s the best wide receiver developer in the country and should be able to keep things rolling in Tampa before inevitably leaving for a Power 4 job in a few years.
Update: Dec. 2
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Cal | Tosh Lupoi | B- |
The Bay Area native and former assistant with the Golden Bears was an early name connected to this opening and winds up taking over at his alma mater. There’s no question that he should be able to significantly amp up the recruiting efforts in Berkeley, Calif., and improve the talent level on the roster, but this is a difficult job that will much more come down to Tosh Lupoi’s ability to hire a good staff and not have too many hiccups as a first-time head coach.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| North Texas | Neal Brown | B+ |
Neal Brown was in the mix for several Group of 5 jobs but landed in a great spot taking over a Mean Green program that has shown it can compete at the top of the conference. He’s had plenty of experience in the state of Texas and knows how to win at this level with an offense that puts up points, two qualities that should serve him well in Denton, Texas.
Update: Dec. 1
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | Will Stein | B+ |
It’s no easy thing to learn on the job in the SEC, but Will Stein is a fantastic offensive mind with a great track record of developing quarterbacks. That’s a welcome sight in Lexington, Ky., as the Wildcats go with the complete opposite of his predecessor and hope it’s enough to turn the team’s fortunes around in the next few years. Read more on Stein to Kentucky.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | Pat Fitzgerald | B- |
This is a high floor, but ultimately low ceiling, hire for Michigan State in bringing Pat Fitzgerald back to college football. That’s not a bad thing for a program which has been unable to find much of a footing for much of the past decade, but it probably limits the upside for a program that should be much more successful than it has been compared to other, more exciting options. Read more on Fitzgerald to Michigan State.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA | Bob Chesney | B+ |
The only thing that could hold this back from being a slam dunk for the Bruins is that there’s always a slight bit of the unknown for smaller school guys translating to the power leagues—especially without any regional ties. Bob Chesney has proven to be a great coach though and UCLA fans should be thrilled they landed him to buoy hopes that he follows Curt Cignetti’s path some more and will make their program relevant on the national stage. Read more on Chesney to UCLA.
Update: Nov. 30
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss | Pete Golding | C- |
If you were to ask opposing SEC coaches and fan bases if they were excited that Ole Miss simply promoted Pete Golding instead of going out to land a proven head coach, they would be over the moon. Maybe he unlocks the place and keeps things rolling outside the Grove, but history and common sense says this is taking a big chance on a coordinator who didn’t particularly distinguish his units on the field either. Read more on Golding at Ole Miss.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| LSU | Lane Kiffin | A |
It’s possible this all ends in a spectacular failure for LSU and Lane Kiffin wins up being Brian Kelly 2.0 in Baton Rouge. But on the surface, it’s a great marriage that will wind up being judged by just one thing. Read more on Kiffin to LSU.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Ryan Silverfield | B- |
The Razorbacks conducted a wide-ranging and active coaching search before finally settling on Ryan Silverfield—who they know up close what he can do having a victory over Arkansas this season. He should be able to significantly raise the floor in Fayetteville, Ark., by making this a consistent bowl-bound program with the occasional ability to compete for much more every so often, too. Read more on Silverfield to Arkansas.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn | Alex Golesh | A- |
Alex Golesh did a fantastic job turning around USF over three seasons and was an easy decision for Auburn to hire on this chaotic coaching carousel. He should be immediately able to help juice the Tigers offense and have them competing for CFP bids moving forward once he really gets rolling on the Plains. Read more on Golesh to Auburn.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Jon Sumrall | A |
No, Florida didn’t land Lane Kiffin and will have to deal with angry fans worried the Gators just made a carbon copy of the hire that just recently didn’t work out. But Jon Sumrall is a potential home run with the way he runs things and could be key to unlocking a program capable of competing at the very high end of college football. Read more on Sumrall to Florida.
Update: Nov. 28
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Tavita Pritchard | C |
There is no more powerful general manager out there than Andrew Luck on the Farm, so it shouldn’t be a surprise he would hire somebody he’s quite familiar with in Pritchard, who has spent all but two years of his playing and coaching career with the Cardinal. This is a difficult job, doubly so in the ACC rather than the old Pac-12, and feels like an uphill climb for a first-time head coach given everything he has to navigate on campus before even kicking off.
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon State | JaMarcus Shephard | B- |
The Beavers moved on from alum Trent Bray in part because he was having to learn on the job about how to run a program, so it’s interesting they are going with someone who is also a first-time head coach who hasn’t called plays before. Shephard brings plenty of connections on the West Coast and will be a tremendous infusion of energy in Corvallis, Ore., but it’s a bit of a risk given how difficult the gig is in general.
Update: Nov. 26
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | Jim Mora | A- |
Colorado State is aiming high in the new Pac-12 and landing a proven head coach with West Coast ties like Jim Mora is a big win for a program that should be regularly contending for a conference title. Mora did a terrific job in tough circumstances at UConn, but has a chance to revive the Rams sooner rather than later.
Update: Nov. 25
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State | Eric Morris | A |
Eric Morris not going to be Mike Gundy 2.0, but Oklahoma State checks off all the boxes in landing a proven head coach who can win in tough places and has plenty of connections to the talent-rich state to the south. Hard to argue with either side given how perfect a match this looks to be on paper. Read more on Morris to Oklahoma State.
Update: Nov. 17
| Team | Coach Hired | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | James Franklin | A |
James Franklin still needs to answer questions about why things went so off the rails at Penn State, but it’s hard not to see this as anything but a great marriage between coach and program. The Hokies get a proven program builder who recruits the area extremely well and should instantly make them relevant in the lower pressure of the ACC. Read more on Franklin to Virginia Tech.
2025 College Football Coaching Carousel
| Team | Previous Coach | Date | Hired Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | Jason Candle (left for UConn) | Dec. 6 | |
| Southern Miss | Charles Huff (left for Memphis) | Dec. 6 | |
| Iowa State | Matt Campbell (left for Penn State) | Dec. 5 | Jimmy Rogers |
| Kansas State | Chris Klieman (retired) | Dec. 3 | Collin Klein |
| James Madison | Bob Chesney (left for UCLA) | Dec. 1 | Billy Napier |
| Kentucky | Mark Stoops | Nov. 30 | Will Stein |
| Michigan State | Jonathan Smith | Nov. 30 | Pat Fitzgerald |
| Ole Miss | Lane Kiffin (left for LSU) | Nov. 30 | Pete Golding |
| Memphis | Ryan Silverfield (left for Arkansas) | Nov. 30 | Charles Huff |
| South Florida | Alex Golesh (left for Auburn) | Nov. 30 | Brian Hartline |
| Tulane | Jon Sumrall (left for Florida) | Nov. 30 | |
| UConn | Jim Mora (left for Colorado State) | Nov. 26 | Jason Candle |
| North Texas | Eric Morris (left for Oklahoma State) | Nov. 25 | Neal Brown |
| Cal | Justin Wilcox | Nov. 23 | Tosh Lupoi |
| Auburn | Hugh Freeze |
Nov. 2 | Alex Golesh |
| LSU | Brian Kelly | Oct. 26 | Lane Kiffin |
| Florida | Billy Napier | Oct. 19 | Jon Sumrall |
| Colorado State | Jay Norvell | Oct. 19 | Jim Mora |
| Penn State | James Franklin | Oct. 12 | Matt Campbell |
| Oregon State | Trent Bray | Oct. 12 | JaMarcus Shephard |
| UAB | Trent Dilfer | Oct. 12 | Alex Mortensen |
| Arkansas | Sam Pittman | Sept. 28 | Ryan Silverfield |
| Oklahoma State | Mike Gundy | Sept. 23 | Eric Morris |
| UCLA | DeShaun Foster | Sept. 14 | Bob Chesney |
| Virginia Tech | Brent Pry | Sept. 14 | James Franklin |
| Stanford | Troy Taylor | March 25 | Tavita Pritchard |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as College Football Coaching Carousel: Grades for Every Hire in 2025.
