State of the Group of 5: The challenges facing smaller conferences
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
JERRY KILL KNEW when he took the head coaching job at New Mexico State in 2022 that the program was strapped for cash, but it wasn’t until a few weeks into his tenure that he really understood the severity of the budget shortfall.
That’s when they came for his coffee.
The budget was so tight, the school threatened removal of free coffee in the coaches’ offices, which, for Kill, was a bridge too far.
“That didn’t last too long,” said Kill, who left New Mexico State after 2023 for a role at Vanderbilt. “I’m going to drink coffee.”
These are perilous times for schools outside the Power 4 — the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC — and behind every major concern lies the same root cause: money. In addition to New Mexico State’s great coffee revolt, smaller schools across the country are facing increasingly difficult choices in how to fund athletic budgets in the new era of college football where cash is king.
An incomplete list of potentially existential threats to schools in the Group of 5: realignment, revenue sharing, increased scholarships, the transfer portal, an autonomy conference breakaway, playoff access, control over NCAA governance, consolidation by the newly revived Pac-12 and, apparently, coffee.
Even for the best of the bunch, Boise State, there’s little room for comfort, despite being the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. Head coach Spencer Danielson lamented the fact that more than a dozen of his current players — guys set to participate in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl — are being actively recruited into the portal by Power 4 schools.
“The more you win, it makes it easier for every other school to recruit your roster,” Danielson said. “That’s a constant battle.”
Just three years ago, Cincinnati became the sport’s most successful underdog story of the modern era by forcing its way into the four-team College Football playoff. It did so with a roster of NFL prospects, like Desmond Ridder and Sauce Gardner. But now, even former Bearcats coach Luke Fickell doesn’t think it’s possible to build a team that good without the resources and cache of a power conference affiliation.
“It’s not happening [now],” Fickell said, “and either you can bang your head against the wall or kind of embrace it.”
The landscape is changing quickly, and with each new step in the process, the foundation for the Group of 5 becomes less secure.
Add it all up, and from the cream of the crop at Boise State to the bottom of the financial barrel at New Mexico State, the challenges for the teams outside the power conferences are bigger than ever.
JUST ONE ROUND of the 12-team playoff model is in the books, and structural changes are already being debated. The current deal expires after next season, and odds are, the next iteration won’t be as kind to the Group of 5.
At the very least, there are likely to be tweaks to seeding rules, which currently guarantee the top four slots to the four highest ranked conference champs, which included Boise State this year. Without that guarantee, the Broncos would’ve likely had to play on the opening weekend and, quite possibly, on the road.
More concerning, however, is the potential for the Group of 5 to lose its guaranteed bid entirely. Multiple Power 4 athletic directors who spoke to ESPN suggested the industry was leaving money on the table by handing a playoff spot to a program that was unlikely to draw viewership or even play a competitive game.
“There’s a gap between us and them,” Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said. “There’s always been a gap. It’s gotten wider, but as long as this expanded CFP has access, it doesn’t matter what brand or conference you’re from, that’s what makes us relevant and allows us to compete.”
In other words, protecting that automatic bid is paramount, and that puts the onus on Boise State to perform well against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.
A loss — especially a lopsided one — will only throw gasoline onto a fire already burning hot, as criticism mounts over postseason blowouts and whether there’s real value in assuring top seeding or even basic access for the have-nots.
Multiple ADs who spoke with ESPN noted the increasing disparity in talent between the Group of 5 and the power conferences, and they pointed out that what recently had been the best programs outside the power conferences — Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and UCF — are now in the Power 4.
And the numbers tell a blunt story.
While the 2024 season has had its share of upsets — Northern Illinois toppling Notre Dame, Memphis upending Florida State, James Madison steamrolling North Carolina — teams outside the Power 4 (minus Notre Dame) finished the regular season 9-88 against the power schools.
Working on a story about the separation of power between the haves/hate nots.
Win% by non-power conference schools vs. P4/5
2006-2012: .240
2014-2021: .189
2022-2024: .142Wins vs. P4/5 teams 7-5 or better:
2024: 1
2023: 7
2022: 5
2021: 12 pic.twitter.com/pnT2WL8fkY— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) December 24, 2024
So while the Broncos can make a run at a national championship and the occasional upset can still happen, more often Cinderella will arrive at the ball to find the gates to the castle are already locked.
American Athletic Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said he’s not worried, but he also suggested any attempt to keep Group of 5 teams out of the playoff would result in quick antitrust litigation.
But lawsuits aren’t the only option for the Group of 5. This past summer, those conferences began discussing the possibility of creating their own playoff — something Pernetti advocated for as a means to grow revenue.
“There’s four [conferences] that are going to get left out of the CFP and will be assigned to whatever bowl tie-in they have,” Pernetti said. “There’s no guarantee they have something truly meaningful to play for in the postseason. So what’s the downside of something new? What’s the downside of more meaningful postseason football if it’s additive?”
The idea, Pernetti said, would be to create an NIT-style postseason tournament for football featuring the best teams from the Group of 5 — and potentially the power conferences — who didn’t make the College Football Playoff. A number of Group of 5 coaches said they’d be eager to see this system come to pass, but this, too, illustrates the line of demarcation in today’s game.
“I’m not interested in playing in a G5 playoff,” San Diego State AD John David Wicker said. “I’m interested in the College Football Playoff.”
Boise State’s first-round bye guarantees a payout of at least $8 million for the Mountain West, a boon for a league and a school that need every penny to remain competitive.
But the question of financial viability is about more than just cash in hand today. Look no further than SMU, another 2024 College Football Playoff participant, which effectively bought its way into the ACC by agreeing not to take any of the conference’s TV money for its first nine seasons in the league, just for the chance to count itself among the Power 4.
Other programs, including Boise State, are working to find their own path to solid ground, even if it means paying an exit fee from the Mountain West to do so.
In the summer of 2023, San Diego State was on the cusp of joining the Power 5 — “we were item No. 2 on the agenda,” Wicker noted — before the Pac-12 fell apart. The Aztecs, along with Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State, will now join a reconstructed Pac-12 in 2026, with eyes toward regaining “power conference” status. In recent months, UConn has had conversations with the Big 12 about membership, though those talks hit a snag. Assuming the Mountain West or Pac-12 continues the realignment reshuffling, the logistics of the Group of 5 could look entirely different by 2026, when the next iteration of the playoff begins.
The potential consolidation of the best programs currently outside the Power 4 creates another image problem though. Administrators at the bigger schools see a landscape that bears little resemblance to the setting when Cincinnati crashed the playoff party in 2021. The wealthiest Group of 5 schools from 2021 are now mostly in the Power 4, and many others are angling for invites. Everyone else faces such a shortfall of both money and talent that there’s no realistic path for them to consistently compete at the highest level.
“You have to think at some point they’re going to say, ‘Why do we want the G5 to be represented?’ Because the money has made every decision,” Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell said. “The whole reason they expanded is so the top conferences can get as many of their programs into the tournament. I hope there’s a seat at the table, but you have to be realistic with it. Would they rather see us vs. whoever or another SEC team?”
TO PAY FOR the coffee at New Mexico State — in addition to a new practice field, a football operations center and a nascent NIL collective — Kill hit the road. He lobbied local legislators. He hobnobbed with potential donors. He spoke at booster events. He spent an inordinate amount of time doing something that had nothing to do with coaching, but everything to do with winning in college football’s new era: He asked for money. He even donated $120,000 out of his own pocket to help make the budget work.
“The biggest payout we got was $1.8 million for beating Auburn [in 2023],” Kill noted. “But that went toward the deficit, so we didn’t see any of it.”
Bronco Mendenhall served as head coach at BYU and Virginia for 18 years, but when he took over at New Mexico in 2024, he said he spent more time fundraising in his first months there than at any of his previous jobs.
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock said it’s nearly impossible to fully engage with his team because of all the fundraising demands. He has instituted a schedule in which he spends a sizable chunk of his time from January through June working on raising money, then turns his focus toward coaching from July through the end of the season.
When Pernetti met with his league’s coaches after taking the commissioner job last year, the most frequent complaint was the time spent on recruiting and fundraising over coaching and player development.
It’s a constant refrain among coaches, but at the Group of 5 level, the needs are existential.
Group of 5 coaches who spoke to ESPN suggested the money needed just to retain the bulk of their starters has grown — doubled or tripled by some estimates — in the past year. But even that line on the expense report is probably drastically underestimating the problem. With the House settlement ushering in a new era of revenue sharing, where most Power 4 schools are expected to use upward of $15 million on direct payments to football players, the market is likely to shift heavily again. This time, it’s doubtful many Group of 5 schools will be able to ante up with anything comparable to a Power 4 school.
After leading New Mexico to a surprisingly strong 5-7 record in 2024, Mendenhall sat down with a number of his stars to discuss the future. In nearly every case, it was clear there was no way to retain them. The Lobos waved goodbye to their starting quarterback, top receiver, starting tailback and best O-lineman — all of whom transferred to Power 4 schools. Ultimately, Mendenhall also departed, taking the head coaching job at Utah State. His move was about family, he said — his sons all live or go to college in Utah — but there are numerous examples of coaches burned out on the grind of fundraising for the job who just want to get back to coaching players.
Just last year, three head coaches of Group of 5 programs — South Alabama‘s Kane Wommack, Georgia State‘s Shawn Elliott and Buffalo ‘s Maurice Lindquist — left for jobs as assistants at Power 4 schools. This offseason, Washington State coach Jake Dickert left what would once have been considered a solid job to take over at struggling Wake Forest.
For Kill, the onus of coaching at the Group of 5 level wasn’t the main reason he left New Mexico State after the school’s most successful season in a half-century, but it certainly played a part.
“I worked a whole lot of hours along with our staff, and in this era of football, I was going to have to do more next year and the next year,” Kill said. “You knew this thing was going to get bigger and bigger, and I said there was no way I could do it.”
Not long after he announced his retirement, however, he got a call from Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea with an offer to come aboard as an advisor. No fundraising, no glad-handing — just program-building and coaching.
“You don’t have any time to develop players anymore,” Kill said. “If he’s good, he’s going to leave. If he’s not playing, he’s going to leave. To build a team at this level, you’ve got two years.”
He took the job, and he’s making just shy of what he earned at New Mexico State. Five players, including QB Diego Pavia, also left the Aggies for Vandy.
Even the success stories, such as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, come with a bit of an asterisk.
“[Jeanty] didn’t stay for free,” Mendenhall said. “He’s praised for staying and that’s great, but he didn’t stay out of the goodness of his heart. Boise State did all it could to keep him.”
The Broncos are one of the few programs at the Group of 5 level that can afford to keep a star. Danielson said his priority is retaining homegrown talent, and Boise State — while hardly flush with cash — has donors willing to step up to maintain success at what has been, for the past 20 years, the best program outside the power conferences.
Elsewhere, however, times are tough. In 2005, the average power conference football program generated about $10.9 million in annual revenue, compared with about $4.4 million for the average Group of 5 team. By the 2022-23 academic year, that gap in football revenue had grown to more than $30 million — a more than four-fold increase. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Add in a marked difference in cash on hand for their respective collectives and the investment already made in football-related facilities, and the difference might be better measured in light years than dollars.
“The money doesn’t just fall out of the air,” said Pernetti, who said the American is exploring numerous outside-the-box options to fill the gaps, including selling naming rights for the conference, adding advertising to uniforms and talking with investors in the private equity space. “Conferences have a responsibility more than ever before to figure out new revenue streams.”
Pernetti said he’s working with AAC schools on setting a minimum required revenue share for athletes with a focus on football, though the details remain fluid.
For many athletic directors at smaller schools, however, there’s seemingly no feasible way to come up with the cash to match what bigger schools will spend.
“Everyone is trying to figure out the maximum investment to have success,” Pernetti said. “The hard part is, it creates some gaps in what some institutions will do versus others.”
Hammock said he’s keenly aware which side of the ledger Northern Illinois is on, but he refuses to concede defeat just because he’ll be trailing on the balance sheet. Bigger schools can offer money, and that’s enticing. But he can offer relationships, growth and development, and he hopes there are still enough players out there eager for those things for NIU to keep pace.
“We’re trying to find the right type of people and families that want to have their sons developed,” Hammock said. “That still matters to certain people.”
That’s been the blueprint for Boise State, Danielson said. In an era in which every relationship is at least partially transactional, he has decided the key to success is finding players who appreciate what the Broncos can offer in any deal.
“Do we have what everybody else has? No. But do we have enough? Yes.” Danielson said. “There’s extremely high expectations here. Embracing those things and pushing forward to grow to where you can be closer. We don’t need to find 1,000 recruits that fit Boise State. We need to find 25.”
JEANTY FINISHED SECOND in this year’s Heisman race, demolished records for rushing and became a household name in college football. He’ll get a chance to play on one of the sport’s biggest stages in the Fiesta Bowl. He got paid.
That’s a pretty sweet deal, Danielson said, and it’s one Boise State is unique in being able to offer.
“It’s not a pipe dream. You can have it all at Boise State,” he said. “Do you want to win the Heisman? Come on. Do you want to make the playoff and get a first-round bye? Come on. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but you can do it here, and we have the stats to back it up.”
What Danielson hopes will be a winning sales pitch moving forward may also be an exception rather than the rule, and the talent drain from the have-nots up to the haves figures to get worse with added scholarships, reduced roster spots and a ton of new revenue-sharing dollars entering the market.
Last season, 273 players transferred from Group of 5 schools to power conference programs, an average of more than four per program. And unlike at the Power 4 level, where the bulk of outgoing transfers are leaving due to a lack of playing time, the portal departures from the Group of 5 are often stars. Last year, 88 of the players who left Group of 5 schools — nearly one-third of the total — had been named to all-conference teams the prior year.
With the settlement in the House case, schools in 2025 can offer up to 105 scholarships for football — 20 more than in years past — which makes for even more bleak math for the small schools trying to keep pace. Should all power-conference schools opt for the maximum, that would create nearly 1,400 new scholarships at the Power 4 level — and a sizable portion of those spots could be filled by players transferring up from the Group of 5.
“What will happen is it’ll give them more opportunities to get kids who might be good at this level to go up there and be third-team guys,” Chadwell said. “It’ll widen that gap even more…. If you didn’t have the portal, you could have some success. But it’s going to be harder and harder, because you don’t have the money to keep your top players, and the bigger schools will have the money and the scholarships.”
When Mendenhall first arrived at New Mexico after two years out of coaching, he said he was confident he could bridge the gap between his long-held belief in relationships and development and the new world order created by the transfer portal and NIL.
“I’m having to frame what success might look like in helping young,” Mendenhall said before the 2024 season. “That might not be longevity at an institution. It might just be helping them reach a new level in today’s market.”
And yet, when the season ended and Mendenhall sat down with stars like QB Devin Dampier, he realized he didn’t have the cash to keep them, and relationships he thought were strong ended quickly.
That’s when things really hit home for Mendenhall.
“The frustration of the relationship built, time spent and a player choosing to leave your program, that still hurts,” he said. “That’s the main difference I learned this year…. I still love these kids, and I’m thrilled for them now. But as a coach, you can end up becoming cynical. Or you can frame it — and I hate this idea — that you’re just going to have them for one year.”
In the future, he said, he plans to hire for a general manager position who will serve as a financial buffer for the head coach in those situations. It’s too hard, he said, to maintain an emotional relationship with players when money gets in the way, so he thinks it’s imperative to separate business and development.
Still, said Fickell, it’s impossible to completely wall off the coaching relationship from the financial one these days.
“I never wanted to be involved in money with kids because I thought it changed your relationship,” Fickell said. “And if I still felt that way, then I wouldn’t be able to coach in college football right now.”
TO WORK AT one of the sport’s have-not programs is to accept a certain amount of adversity with the job, so coaches and ADs at the Group of 5 level are accustomed to searching for silver linings.
The portal works both ways, as Chadwell noted, and that means a host of talented — if underdeveloped — players may leave the Power 4 for a chance at more playing time. Without film, a player isn’t making it to the NFL, so for all the allure of NIL dollars and a Power 4 pedigree, ultimately everyone prizes playing time.
Pernetti said the House settlement could also potentially open the door to multiyear contracts that would keep players in the fold longer, though the details on how that could work remain vague.
And some schools like Boise State have been able to parlay success on the field with strong fan enthusiasm to at least build an NIL collective strong enough to compete with bigger brands when it comes to retaining talent.
But there was a moment during last year’s Mountain West league meetings, Mendenhall said, that clarified the status of schools outside the Power 4 hierarchy. Administrators were discussing the House settlement and other changes coming to college football, debating how his conference could respond.
Mendenhall threw up his hands. What was the point in even debating strategy when it wouldn’t be the Group of 5 coaches or athletic directors making the decisions?
“We don’t decide,” Mendenhall said. “We adjust and adapt and react to what’s decided for us.”
And yet, Danielson and the Broncos are still eager to ante up. It’s a program, he said, “born with a chip on its shoulder,” and winning against long odds is the only way he knows how to do it.
Maybe there isn’t a foolproof blueprint to do more with less these days, but Danielson said there’s a path to success for programs with a clear vision and the right approach. The Broncos won’t win every battle. They just need to win enough.
“I believe, if you want to be developed on and off the field, for the NFL or for professional life, there’s not a better place than Boise State,” he said. “Does that mean we’ll never lose a player? No. But you’ll keep the right ones.”
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Adam Rittenberg
The wildest college football coaching cycle — perhaps ever — has reached the hiring phase.
Schools around the Power 4 that fired their coaches in the first two months of the season — or, in Stanford’s case, way back in late March — are targeting candidates and finalizing deals. Interestingly enough, one of the first major coaches to lose his job, Penn State’s James Franklin, was the first noninterim coach to be hired, as he is headed to Virginia Tech.
New hires always come with hope and optimism, grand proclamations and the chance to get programs on the right track. But not all hiring processes are the same. The financial component with jobs is essential — what schools are willing to spend not just on their head coach, but the assistants and support staff and, perhaps most important, the team roster.
We will be reviewing all of the major coaching hires in the 2025-26 cycle, evaluating how each coach fits in the job, their major challenges and what it will take to be successful. We will also assign an initial letter grade for each hire.
Jump to: LSU | Ole Miss | Florida | Arkansas | Auburn
Stanford | Oklahoma State | Virginia Tech
LSU hires Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin
Why is this a good fit?
LSU got the coach it wanted ahead of other suitors, further confirming that its coaching job, despite the drama and dysfunction, remains one of the best in college football. Kiffin left a great situation at the height of his powers because he knows that LSU can consistently compete for national titles in ways that other programs simply cannot. In Kiffin, LSU gains a coach accustomed to the bright lights and the big stadiums, who can attract and develop talent and potentially restore the program to national powerhouse status. LSU can offer the big stage Kiffin lacked at Ole Miss, and wanted again.
Kiffin hasn’t worked at LSU but knows the SEC well after stops at Ole Miss, Alabama and Tennessee. Like Kiffin did at Ole Miss, he should put together an excellent staff that can scour Louisiana, Texas and the surrounding areas for top talent. He certainly will try to bring some of Ole Miss’ top players with him. Kiffin brings the offensive chops that LSU lacked at the end of Kelly’s tenure. He’s one of the nation’s best at identifying and developing quarterbacks, and the emergence of running back Kewan Lacy and others underscores that the Kiffin plan works on offense. — Adam Rittenberg
Biggest challenges Kiffin will face
LSU has a reputation as a place where it is possible to win championships, and that expectation will be placed on Kiffin immediately – especially with the money he is being paid. The Tigers pride themselves on this fact as Nick Saban, Les Miles, then Ed Orgeron all won national titles. Brian Kelly was an awkward fit from the start and never truly got the vibe down on the Bayou. Kiffin has his own unique way of running a program, but he has to find a way to work with all the different “cooks in the kitchen” so to speak. The entire state is heavily invested in LSU football, and though Kiffin has an extremely high profile, he is moving to an even bigger spotlight in Baton Rouge — the only Power 4 school in the state. Kiffin must embrace that, and everything that comes with it. As coveted as he was in this cycle, Kiffin has never won a conference title and finding a way to get over the hump at a school like LSU has to happen. This will be his best shot to get it done, and the clock will start ticking as soon as his first press conference ends. — Andrea Adelson
Grade: A-
The fixation around Kiffin the past few weeks would normally be attached to a multi-time national championship winner, or at least a coach who has won a Power 4 conference title. Kiffin did tremendous work at Ole Miss but still needs to show he can win the biggest games consistently. LSU is a national championship-or-bust type of program, and Kiffin will be judged at the very highest level, which he craves. He brings the right ingredients to get it done in Baton Rouge, especially his work with quarterbacks. — Rittenberg
Ole Miss makes DC Pete Golding new head coach
Why is this a good fit?
Under normal circumstances, Ole Miss could run a complete coaching search, thoroughly assess candidates currently in head-coaching roles, and others who might help build on the historic success under Lane Kiffin. But these are the strangest of times in Oxford, as Kiffin exits for LSU, a College Football Playoff first-round game looms for the Rebels, and emotions are running extremely high. Kiffin certainly will try to poach the roster for top pieces, and Ole Miss must do what it can to protect as many players as possible. Golding was the lead recruiter for many of them. He’s well-liked by players and won’t need to familiarize himself with Oxford, the administration and how Ole Miss is set up to compete.
Golding, 41, might not have been on the wish list for other SEC jobs just yet, but Ole Miss found itself in a unique situation. He’s a Louisiana native who has spent his entire career in the region, first at his alma mater Delta State and other smaller programs, and then Southern Miss and UTSA before getting his big break with Nick Saban at Alabama in 2018. Golding spent five seasons as a coordinator under Saban, and helped the Crimson Tide to a national title in 2020, before joining Kiffin at Ole Miss. He gives Ole Miss a chance not only for success in this year’s CFP, but can minimize disruptions during a very bumpy coaching transition.
What will be Golding’s biggest challenge?
Golding should be able to handle the next few weeks, but his true readiness for the enormity of the job is unclear. Again, he didn’t emerge as a candidate for the other SEC openings in this cycle, which suggests some external concern about his ability to handle such a role. Any first-time coaching job brings its challenges and even though Golding knows Ole Miss, he hasn’t been the face of the program. He’s also replacing a coach who put together the team’s most successful run since John Vaught in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Although Golding has shown his talents in recruiting and with schematics, how will he handle the media? How does he do in front of donors and other key stakeholders with the university? Perhaps he just needed the chance, which he now has, but assistant coaches that are shielded from the media often take some time to get fully comfortable.
Grade: B
Coaching hires can’t be evaluated in a vacuum, and Golding’s ultimate success or failure at Ole Miss will be judged by what he accomplishes beyond the 2025 season. But what happens in Ole Miss’ first CFP appearance, after losing Kiffin to a rival SEC school, absolutely does matter, too, and Golding gives Ole Miss a chance to prolong a really special season. There’s little doubt he will continue to compile strong rosters. He will need a strong supporting staff, especially a talented offensive coordinator hire, to ultimately sustain and even elevate the program. The key question here is whether other SEC programs missed out on a great candidate in Golding, or will Ole Miss suffer for making an in-the-moment decision that could backfire long-term? — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Florida fans: Sumrall isn’t Billy Napier. Yes, he’s another promising Group of 5 coach from a program in Louisiana, just as Napier was when he came to Gainesville. But Sumrall is a different personality who comes from the opposite side of the ball and has more ties to the SEC, where he both played (Kentucky) and coached (Ole Miss, Kentucky). He’s more comfortable than Napier was in being the face of a major program and will delegate to his coordinators while compiling a strong staff. Although Auburn seemed like a more natural spot for Sumrall because of his connections to the state, Florida gives him an even bigger platform at the lone SEC program in one of the nation’s top talent-producing states.
The other thing Sumrall brings is wins. He won Sun Belt titles in both of his seasons at Troy and went to the American Conference title game in his first year at Tulane. Sumrall has succeeded in different ways and with different types of quarterbacks. He hasn’t won in the Power 4 or at a program like Florida, which is an understandable concern. But Sumrall is ready for the opportunity and should be able to foster the consistency Florida has lacked for far too long. Florida didn’t have a talent problem under Napier, and Sumrall should continue to excel in personnel while translating it better on the field. — Rittenberg
Biggest challenges Sumrall will face
Where do we start? First and foremost, Sumrall has to find a way to win over a fan base that thought it had a shot at landing Lane Kiffin. Whether that was a reality or not, Gators fans had their hopes up that Kiffin would choose them. With that, Sumrall has to convince fans he is not another version of Napier. Once Sumrall has done that, he has to find a way to win at what has proved to be one of the hardest jobs to crack in the SEC. Florida has not won an SEC title since 2008, and while there remains a belief it is one of the best jobs in the country, Florida goes through coaches at a fairly frequent clip. If past is precedent, Sumrall will be given a year or two to find success before the fan base starts to turn on him; four years max to compete for a championship. Expectations are sky high, and Sumrall will be given no leeway to learn on the job. — Adelson
Grade: B+
Sumrall has the ingredients to become the next great SEC coach. He’s an excellent communicator who connects with a range of people and should get Florida fans excited about the future, even if they might be skeptical at first because of his background. Florida isn’t where I initially saw him ending up in a wild coaching cycle, but if the school gives him some time, he should stabilize and elevate the Gators’ on-field performance and start getting more out of very talented rosters there. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Silverfield has quietly become a really successful coach in the region, and certainly seems ready for a Power 4 opportunity like Arkansas. Although he hasn’t generated as much buzz as Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and other American Conference coaches, he has beaten many of them in head-to-head matchups and boasts a 29-9 record since the start of the 2023 season, including an AP Top 25 finish last fall. Silverfield led Memphis to a win against Arkansas earlier this season and has beaten four consecutive Power 4 opponents, including West Virginia and Iowa State in bowl games the past two seasons.
He has led Memphis since late 2019 but been at the program since 2016, so he understands the recruiting landscape and where Arkansas must look for players. Arkansas’ location can be a challenge for acquiring talent, but Silverfield shouldn’t be intimidated by it. He also brings a strong background on offense to Fayetteville and should compile a staff that has similar knowledge to the area and possibly the SEC.
What are the biggest challenges for Silverfield?
The SEC is only getting tougher with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, the emergence of Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, and the pressure on a traditional heavyweight like Florida to start making the CFP. Where does Arkansas really fit in the SEC pecking order? Silverfield likely will have to do more with less initially and win games against programs that have been on steadier footing. His real challenge will be trying to energize and unite the financial hubs around the Arkansas program, which give the program a chance to accelerate but haven’t always been harnessed.
Athletic director Hunter Yurachek was blunt earlier this year about the increased resources needed to better compete in the SEC. Arkansas seemingly could access those individuals and corporations with the right coach and vision. That’s where Silverfield comes in, as Arkansas can use those relationships to overcome some of its baked-in obstacles. Silverfield will need a strong introductory period, as Arkansas fans might not know him that well and need to embrace his personality and leadership style. The first offseason will be critical to make sure the program doesn’t fall further behind.
Grade: B
Silverfield’s consistency and success tended to go under the radar at a program like Memphis, where people have grown accustomed to really strong seasons. But his steady leadership style, shown in 2023, 2024 and most of this year, should help an Arkansas program that needs clear direction. He hasn’t coached in the SEC, and there could be a learning curve, but he shouldn’t be surprised walking in the door at Arkansas after spending so much time with Memphis. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Every SEC school asks its head coaches to be engaged in recruiting, and Auburn is no exception. Although Auburn never got the results it wanted with Hugh Freeze, the school’s approach toward NIL and acquiring talent — a major draw when it tried to lure Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss — showed up on the roster. Golesh is the type of head coach who could harness Auburn’s established personnel apparatus and really maximize things going forward. He’s about as hands-on in the recruiting space as head coaches get. When Golesh was offensive coordinator at Tennessee, I remember sitting in his office and seeing him monitor all the recruiting transactions from social media on a giant screen. Golesh will get after it to upgrade Auburn’s roster and use all the resources available to him. He won’t be intimidated by the SEC recruiting scene and has ties to multiple states, including Florida and Ohio.
Golesh also brings an offensive background that should energize Auburn fans, especially after how poorly things went on that side of the ball under Freeze. He spent time with Matt Campbell early in his career, and then with Josh Heuepel at both UCF and Tennessee. South Florida ranks in the top five nationally in both scoring and total offense this season, and its defense shined in wins against Boise State and Florida.
What will be Golesh’s biggest challenge?
The challenge at Auburn is almost always the same. Can the head coach truly capitalize on the best parts of the place — an advantageous recruiting location, strong financial resources and a large and extremely devoted fan base — while navigating the big donors and other significant forces that have clashed too often over time and ultimately held back the program’s progress? Golesh is a strong communicator and brings a good mix of experience to the Plains, most notably his two seasons as an SEC coordinator at Tennessee.
He hasn’t been an SEC head coach, though, and he will need to show he won’t be pushed around or swayed by the forces that have doomed Auburn in the past. Golesh’s staff hires at Auburn will be especially important on defense, as South Florida made strides on that side this season but also struggled in key losses to Memphis and Navy. The other element worth watching is how Golesh balances the personnel element, undoubtedly his passion, with some of the other key responsibilities that come with managing an exciting but complicated program like Auburn.
Grade: B+
Despite no Power 4 head-coaching experience, Golesh checks a lot of boxes with his background, having worked in the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, and in the Midwest, South and Southeast. His time at Tennessee should really help him at a program like Auburn, which has a chance to move up in the SEC pecking order but will need a smart, aggressive approach. Golesh’s record of 23-15 doesn’t really jump off the page, and he hasn’t been part of a conference championship just yet. But his assertive vision as a recruiter gives Auburn a chance to quickly improve its roster and win more in an increasingly difficult SEC. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Pritchard understands Stanford — its advantages, limitations and possibilities — better than most. He played quarterback for the Cardinal from 2006 to 2009, ahead of Andrew Luck’s run, and then spent the first 13 years of his coaching career with his alma mater, until joining the Washington Commanders‘ staff in 2023. He won’t be blindsided by what he’s walking into at Stanford. He also has a very close relationship with Luck, who is truly directing the program. There will be no feeling-out period between head coach and general manager.
Pritchard, 38, was part of Stanford’s seismic shift under Jim Harbaugh, quarterbacking the team to a signature win against USC in 2007. He then witnessed Stanford’s rise to a consistent contender and, more importantly, saw how things went downhill so quickly after COVID and in the portal/NIL era. His ability to learn from those difficult times and ensure Stanford avoids them will be important. But again, he’s not doing this alone, as he comes in immediately aligned with Luck. — Rittenberg
What will be Pritchard’s biggest challenge?
Generating momentum. Few people share as close an association with some of the biggest moments in Stanford history as Pritchard, but during those heights, the Cardinal never truly resonated broadly within a competitive San Francisco Bay Area sports market. With the collapse of the Pac-12 and six losing seasons in the past seven years, Stanford football has essentially become irrelevant locally. Building a program under those circumstances is difficult.
The academic side of things will always be a draw and should, in theory, help the program limit excessive outgoing transfers, but there also needs to be a robust NIL program. At Stanford that doesn’t have to be a problem. The university’s alumni base is notably wealthy, but it also has not proved to be a group eager to part with large sums of money to help field a better football team. That’s perhaps more of an issue that Luck will be responsible for dealing with, but it is very much part of the hand Pritchard has been dealt.
Beyond the structural challenges, this is just a team that needs a talent upgrade. They don’t have the players right now to compete at a high level. — Kyle Bonagura
Grade: C+
Luck didn’t make the most imaginative hire here. He went with a close friend who needs no introduction to Stanford and the vision for success there. But Pritchard hasn’t been a head coach before and wasn’t mentioned as being on the radar for many other college or NFL jobs. Stanford is really betting on potential here. He only really knows Stanford, which might work out in this case, but he also must learn from what happened toward the end of David Shaw’s tenure and chart out a new path. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Oklahoma State needed a coach who knew the Big 12 and the region, and someone who could bring a clear vision, especially on offense. Quarterback play was central to Oklahoma State’s identity under Mike Gundy, and Morris has become one of the best talent identifiers in recent years. Oklahoma State needs to accelerate its recruiting, but likely won’t have the first choice for players, and Morris has repeatedly shown the ability to find and develop under-the-radar players. Ideally, he can bring quarterback Drew Mestemaker and others to Stillwater, and perhaps more importantly, make Oklahoma State an attractive destination for top offensive performers again.
Morris played and coached in the Big 12 at Texas Tech and spent time at Houston early in his career, so he won’t be unfamiliar with the key characteristics of a program like Oklahoma State. He’s not a Gundy disciple, but he can respect what Gundy did to elevate the program, while implementing his own vision, which worked both at Incarnate Word and at North Texas. — Rittenberg
What will be Morris’ biggest challenge?
The answer here is twofold: 1) Morris must live up to the unprecedented levels of consistent success his predecessor brought Oklahoma State; 2) Morris will also have to figure out exactly how to take the Cowboys’ football program to the future.
On the first point, whomever Oklahoma State chose to hire this cycle was going to be replacing a coach who won more — and more consistently — than any other figure in program history. Before 2023, the Cowboys made 18 consecutive bowl appearances under Gundy, winning eight or more games in 13 of those seasons. Past leading Oklahoma State to the very top of the sport and turning the program into a national brand, Gundy’s greatest achievement was transforming a school that had registered back-to-back 10-win seasons only once before he took over in 2005 into a perennial winner. Morris, who made two playoff appearances at Incarnate Word and has North Texas contending for the American this fall, has a history of producing quick turnarounds. Getting Oklahoma State upright — which will likely require a massive roster and staff overhaul — should be his first objective. From there, Morris will be judged on the expectations set by Gundy before him.
How does Morris take Oklahoma State into the future? Gundy’s initial, outspoken reluctance, then too-little, too-late embrace of college football’s NIL/transfer portal era hurt the Cowboys on the field and laid the groundwork for his unceremonious departure earlier this fall. Oklahoma State has fallen behind in terms of roster budgeting compared to its Big 12 counterparts, and industry sources suggested that the Cowboys’ ability to present improved resources would be a key piece of the hiring process. Morris has built a career on making more out of less, and that will serve him well in Stillwater. He has also proven capable of navigating the transfer portal and the current complexities of the sport. With help from Oklahoma State (and its boosters), Morris must take steps to modernize the program. If he can, a Big 12 conference landscape that remains wide open outside of Texas Tech could once again be Oklahoma State’s for the taking. — Eli Lederman
Grade: A-
Morris is only 40 (cue the Gundy memes), hasn’t been a Power 4 head coach, and before this season had only middling results with North Texas. His quarterback track record is his superpower, though, and Oklahoma State needs a renaissance at the position after things fell off too sharply. Morris can recruit Texas and build up the roster. Time will tell if he has the expertise to win one-score games in a league where programs are extremely similar. — Rittenberg
0:32
Paul Finebaum: Is Virginia Tech an upgrade for James Franklin?
Paul Finebaum weighs in on James Franklin reportedly being hired as Virginia Tech’s next coach.
Why is this a good fit?
When Franklin was fired and almost immediately announced his intentions to coach in 2026, Virginia Tech emerged as a natural landing spot for the 53-year-old. He has spent most of his career near the mid-Atlantic region, twice serving as a Maryland assistant, leading programs in Vanderbilt and Penn State and even working within the state at James Madison in 1997.
He understands the key recruiting areas extremely well. Franklin ultimately was fired for not winning the biggest games at Penn State, but he still won a lot of them (104) and understands how to build a consistently successful program. Virginia Tech ultimately had to do more of the selling here and convince a veteran coach that it was financially serious enough to contend in the ACC. Franklin isn’t shy about asking for what he needs, and he wouldn’t take the job if he didn’t feel that Virginia Tech’s investments are sufficient to compete for ACC championships. — Rittenberg
What will be Franklin’s biggest challenge?
This hire would not have happened without the financial investment Virginia Tech is about to make in football. The Hokies have languished behind their ACC counterparts in nearly every area — from staffing to salaries to NIL — and some of that has to do with an outdated way of thinking. The one through line has been the thought that the Hokies could win the way Frank Beamer won. That is a big reason why they hired Brent Pry, who served as Franklin’s defensive coordinator, as head coach in November 2021. That clearly did not work, as Pry never won more than seven games in a season. Virginia Tech pledged to add $229 million to its overall athletics budget over the next four years — a huge concession that the old model no longer works in this new era of college football.
But Franklin has to get the entire athletic department to believe the old Beamer days truly are over and things must be done his way. That is challenge No. 1. The second challenge is to restore Virginia Tech’s prowess in recruiting its home state. Franklin had success taking players out of Virginia Tech’s backyard and turning them into stars at Penn State. Will he be able to do the same now at Virginia Tech, which has lost an enormous amount of ground to powers outside the state? The high school players being recruited now were toddlers the last time Virginia Tech was a nationally respected program playing in BCS games. They don’t remember the Hokies being elite. Convincing players to stay in state will be a challenge, but one that Franklin can achieve given his track record. — Adelson
Grade: A
Virginia Tech’s two post-Frank Beamer hires were a coach who had not led a Power 4 program (Justin Fuente) and a first-time head coach (Brent Pry). In Franklin, Virginia Tech gets a proven winner from the Big Ten and SEC, who knows the region extremely well and will be extremely motivated to compete for league titles and CFP appearances.
Franklin’s big-stage shortcomings are a concern but perhaps not as much for a program like Virginia Tech, which is seeking to become a consistent conference title contender again. — Rittenberg
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Adam Rittenberg
The wildest college football coaching cycle — perhaps ever — has reached the hiring phase.
Schools around the Power 4 that fired their coaches in the first two months of the season — or, in Stanford’s case, way back in late March — are targeting candidates and finalizing deals. Interestingly enough, one of the first major coaches to lose his job, Penn State’s James Franklin, was the first noninterim coach to be hired, as he is headed to Virginia Tech.
New hires always come with hope and optimism, grand proclamations and the chance to get programs on the right track. But not all hiring processes are the same. The financial component with jobs is essential — what schools are willing to spend not just on their head coach, but the assistants and support staff and, perhaps most important, the team roster.
We will be reviewing all of the major coaching hires in the 2025-26 cycle, evaluating how each coach fits in the job, their major challenges and what it will take to be successful. We will also assign an initial letter grade for each hire.
Jump to: LSU | Ole Miss | Florida | Arkansas | Auburn
Stanford | Oklahoma State | Virginia Tech
LSU hires Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin
Why is this a good fit?
LSU got the coach it wanted ahead of other suitors, further confirming that its coaching job, despite the drama and dysfunction, remains one of the best in college football. Kiffin left a great situation at the height of his powers because he knows that LSU can consistently compete for national titles in ways that other programs simply cannot. In Kiffin, LSU gains a coach accustomed to the bright lights and the big stadiums, who can attract and develop talent and potentially restore the program to national powerhouse status. LSU can offer the big stage Kiffin lacked at Ole Miss, and wanted again.
Kiffin hasn’t worked at LSU but knows the SEC well after stops at Ole Miss, Alabama and Tennessee. Like Kiffin did at Ole Miss, he should put together an excellent staff that can scour Louisiana, Texas and the surrounding areas for top talent. He certainly will try to bring some of Ole Miss’ top players with him. Kiffin brings the offensive chops that LSU lacked at the end of Kelly’s tenure. He’s one of the nation’s best at identifying and developing quarterbacks, and the emergence of running back Kewan Lacy and others underscores that the Kiffin plan works on offense. — Adam Rittenberg
Biggest challenges Kiffin will face
LSU has a reputation as a place where it is possible to win championships, and that expectation will be placed on Kiffin immediately – especially with the money he is being paid. The Tigers pride themselves on this fact as Nick Saban, Les Miles, then Ed Orgeron all won national titles. Brian Kelly was an awkward fit from the start and never truly got the vibe down on the Bayou. Kiffin has his own unique way of running a program, but he has to find a way to work with all the different “cooks in the kitchen” so to speak. The entire state is heavily invested in LSU football, and though Kiffin has an extremely high profile, he is moving to an even bigger spotlight in Baton Rouge — the only Power 4 school in the state. Kiffin must embrace that, and everything that comes with it. As coveted as he was in this cycle, Kiffin has never won a conference title and finding a way to get over the hump at a school like LSU has to happen. This will be his best shot to get it done, and the clock will start ticking as soon as his first press conference ends. — Andrea Adelson
Grade: A-
The fixation around Kiffin the past few weeks would normally be attached to a multi-time national championship winner, or at least a coach who has won a Power 4 conference title. Kiffin did tremendous work at Ole Miss but still needs to show he can win the biggest games consistently. LSU is a national championship-or-bust type of program, and Kiffin will be judged at the very highest level, which he craves. He brings the right ingredients to get it done in Baton Rouge, especially his work with quarterbacks. — Rittenberg
Ole Miss makes DC Pete Golding new head coach
Why is this a good fit?
Under normal circumstances, Ole Miss could run a complete coaching search, thoroughly assess candidates currently in head-coaching roles, and others who might help build on the historic success under Lane Kiffin. But these are the strangest of times in Oxford, as Kiffin exits for LSU, a College Football Playoff first-round game looms for the Rebels, and emotions are running extremely high. Kiffin certainly will try to poach the roster for top pieces, and Ole Miss must do what it can to protect as many players as possible. Golding was the lead recruiter for many of them. He’s well-liked by players and won’t need to familiarize himself with Oxford, the administration and how Ole Miss is set up to compete.
Golding, 41, might not have been on the wish list for other SEC jobs just yet, but Ole Miss found itself in a unique situation. He’s a Louisiana native who has spent his entire career in the region, first at his alma mater Delta State and other smaller programs, and then Southern Miss and UTSA before getting his big break with Nick Saban at Alabama in 2018. Golding spent five seasons as a coordinator under Saban, and helped the Crimson Tide to a national title in 2022, before joining Kiffin at Ole Miss. He gives Ole Miss a chance not only for success in this year’s CFP, but can minimize disruptions during a very bumpy coaching transition.
What will be Golding’s biggest challenge?
Golding should be able to handle the next few weeks, but his true readiness for the enormity of the job is unclear. Again, he didn’t emerge as a candidate for the other SEC openings in this cycle, which suggests some external concern about his ability to handle such a role. Any first-time coaching job brings its challenges and even though Golding knows Ole Miss, he hasn’t been the face of the program. He’s also replacing a coach who put together the team’s most successful run since John Vaught in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Although Golding has shown his talents in recruiting and with schematics, how will he handle the media? How does he do in front of donors and other key stakeholders with the university? Perhaps he just needed the chance, which he now has, but assistant coaches that are shielded from the media often take some time to get fully comfortable.
Grade: B
Coaching hires can’t be evaluated in a vacuum, and Golding’s ultimate success or failure at Ole Miss will be judged by what he accomplishes beyond the 2025 season. But what happens in Ole Miss’ first CFP appearance, after losing Kiffin to a rival SEC school, absolutely does matter, too, and Golding gives Ole Miss a chance to prolong a really special season. There’s little doubt he will continue to compile strong rosters. He will need a strong supporting staff, especially a talented offensive coordinator hire, to ultimately sustain and even elevate the program. The key question here is whether other SEC programs missed out on a great candidate in Golding, or will Ole Miss suffer for making an in-the-moment decision that could backfire long-term? — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Florida fans: Sumrall isn’t Billy Napier. Yes, he’s another promising Group of 5 coach from a program in Louisiana, just as Napier was when he came to Gainesville. But Sumrall is a different personality who comes from the opposite side of the ball and has more ties to the SEC, where he both played (Kentucky) and coached (Ole Miss, Kentucky). He’s more comfortable than Napier was in being the face of a major program and will delegate to his coordinators while compiling a strong staff. Although Auburn seemed like a more natural spot for Sumrall because of his connections to the state, Florida gives him an even bigger platform at the lone SEC program in one of the nation’s top talent-producing states.
The other thing Sumrall brings is wins. He won Sun Belt titles in both of his seasons at Troy and went to the American Conference title game in his first year at Tulane. Sumrall has succeeded in different ways and with different types of quarterbacks. He hasn’t won in the Power 4 or at a program like Florida, which is an understandable concern. But Sumrall is ready for the opportunity and should be able to foster the consistency Florida has lacked for far too long. Florida didn’t have a talent problem under Napier, and Sumrall should continue to excel in personnel while translating it better on the field. — Rittenberg
Biggest challenges Sumrall will face
Where do we start? First and foremost, Sumrall has to find a way to win over a fan base that thought it had a shot at landing Lane Kiffin. Whether that was a reality or not, Gators fans had their hopes up that Kiffin would choose them. With that, Sumrall has to convince fans he is not another version of Napier. Once Sumrall has done that, he has to find a way to win at what has proved to be one of the hardest jobs to crack in the SEC. Florida has not won an SEC title since 2008, and while there remains a belief it is one of the best jobs in the country, Florida goes through coaches at a fairly frequent clip. If past is precedent, Sumrall will be given a year or two to find success before the fan base starts to turn on him; four years max to compete for a championship. Expectations are sky high, and Sumrall will be given no leeway to learn on the job. — Adelson
Grade: B+
Sumrall has the ingredients to become the next great SEC coach. He’s an excellent communicator who connects with a range of people and should get Florida fans excited about the future, even if they might be skeptical at first because of his background. Florida isn’t where I initially saw him ending up in a wild coaching cycle, but if the school gives him some time, he should stabilize and elevate the Gators’ on-field performance and start getting more out of very talented rosters there. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Silverfield has quietly become a really successful coach in the region, and certainly seems ready for a Power 4 opportunity like Arkansas. Although he hasn’t generated as much buzz as Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and other American Conference coaches, he has beaten many of them in head-to-head matchups and boasts a 29-9 record since the start of the 2023 season, including an AP Top 25 finish last fall. Silverfield led Memphis to a win against Arkansas earlier this season and has beaten four consecutive Power 4 opponents, including West Virginia and Iowa State in bowl games the past two seasons.
He has led Memphis since late 2019 but been at the program since 2016, so he understands the recruiting landscape and where Arkansas must look for players. Arkansas’ location can be a challenge for acquiring talent, but Silverfield shouldn’t be intimidated by it. He also brings a strong background on offense to Fayetteville and should compile a staff that has similar knowledge to the area and possibly the SEC.
What are the biggest challenges for Silverfield?
The SEC is only getting tougher with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, the emergence of Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, and the pressure on a traditional heavyweight like Florida to start making the CFP. Where does Arkansas really fit in the SEC pecking order? Silverfield likely will have to do more with less initially and win games against programs that have been on steadier footing. His real challenge will be trying to energize and unite the financial hubs around the Arkansas program, which give the program a chance to accelerate but haven’t always been harnessed.
Athletic director Hunter Yurachek was blunt earlier this year about the increased resources needed to better compete in the SEC. Arkansas seemingly could access those individuals and corporations with the right coach and vision. That’s where Silverfield comes in, as Arkansas can use those relationships to overcome some of its baked-in obstacles. Silverfield will need a strong introductory period, as Arkansas fans might not know him that well and need to embrace his personality and leadership style. The first offseason will be critical to make sure the program doesn’t fall further behind.
Grade: B
Silverfield’s consistency and success tended to go under the radar at a program like Memphis, where people have grown accustomed to really strong seasons. But his steady leadership style, shown in 2023, 2024 and most of this year, should help an Arkansas program that needs clear direction. He hasn’t coached in the SEC, and there could be a learning curve, but he shouldn’t be surprised walking in the door at Arkansas after spending so much time with Memphis. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Every SEC school asks its head coaches to be engaged in recruiting, and Auburn is no exception. Although Auburn never got the results it wanted with Hugh Freeze, the school’s approach toward NIL and acquiring talent — a major draw when it tried to lure Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss — showed up on the roster. Golesh is the type of head coach who could harness Auburn’s established personnel apparatus and really maximize things going forward. He’s about as hands-on in the recruiting space as head coaches get. When Golesh was offensive coordinator at Tennessee, I remember sitting in his office and seeing him monitor all the recruiting transactions from social media on a giant screen. Golesh will get after it to upgrade Auburn’s roster and use all the resources available to him. He won’t be intimidated by the SEC recruiting scene and has ties to multiple states, including Florida and Ohio.
Golesh also brings an offensive background that should energize Auburn fans, especially after how poorly things went on that side of the ball under Freeze. He spent time with Matt Campbell early in his career, and then with Josh Heuepel at both UCF and Tennessee. South Florida ranks in the top five nationally in both scoring and total offense this season, and its defense shined in wins against Boise State and Florida.
What will be Golesh’s biggest challenge?
The challenge at Auburn is almost always the same. Can the head coach truly capitalize on the best parts of the place — an advantageous recruiting location, strong financial resources and a large and extremely devoted fan base — while navigating the big donors and other significant forces that have clashed too often over time and ultimately held back the program’s progress? Golesh is a strong communicator and brings a good mix of experience to the Plains, most notably his two seasons as an SEC coordinator at Tennessee.
He hasn’t been an SEC head coach, though, and he will need to show he won’t be pushed around or swayed by the forces that have doomed Auburn in the past. Golesh’s staff hires at Auburn will be especially important on defense, as South Florida made strides on that side this season but also struggled in key losses to Memphis and Navy. The other element worth watching is how Golesh balances the personnel element, undoubtedly his passion, with some of the other key responsibilities that come with managing an exciting but complicated program like Auburn.
Grade: B+
Despite no Power 4 head-coaching experience, Golesh checks a lot of boxes with his background, having worked in the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, and in the Midwest, South and Southeast. His time at Tennessee should really help him at a program like Auburn, which has a chance to move up in the SEC pecking order but will need a smart, aggressive approach. Golesh’s record of 23-15 doesn’t really jump off the page, and he hasn’t been part of a conference championship just yet. But his assertive vision as a recruiter gives Auburn a chance to quickly improve its roster and win more in an increasingly difficult SEC. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Pritchard understands Stanford — its advantages, limitations and possibilities — better than most. He played quarterback for the Cardinal from 2006 to 2009, ahead of Andrew Luck’s run, and then spent the first 13 years of his coaching career with his alma mater, until joining the Washington Commanders‘ staff in 2023. He won’t be blindsided by what he’s walking into at Stanford. He also has a very close relationship with Luck, who is truly directing the program. There will be no feeling-out period between head coach and general manager.
Pritchard, 38, was part of Stanford’s seismic shift under Jim Harbaugh, quarterbacking the team to a signature win against USC in 2007. He then witnessed Stanford’s rise to a consistent contender and, more importantly, saw how things went downhill so quickly after COVID and in the portal/NIL era. His ability to learn from those difficult times and ensure Stanford avoids them will be important. But again, he’s not doing this alone, as he comes in immediately aligned with Luck. — Rittenberg
What will be Pritchard’s biggest challenge?
Generating momentum. Few people share as close an association with some of the biggest moments in Stanford history as Pritchard, but during those heights, the Cardinal never truly resonated broadly within a competitive San Francisco Bay Area sports market. With the collapse of the Pac-12 and six losing seasons in the past seven years, Stanford football has essentially become irrelevant locally. Building a program under those circumstances is difficult.
The academic side of things will always be a draw and should, in theory, help the program limit excessive outgoing transfers, but there also needs to be a robust NIL program. At Stanford that doesn’t have to be a problem. The university’s alumni base is notably wealthy, but it also has not proved to be a group eager to part with large sums of money to help field a better football team. That’s perhaps more of an issue that Luck will be responsible for dealing with, but it is very much part of the hand Pritchard has been dealt.
Beyond the structural challenges, this is just a team that needs a talent upgrade. They don’t have the players right now to compete at a high level. — Kyle Bonagura
Grade: C+
Luck didn’t make the most imaginative hire here. He went with a close friend who needs no introduction to Stanford and the vision for success there. But Pritchard hasn’t been a head coach before and wasn’t mentioned as being on the radar for many other college or NFL jobs. Stanford is really betting on potential here. He only really knows Stanford, which might work out in this case, but he also must learn from what happened toward the end of David Shaw’s tenure and chart out a new path. — Rittenberg
Why is this a good fit?
Oklahoma State needed a coach who knew the Big 12 and the region, and someone who could bring a clear vision, especially on offense. Quarterback play was central to Oklahoma State’s identity under Mike Gundy, and Morris has become one of the best talent identifiers in recent years. Oklahoma State needs to accelerate its recruiting, but likely won’t have the first choice for players, and Morris has repeatedly shown the ability to find and develop under-the-radar players. Ideally, he can bring quarterback Drew Mestemaker and others to Stillwater, and perhaps more importantly, make Oklahoma State an attractive destination for top offensive performers again.
Morris played and coached in the Big 12 at Texas Tech and spent time at Houston early in his career, so he won’t be unfamiliar with the key characteristics of a program like Oklahoma State. He’s not a Gundy disciple, but he can respect what Gundy did to elevate the program, while implementing his own vision, which worked both at Incarnate Word and at North Texas. — Rittenberg
What will be Morris’ biggest challenge?
The answer here is twofold: 1) Morris must live up to the unprecedented levels of consistent success his predecessor brought Oklahoma State; 2) Morris will also have to figure out exactly how to take the Cowboys’ football program to the future.
On the first point, whomever Oklahoma State chose to hire this cycle was going to be replacing a coach who won more — and more consistently — than any other figure in program history. Before 2023, the Cowboys made 18 consecutive bowl appearances under Gundy, winning eight or more games in 13 of those seasons. Past leading Oklahoma State to the very top of the sport and turning the program into a national brand, Gundy’s greatest achievement was transforming a school that had registered back-to-back 10-win seasons only once before he took over in 2005 into a perennial winner. Morris, who made two playoff appearances at Incarnate Word and has North Texas contending for the American this fall, has a history of producing quick turnarounds. Getting Oklahoma State upright — which will likely require a massive roster and staff overhaul — should be his first objective. From there, Morris will be judged on the expectations set by Gundy before him.
How does Morris take Oklahoma State into the future? Gundy’s initial, outspoken reluctance, then too-little, too-late embrace of college football’s NIL/transfer portal era hurt the Cowboys on the field and laid the groundwork for his unceremonious departure earlier this fall. Oklahoma State has fallen behind in terms of roster budgeting compared to its Big 12 counterparts, and industry sources suggested that the Cowboys’ ability to present improved resources would be a key piece of the hiring process. Morris has built a career on making more out of less, and that will serve him well in Stillwater. He has also proven capable of navigating the transfer portal and the current complexities of the sport. With help from Oklahoma State (and its boosters), Morris must take steps to modernize the program. If he can, a Big 12 conference landscape that remains wide open outside of Texas Tech could once again be Oklahoma State’s for the taking. — Eli Lederman
Grade: A-
Morris is only 40 (cue the Gundy memes), hasn’t been a Power 4 head coach, and before this season had only middling results with North Texas. His quarterback track record is his superpower, though, and Oklahoma State needs a renaissance at the position after things fell off too sharply. Morris can recruit Texas and build up the roster. Time will tell if he has the expertise to win one-score games in a league where programs are extremely similar. — Rittenberg
0:32
Paul Finebaum: Is Virginia Tech an upgrade for James Franklin?
Paul Finebaum weighs in on James Franklin reportedly being hired as Virginia Tech’s next coach.
Why is this a good fit?
When Franklin was fired and almost immediately announced his intentions to coach in 2026, Virginia Tech emerged as a natural landing spot for the 53-year-old. He has spent most of his career near the mid-Atlantic region, twice serving as a Maryland assistant, leading programs in Vanderbilt and Penn State and even working within the state at James Madison in 1997.
He understands the key recruiting areas extremely well. Franklin ultimately was fired for not winning the biggest games at Penn State, but he still won a lot of them (104) and understands how to build a consistently successful program. Virginia Tech ultimately had to do more of the selling here and convince a veteran coach that it was financially serious enough to contend in the ACC. Franklin isn’t shy about asking for what he needs, and he wouldn’t take the job if he didn’t feel that Virginia Tech’s investments are sufficient to compete for ACC championships. — Rittenberg
What will be Franklin’s biggest challenge?
This hire would not have happened without the financial investment Virginia Tech is about to make in football. The Hokies have languished behind their ACC counterparts in nearly every area — from staffing to salaries to NIL — and some of that has to do with an outdated way of thinking. The one through line has been the thought that the Hokies could win the way Frank Beamer won. That is a big reason why they hired Brent Pry, who served as Franklin’s defensive coordinator, as head coach in November 2021. That clearly did not work, as Pry never won more than seven games in a season. Virginia Tech pledged to add $229 million to its overall athletics budget over the next four years — a huge concession that the old model no longer works in this new era of college football.
But Franklin has to get the entire athletic department to believe the old Beamer days truly are over and things must be done his way. That is challenge No. 1. The second challenge is to restore Virginia Tech’s prowess in recruiting its home state. Franklin had success taking players out of Virginia Tech’s backyard and turning them into stars at Penn State. Will he be able to do the same now at Virginia Tech, which has lost an enormous amount of ground to powers outside the state? The high school players being recruited now were toddlers the last time Virginia Tech was a nationally respected program playing in BCS games. They don’t remember the Hokies being elite. Convincing players to stay in state will be a challenge, but one that Franklin can achieve given his track record. — Adelson
Grade: A
Virginia Tech’s two post-Frank Beamer hires were a coach who had not led a Power 4 program (Justin Fuente) and a first-time head coach (Brent Pry). In Franklin, Virginia Tech gets a proven winner from the Big Ten and SEC, who knows the region extremely well and will be extremely motivated to compete for league titles and CFP appearances.
Franklin’s big-stage shortcomings are a concern but perhaps not as much for a program like Virginia Tech, which is seeking to become a consistent conference title contender again. — Rittenberg
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Mark Schlabach
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Mark Schlabach
ESPN Senior Writer
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
LSU‘s courtship of Lane Kiffin has come to an end, as he’s leaving the school to take the job in Baton Rouge and will not coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff.
He announced both things Sunday afternoon, the culmination of a weeks-long saga that hung over the sport, prompted viscous debate and puts Kiffin in the unprecedented position of a head coach leaving his team and not coaching them in the College Football Playoff.
“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said in a statement Sunday.
His deal with LSU is for seven years and is worth approximately $12 million annually, with the potential for bonuses, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. That would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport.
Kiffin, 50, and the Rebels just wrapped up an 11-1 regular season with a 38-19 win over rival Mississippi State, all but assuring them a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
After saying he would decide Saturday whether he’ll coach at Ole Miss or LSU in 2026, Kiffin met with Rebels athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce for a couple of hours at the chancellor’s home in Oxford.
He also sought the advice of former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, his former boss at USC, over the past few weeks.
Kiffin expressed his appreciation for his time at Ole Miss in a statement released on social media. He also took issue with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter, who Kiffin said “denied” his request to coach in the College Football Playoff.
“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin said in his statement.
“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”
Ole Miss responded quickly, as sources told ESPN that they’d promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the school’s full-time coach soon after Kiffin left the football building for LSU.
Kiffin’s decision was supposed to come Saturday, and there was a delay in part because the result of the Iron Bowl late Saturday impacted whether or not Ole Miss would have played this week. He met with Rebels athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce for a couple of hours at the chancellor’s home in Oxford on Saturday.
Kiffin also met with some players in the football building on Sunday, and he pointed out in his statement that the players wanted him to coach in the CFP.
Part of the drama unfolding Saturday revolved around Ole Miss staff members and who would end up going with Kiffin. The Rebels’ brass wanted to protect their staff to keep things as normal as possible for the postseason. Kiffin would obviously take some of his staff with him, and the timing of those departures came into focus as discussions went on during the day.
Ole Miss officials are being aggressive with staff salaries, as there’s a high focus on retention, sources told ESPN.
On the offensive side for Ole Miss, quarterback coach Joe Judge, a longtime NFL coordinator and head coach, has agreed to stay on staff, sources told ESPN. Judge’s role hasn’t been formalized yet, but Ole Miss officials and Golding made clear early on he was a priority staff member to stay in Oxford. He coached Trinidad Chambliss and Jaxson Dart while in Oxford.
The naming of Golding as the head coach will lead to continuity at Ole Miss in 2026 and beyond, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
A former Ole Miss player himself, Golding is in his third season on the Rebels’ staff after serving five years as a top defensive assistant at Alabama under Saban.
Kiffin’s decision included an only-in-the-SEC drama that ensnared three prominent schools, as Florida had expressed interest in Kiffin earlier in their search. When that wasn’t reciprocated, they hired Tulane coach Jon Sumrall.
Kiffin has guided the Rebels to a 55-19 record in his six seasons — only Alabama (67-12) and Georgia (71-8) have more wins in the SEC since the start of the 2020 season. The Rebels have the eighth-most wins among power-conference teams during that stretch.
LSU has a championship brand in multiple sports; state-of-the-art facilities; a rabid, regional fan following; and a legendary, historic home football venue in Tiger Stadium (nicknamed Death Valley), which towers over the banks of the Mississippi River and holds 102,000 spectators — 38,000 more than Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The lone football coach of LSU’s past four who did not win a national championship was Kelly. He was fired in late October during his fourth season — a seismic development that also led then-athletic director Scott Woodward to resign under pressure from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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