Ed Orgeron needed a rope.

In late September 2013, Orgeron had been named interim coach at USC, following the school’s infamous middle-of-the-night firing of Lane Kiffin on the tarmac at LAX. Orgeron had been a head coach at Ole Miss, and now had another opportunity, at a program he loved. He wrote down several things he wanted to do in operating the USC program.

First, he borrowed an exercise from former Trojans coach Pete Carroll, and obtained a rope from the fire department. He assembled everyone involved in the program — players, coaches, support staff, even administrators — and paired up groups for tug-of-war: running backs against linebackers, offensive line against defensive line, and so on.

“I got the coaching staff to pull against the administration, and I let the damn administration win,” Orgeron told ESPN. “If I knew what [would happen] at USC, I would have pulled a little harder.”

His main point was that neither side really gained an edge when pulling in opposite directions.

“I said, ‘I want everybody in this room — and there’s a lot of people — get on the same side of the rope, and let’s pull,'” Orgeron said. “That sent a message: One team, one heartbeat. When a firing happens, something is segmented, and you’ve got to try to piece it together as much as you can.”

Orgeron led USC to a 6-2 finish that fall but wasn’t retained. When he was named LSU‘s interim coach in early 2016, he once again did the tug-of-war exercise. After going 5-2 that fall, Orgeron had the interim tag removed. Three years later, his LSU squad won the national championship.

Interim coaches inherit vastly different situations at different points in the calendar, but they share a mission: to guide a ship jostled by change through choppy waters.

“When you become the interim head coach, it’s never a good thing,” said Tim Skipper, appointed UCLA‘s interim coach in September after spending the entire 2024 season as Fresno State‘s interim. “It’s never a good time.”

Interims must guide teams through a range of games, while dealing with a range of emotions. Amid uncertain futures for both players and coaches, interims make decisions for the moment. Some have major success, like Orgeron, and end up getting the tag removed. Others fully know they’re just placeholders and try to keep things from falling apart until resolutions are reached.

The 2025 season has placed a spotlight on interim coaches, as jobs have opened in every major conference ahead of a wild coaching cycle. We’ve already seen one game featuring opposing interim coaches. As most seasons wrap up this week, ESPN spoke with current and former interim coaches and identified some of the key things to do, and avoid, as they navigate a bumpy landscape.

The initial transition

Some coach firings are anticipated for weeks or months, while others, like Penn State‘s ouster of James Franklin after a three-game losing streak this fall, are jarring. But whatever circumstances surround the coaching change, interims are thrust in front of teams filled with emotion.

“When that happened on Sunday, it was like a funeral,” said Oregon State interim coach Robb Akey, named to his role after the school fired Trent Bray on Oct. 12. “We had to be able to pull the guys up and get them moving on.”

The timing of the changes also factors in for interims. Both Virginia Tech and UCLA fired their coaches only three games into this season.

“That’s a long time to try to hold a team together,” said Philip Montgomery, appointed to be Virginia Tech‘s interim coach from his offensive coordinator role Sept. 14. “Most of these guys were recruited by Brent and signed on for that part of it. When you rip that away from them, then all of a sudden, there’s a lot of emotions, and you’re trying to handle all of that and trying to somehow keep them focused, keep them jelled together, and for us, find a way to go win games and have a productive season.”

After Pry’s firing, Montgomery relied on his eight-year tenure as Tulsa’s head coach. He addressed the team, went over general guidelines and gave players the platform to vent.

“Once you laid [those guidelines] down, you can’t go back and forth with it,” he said. “It’s got to be steadfast.”

Skipper didn’t have the same experience to lean on, but he had been an interim the year before at Fresno State, taking over in July when Jeff Tedford stepped down and guiding the team to a 6-7 record. Skipper had played at Fresno State and was in his second stint as a Bulldogs assistant.

He arrived at UCLA this summer as special assistant to coach DeShaun Foster. Upon being named interim coach after Foster’s firing, Skipper had a plan from what he had done at Fresno State, but he barely knew the UCLA team. Since UCLA had an open week, Skipper held a mini training camp. He met individually with players and had them clean and organize the locker room.

“We were oh-fer,” Skipper said, referring to the team’s 0-3 record. “We just needed a win.”

He then took the whole team bowling, an activity usually reserved for the preseason or bowl game prep, and ensured every lane had a mix of players from different position groups.

“They just bowled their ass off and talked s— and had a good time,” Skipper said. “It was another opportunity to get them smiling.”

Managing the coaching staff

When schools fire head coaches, they usually retain the rest of the staff to finish out the season. The remaining coaches face uncertain futures. Unless the next permanent coach keeps them on, they’ll be looking for fresh starts.

“We all go home and you’ve got wives that want to know where we’re going to live and where we’re going to eat and how the bills are going to get paid,” Akey said. “We’re all in the coaches’ portal, too. It’s a unique situation that you wouldn’t wish on anybody. You wouldn’t wish it on an enemy.”

Interim coaches say the key is not letting the anxiety seep into the program’s daily operation.

“What to avoid is … to become these independent contractors that do our own thing, our own way,” LSU interim coach Frank Wilson said. “It’s not having letdowns and having self-pity.”

Interim coaches almost always come from within the existing staff. One day, they’re sitting among their assistant peers; the next, they’re at the head of the table.

“You need to take charge of the staff and make them accountable and be the head coach, but don’t be a butthole,” Orgeron said. “Don’t come across too hard because the day before, you were an assistant with those guys.”

After firing Troy Taylor in late March, Stanford general manager Andrew Luck brought in Frank Reich, who coached Luck in the NFL, to lead the program. Reich had more time to prepare for an interim season — he said he never would have taken the job any other way — but also didn’t know the players or assistant coaches when he arrived.

“I lean on them a lot,” Reich said of the assistants he inherited at Stanford. “I ask them what they think. Give me your perspective. Give me the context and history of this player, this citation. That’s a big part of it.”

Interim coaches often have to shuffle staff responsibilities, including playcalling. Montgomery kept offensive playcalling duties at Virginia Tech while also serving as head coach, just as he had done at Tulsa. Arkansas did the same thing when offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was elevated to interim coach. Montgomery saw value in keeping Pry’s staff together, noting the stability would help the players.

Oregon State fired its special teams coordinator shortly before it did Bray, who also served as the team’s defensive playcaller. When Akey became the Beavers’ interim coach, he had to sort out responsibilities.

Skipper had an even more chaotic situation at UCLA, where defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe parted ways with the school after Foster’s firing. Then, after Skipper’s first game as interim, offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri also parted ways with UCLA. Skipper had defensive coordinator experience but wanted no part of the role, given everything on his plate.

He asked Kevin Coyle, who had been Skipper’s defensive coordinator when he played, to make a midseason move from Syracuse and lead the defense. Skipper then looked internally and had Jerry Neuheisel, the 33-year-old tight ends coach who played quarterback at UCLA and had spent almost his entire career there, to become offensive coordinator. They were both coach’s kids — Neuheisel’s father, Rick, coached UCLA from 2008 to 2011 — and Jerry was among the first staff members Skipper got to know after he arrived.

“I was always like, ‘This is a smart dude, he knows ball, he’s going to be a coordinator one day,’ just me saying that to myself,” Skipper said. “And it just worked out that I had the opportunity to hire him and we made it happen.”

Recruiting and the future roster

As a longtime assistant and then Ole Miss’ head coach, Orgeron built a reputation as a ravenous recruiter. So what did he do when he became interim coach at USC and then LSU?

“I recruited even harder,” he said.

He held recruiting “power hours” every Monday with calls to prospects and recruiting meetings on Friday mornings and evenings. On Saturdays before games, Orgeron and the staff would gather, put on “College GameDay,” eat breakfast and FaceTime recruits, asking about their high school games the night before.

Orgeron’s pitch?

“This is USC, this is LSU,” he told the players. “Most of the things that you are committed to or the things that you loved about it are always going to be here. They’re going to make the right choice, and they’re going to get a coach that helps us win a championship. Stay with us, stay to the end, don’t change now, let’s see what happens.”

Orgeron made sure never to lie to recruits. He didn’t tell them he would be the next coach, even though he wanted to be.

The difference now from Orgeron’s two interim stints is that coaches also must monitor their own roster. Until a recent rule change, players were able to enter the transfer portal in the first 30 days after a head coaching change. Skipper’s main goal when named interim at Fresno State and UCLA was to have no players enter the portal. He also didn’t let up in contacting UCLA’s committed recruits and those considering the program.

“We’re trying to still spread the good word about UCLA football, UCLA as a university, as an academic institution, all of that,” Skipper said. “So we’re working to the end, ’til they tell us to leave.”

Interim coaches have limits in recruiting, though. They typically aren’t offering scholarships, as those decisions ultimately fall on the permanent head coaches. Reich, who knows he’s done at Stanford following the season, has deferred most questions about the team’s future to Luck.

Montgomery has spent most of his recruiting energy on the prospects who initially committed to Virginia Tech.

“Most of those guys are saying, ‘Hey, I’m committed but I’m open. I want to see what happens and who they hire and what they’re going to do, what’s the next move going to be before I fully say, hey, I’m back in 100 percent again,'” Montgomery said.

Managing the end of seasons

There’s nothing tidy about the end of the college football regular season. Even when there hasn’t been a coaching change, teams are scrambling to finish recruiting. Assistant coaches are often moving jobs. Players are thinking about what’s next.

Finishing the season with an interim coach only adds to the chaos.

This week, Montgomery will lead Virginia Tech into its rivalry game at No. 19 Virginia, but the Hokies last week hired their new coach in Franklin, who was out of work for barely a month. Franklin is contacting recruits and putting together his staff, while letting the current team finish out 2025.

John Thompson twice was named Arkansas State‘s interim coach for bowl games, as the school went through three consecutive one-year coaches (Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin). When Malzahn left for Auburn in early December 2012, he took several staff members. Eight days later, Arkansas State hired Harsin. Thompson, meanwhile, was unsure of his future and charged with guiding the team through the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

“You’ve got coaches going everywhere, who’s going with this group, who’s going with that group?” Thompson said. “That was the most difficult thing. You’ve got guys that are trying to get a job, some that already have taken another job, but they’re still there with you.”

After his hiring, Harsin began sitting in Thompson’s meetings.

“Never said a word,” Thompson said. “I conducted the staff meetings, conducted practice, did everything, and he just sat there, you know? And he ended up hiring me [as an assistant], but that was kind of a strange deal. I said, ‘I’m not going to pay him any attention,’ but it was uncomfortable.”

The turbulent few weeks made wins in both bowl games Thompson coached that much sweeter. He “absolutely loved” coaching both Arkansas State teams, which featured players who had been through five coaches in five years, but never let the constant flux overwhelm their goals.

Some interim coach stories have happy endings, like Orgeron getting the LSU job two days after leading the team to a win against Texas A&M, or Kent State last month removing the interim tag from Mark Carney. More often than not, though, interims are not promoted nor retained, as programs reboot with new leaders.

They’re temporary stewards, coaching very much for the moment, and trying to maximize the experience for players.

“The name ‘Coach,’ the label ‘Coach’ means something, right?” Akey said. “We’re supposed to be growing young guys up. We’re supposed to be helping them develop. And, well, here’s the opportunity to do it, because you got hit with a bunch of adversity, and it’s going to happen to you in life.”

Cal‘s hiring of Ron Rivera as general manager in March signaled a potentially significant shift in how the program operated. Would a place that historically hasn’t invested enough in football or set particularly high standards for on-field performance shift its approach under Rivera, a former Chicago Bears linebacker and NFL coach?

The answer came Sunday with the firing of coach Justin Wilcox. Although Wilcox has guided Cal to a third consecutive bowl appearance, the program seemingly had plateaued at six wins under his leadership. An awful showing against archrival Stanford following an open week signaled to Rivera and the Cal brass that things wouldn’t be getting better under Wilcox in Berkeley. He never had a winning record in conference play (Pac-12 or ACC) and eclipsed six wins just twice in nine seasons. Wilcox couldn’t break the pattern, and Cal finally had enough.

Rivera now has control over Cal’s future and will spearhead the search for Wilcox’s successor. Cal has pledged to increase its overall investment in football and put together rosters that can compete in the wide-open ACC. Despite an uneven season, Cal has a rising star in freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has said he wants to remain in Berkeley despite inevitable transfer interest.

Hiring a coach who can keep JKS and other key players from the current roster will be important. Cal also has to sell itself as a serious football place. Stanford is stabilizing under GM Andrew Luck, and as the other West Coast member of the ACC, Cal must display similar commitment to attract coaches who can take the program further than Wilcox did.

Here’s a look at the candidates for the Cal job, as well as key players and recruits to retain. — Adam Rittenberg

Candidates | Transfers | Recruits

Five candidates for the job

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi: He enters the search as the clear favorite to land the job. Lupoi, 44, is a former Cal player who has accelerated his career at Oregon and would galvanize the school’s approach toward personnel. He has long had a reputation as one of the more aggressive recruiters on the West Coast and should upgrade Cal’s talent base with the right support. After stops at Cal and Washington early in his career, Lupoi spent five seasons with Nick Saban at Alabama. He then coached with three NFL teams before joining coach Dan Lanning in Eugene and helping Oregon to a Big Ten title in 2024.

Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb: His next stop likely will take him to a head coaching role. The only question is, where? Grubb has been alongside Kalen DeBoer at several spots, including Washington, where he served as offensive coordinator in 2023 when the Huskies reached the national title game. He then spent 2024 as Seattle Seahawks OC before rejoining DeBoer in Alabama. Grubb, 49, also worked with DeBoer for part of a five-year run at Fresno State. He’s familiar with the area and would bring an exciting and innovative offense to Berkeley.

San Diego State coach Sean Lewis: If Cal wants an offensive-minded coach with experience within the state, Lewis makes a lot of sense. The Bears need no introduction to him, either, after losing 34-0 at San Diego State back in September. Lewis, 39, built his reputation with a fast-paced, productive offense, but his second SDSU team has leaned on its defense, recording three shutouts and five other games in which it allowed 10 points or fewer. The Aztecs are 9-2 this fall, and Lewis could be headed for his first conference championship. He led Kent State to its bowl win in 2019.

New Mexico coach Jason Eck: Berkeley is a different sort of place, and Eck is a different kind of dude. His fun, eccentric personality might make him a great fit at Cal. He has done great work in his first season at New Mexico, reshaping the roster and guiding the Lobos to an 8-3 record that includes wins at both UCLA and UNLV. Eck, 48, went 26-13 at Idaho with three FCS playoff appearances and top-10 finishes in 2023 and 2024. A former Wisconsin offensive lineman, he coached the position for years and likely would help an area that has held back Cal.

UC Davis coach Tim Plough: He’s already working in the University of California system — always a plus for Cal hires — and has worked for the Bears already, as he spent the 2023 season as the team’s tight ends coach before landing the UC Davis job. The 40-year-old is 19-6 at Davis with a No. 5 finish last season. He also played quarterback there and is on his third coaching stint at his alma mater. Plough is young and hasn’t spent much time in the FBS but could pay off for Cal. — Rittenberg

Five important players to retain

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: The prized quarterback recruit from Hawaii was a late riser in the 2025 recruiting class and initially signed with Oregon before having a change of heart within weeks of enrolling and transferring to Cal. Sagapolutele beat out veteran Ohio State transfer Devin Brown for the starting job this offseason and has been everything the Bears hoped for and more as a freshman starter.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound left-hander leads all FBS true freshmen with 2,787 passing yards on 62% passing and has put up 16 total touchdowns and nine interceptions. Sagapolutele publicly said he plans to stay at Cal prior to Wilcox’s firing, and sources told ESPN that the school has been negotiating a new deal with his camp that would make him one of the highest-paid QBs in the ACC. Will Sagapolutele be willing to stick around and put his trust in a new regime? Or will he hit the transfer portal and earn that massive payday elsewhere?

LB Cade Uluave: Uluave has been an impact player from day one for the Bears, earning Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors in 2023 and developing into a 23-game starter for their defense. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound inside linebacker is tied for the team lead with 82 tackles this season and has racked up 10.5 TFLs, 3 sacks and 6 pass breakups on the year. The Utah native has one more season of eligibility and had a Day 3 draft grade going into the season.

LB Luke Ferrelli: The redshirt freshman earned praise from Wilcox earlier this season as being perhaps the most improved player on Cal’s roster. Ferrelli’s production is certainly backing up the praise. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound inside linebacker had zero college playing experience entering 2025 but has already put up 82 tackles, five TFLs, a sack and an interception through his first 11 games and has three more seasons to keep improving.

RB Kendrick Raphael: The NC State transfer has thrived as the featured back in Cal’s offense with a career-high 742 rushing yards, 178 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns. The Bears had a big reset at this position after losing all their top backs to the portal after the 2024 season, but they ended up finding a difference-maker in Raphael. The junior ranks seventh in the ACC in yards from scrimmage and has one more season of eligibility.

OLB TJ Bush Jr.: The 6-foot-3, 265-pound edge defender was a Freshman All-American at Liberty in 2023 and has had a good first season against Power 4 competition, with nine tackles for loss and a team-high 5.5 sacks. Bush is a three-year starter with one more season of eligibility who had good options in the spring portal earlier this year and likely would again if he goes back on the market.

Three key recruits

TE Taimane Purcell, No. 13 TE-H in 2026: Purcell is the highest-ranked of four offensive prospects from Hawai’i in the Bears’ incoming class. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he projects as a high-upside, all-around tight end with blocking ability and the tools to become a highly productive downfield target at the Power 4 level. With Wilcox out, Cal could soon face competition to hang on to Hawai’i’s No. 3 overall recruit, who held interest from top Big Ten and SEC programs when committing in June.

DE Camron Brooks, No. 49 DE in 2026: One of two four-stars left in Cal’s 2026 class, Brooks is a long, athletic edge rusher from Thomasville, Georgia. He visited Clemson, Florida State and Ohio State before committing to the Bears in April, a move that marked a significant out-of-state recruiting win for Wilcox and his staff. Brooks could now represent an exciting late addition for one of the nation’s bluebloods if he decides to reopen his recruitment.

RB Victor Santino, No. 29 running back in 2026: Santino has been committed to Cal since June and remains the program’s top-ranked in-state pledge in 2026. A powerful downfield runner, Santino also projects as a potentially elite pass catcher out of the backfield and in the slot. He picked the Bears over Boise State, Kansas, TCU and Utah in June. With top programs still scouring the running back market, Santino could be subject to fresh interest before the early signing period opens on Dec. 3. — Eli Lederman

Florida State coach Mike Norvell said Monday he does not believe his team is far off from competing for championships, one day after the school announced he would return for 2026.

In his first comments since the announcement, Norvell said during his weekly news conference he is grateful to the administration for the belief in “what is ahead of us.”

Florida State is 5-6 and needs to beat Florida on Saturday to get to bowl eligibility. Of its six losses this season, four have come in one-score games. That includes two losses — to Virginia and Stanford — in which video replay review had an impact on the ultimate outcome of the game.

“I don’t think we’re far off,” Norvell said. “I believe that we are close. You lose six games and it sucks. We have absolutely not been close to the expectation of what I have for this team and for what is the overall expectation of Florida State football. But I do believe in where we’re going. I do believe in some of the progress that we’ve been able to see, but it’s not consistent enough.”

Indeed, Florida State has outgained its opponents in 10 of 11 games this year and is one of the best teams in the country in third-down conversions. But critical mistakes at inopportune times have continued to hurt the Seminoles.

The latest: Two special teams turnovers in the fourth quarter of a one-score game against NC State last Friday night that ultimately ended in a 21-11 loss. Florida State ranks in the bottom third of the country in turnover margin (minus-4) and among the worst teams in the country in red zone offense.

Yet this is the same team that beat Alabama to open the season.

“It still ultimately comes down to making the plays in those critical situations that are going to push you to having that success in the game,” Norvell said. “We’ve done that against really good teams this year, but we’ve also put ourselves in position to have some production, but not do the things that are necessary to go win the game.”

As part of the announcement that Norvell would return for a seventh season was a pledge to “institute fundamental changes in specific areas to improve performance.” When asked directly what changes he planned to make, Norvell said his only focus this week was on Florida.

Asked about a possible reevaluation of his front office and personnel department, Norvell said he is always evaluating the program.

“There’s a lot of things that we’ll continue to take a broader scope look at as we get into the offseason,” Norvell said. “But I’m evaluating throughout the course of the year in every part of our program to be able to take the proper steps for us to be the best that we can be.”

Norvell also pointed to the way his team has played as another reason for optimism because “they are battling every single day,” even when the results are not there. Florida State has gone 3-13 in the ACC over the last two years, and the last road win it had in the regular season was against the Gators in Gainesville in 2023 to get to 12-0.

There are young players Norvell believes this team can build around, including Mandrell and Darryll Desir, Ousmane Kromah, Jayvan Boggs and Micahi Danzy.

“When it comes to the talent on this team, we’ve got really, really good talent,” Norvell said. “Some guys that are playing as true freshmen right now, they’re showing that they’re going to be some of the best players in college football here in the next few years.”

While there might be some skepticism in the Florida State fan base about bringing back a coach who has four losing seasons in six years, Norvell vowed not to let anyone down now that he has one more year to turn the Seminoles around.

“I’ve been confident that if I could keep my head down and just continue to work that the opportunity would be there,” Norvell said. “I’m not gonna let them down. I believe what it’s gonna be, and I know what we have to continue to do, and we’re gonna get it done.”