Six Power 5 head coaches have been fired so far this season (Matt Luke at Ole Miss, Steve Addazio at Boston College, Barry Odom at Missouri, Chad Morris at Arkansas, Willie Taggart at FSU and Chris Ash at Rutgers), and more jobs could be opening soon.
We share which coaches could be on the move, and which jobs are the right fit for those coaches.
So, what’s next in the college football coaching carousel? This will be your home for all coaching news, intel and insights throughout the season, along with the latest updates on the hot seat.
Jump to a situation:
Ole Miss | FSU | Washington | Boston College | Rutgers | Missouri | Vanderbilt | Arkansas | Hot seat
Ole Miss names Lane Kiffin new head coach
Lane Kiffin will be the next head football coach at Ole Miss, the school announced Saturday.
Kiffin, whose Florida Atlantic team won the Conference USA title 49-6 over UAB, replaces Matt Luke, who was dismissed after three seasons.
The 44-year-old Kiffin was Florida Atlantic’s head coach for the past three seasons. Prior to that, he was Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016.
“Our staff and I will work tirelessly to recruit and develop successful players for this program, and I look forward to producing many exciting memories to add to Ole Miss’ storied football legacy,” Kiffin said in a press release. “I am excited to get to Oxford and begin the groundwork of building a championship program that Mississippi’s flagship university deserves, and I’m thrilled to be back in the greatest athletics’ conference in the nation.”
Ole Miss dismissed Luke on Dec. 1 after he had gone 15-21 in three seasons at the helm.
“After evaluating the overall trajectory of our football program, we did not see enough momentum on the field and determined a change is necessary in order for our student-athletes to compete at the highest level,” athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. “While improvements were evident in certain aspects of the program, we are judged ultimately by our record, and, unfortunately, we did not meet the standard of success that we expect from our program.
“We will always be grateful to Coach Luke for his leadership, particularly from a recruiting, academic and overall culture standpoint. At the same time, winning is important, and we know that we can compete for championships at Ole Miss.”
Luke, who played at Ole Miss, took over as the Rebels’ interim head coach just a week prior to the start of fall camp in 2017 after Hugh Freeze was fired. Luke was named the permanent head coach following the 2017 season.
Mike Norvell agrees to deal with Florida State
After Florida State fired head coach Willie Taggart in November after just 21 games at the helm, the Seminoles may have found their next coach in Memphis’ Mike Norvell.
Norvell agreed to a deal with the Seminoles after leading Memphis to an American Athletic Conference championship victory over Cincinnati on Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low.
Norvell, 38, led Memphis to a 12-1 record and likely a New Year’s Six berth after his Tigers beat Cincinnati 29-24 in the AAC title game.
He will replace Taggart, who went 9-12 in one and a half seasons for the Seminoles. Florida State said in a statement that it would introduce its next coach at a news conference on Sunday at noon ET.
Chris Petersen steps down at Washington
Washington coach Chris Petersen will step down after the Huskies’ bowl game and be replaced by defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, the school announced Monday.
As part of the shocking announcement, the school said Petersen will transition into a “leadership advisory role” within the athletic department.
“It has been a privilege and a professional dream fulfilled to be part of this world-class institution,” Petersen said in a statement. “I will forever be grateful, honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to coach our fine young men on Montlake for these past six seasons.”
Petersen, 55, arrived at Washington prior to the 2014 season and led the Huskies to a pair of Pac-12 titles and a berth in the College Football Playoff in 2016. His career record of 146-38 includes eight seasons as Boise State, where he famously led the Broncos to a pair of Fiesta Bowl victories and four top-10 finishes in the AP poll.
Lake has been on Petersen’s staff since 2012 at Boise State, was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2016 and has been the Huskies’ sole defensive coordinator the last two seasons.
Boston College fired coach Steve Addazio on Sunday after seven seasons at the school.
Addazio led the Eagles to bowl eligibility in six of seven years, but he never won more than seven games in a season at the school. He finishes his career at 44-44 overall and 22-34 in ACC play, with a 1-3 mark in bowl games. He also coached BC in last year’s First Responder Bowl, which was ruled a no contest after extensive weather delays.
Rutgers fires Chris Ash, eventually rehires Greg Schiano
Rutgers was the first coaching domino to fall this season, when it fired head coach Chris Ash on Sept. 29 following a 1-3 start. Ash went 8-32 in three-plus seasons at the school. Nunzio Campanile, who had been the tight ends coach before the change, is the interim coach and is now also serving as offensive coordinator.
Missouri fires coach Barry Odom
After a 1-5 finish to the year and Barry Odom accruing an overall record of 25-25 (13-19 in SEC play), the Tigers fired Odom on Nov. 30.
“As a program, we had tremendous momentum coming into the 2019 season with the opening of the new south end zone facility as well as other strategic investments in our football program,” Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk said in a statement. “However, we lost a great deal of that energy during the last half of the season. This decision was difficult to make but was necessary.”
Associate head coach and defensive line coach Brick Haley has been named interim head coach.
Vanderbilt will retain Derek Mason
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason will return for a seventh season in 2020, athletic director Malcolm Turner announced Tuesday.
The Commodores are just 2-8 this fall, leading to speculation about a possible coaching change. But Turner said Mason has his “full support” as the school tries to enhance facilities and other support areas for the program.
Coaches staying put
Arkansas fires Chad Morris
Arkansas fired Chad Morris after he was just 4-18 overall since replacing Bret Bielema in December 2017 and winless in 14 SEC games. Tight ends coach/special-teams coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. will finish out the season as the Razorbacks’ interim coach.
Hot seat intel, updates
Which big names could be on the move? We track potential openings, firings and transactions.