CFB coaching carousel: Tracking every FBS vacancy
As sure as autumn fades into winter, as the college football season winds down, the coaching carousel starts to crank up.
The biggest early name to lose his job was Jimbo Fisher, who was fired at Texas A&M during his sixth season leading the Aggies. Since then, several Power 5 jobs have opened including at Houston, which is moving on from Dana Holgorsen, and Indiana, which fired Tom Allen.
As the list continues to grow, we’ll track all the comings and goings of head coaches and prominent coordinators, along with insights and intel on searches for replacements and who might be on the hot seat.
Jump to a vacancy:
Houston | Indiana
Duke | Oregon State
Syracuse | Middle Tennessee
UTEP | New Mexico
San Diego State | Boise State
Notable coordinators
Filled jobs
Holgorson out after five years at Houston
Houston dismissed coach Dana Holgorsen, who had three losing seasons in his five years as the Cougars’ head coach.
Houston went 4-8 in its inaugural Big 12 season, which included a loss at Rice early in the season and three straight losses to end the year. The Cougars finished 2-7 in the Big 12, with their wins coming in overtime against Baylor and on a last-second 49-yard touchdown against West Virginia.
The Cougars owe Holgorsen nearly $14.8 million in buyout money, but his contract includes a mitigation clause that could lower the amount if Holgorsen gets another job.
More: Holgorsen had 31-28 record with Cougs
Indiana moves on from Allen
Indiana fired football coach Tom Allen a day after the Hoosiers completed their third consecutive losing season.
Allen, who had led Indiana since 2017 after spending a season as the team’s defensive coordinator, finished 33-49 as Hoosiers coach. Indiana dropped its final three games, including Saturday’s rivalry contest at Purdue, to finish 3-9. It had gone 9-26 overall and 3-23 in Big Ten play since the 2020 season, when it was 6-2 in the COVID-shortened season.
More: Allen in line for $15.5 million buyout
Duke has big shoes to fill with Elko gone
Mike Elko, who engineered an impressive turnaround at Duke, has left to be head coach at Mississippi State, leaving the Blue Devils searching for a successor who can build off Elko’s momentum.
Duke was 16-9 in two years under Elko after going 3-9 the year before he arrived.
More: 
JMU’s Cignetti a candidate to watch
Oregon State needs to replace Smith
With Jonathan Smith leaving his alma mater for Michigan State, Oregon State will be looking for a new coach amid an uncertain future regarding the school’s conference affiliation.
Smith, a former Beavers quarterback, was 34-35 in six seasons at OSU, but 18-7 since the start of the 2022 campaign.
More: Bronco Mendenhall a candidate to watch
Babers out at Syracuse after eight seasons
Syracuse fired football coach Dino Babers on Nov. 19, ending his tenure at the university with a 41-55 record over the past eight seasons.
Syracuse tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile was named interim coach.
Under Babers, the Orange lost six of its past seven games, marking the second consecutive year that featured a precipitous slide to end the season. Last year, Syracuse lost six of its last seven games. His ACC record is 20-45.
More: Babers has just two winning seasons at Syracuse
Middle Tennessee fires longtime coach Stockstill
Middle Tennessee fired longtime coach Rick Stockstill following the team’s third losing season in the past five years.
Stockstill had led Middle Tennessee since December 2005 and was 113-111 in 18 seasons with the program, but the Blue Raiders went 4-8 in 2023.
More: Stockstill was fourth-longest-tenured coach in FBS
Dimel fired by UTEP
UTEP fired coach Dana Dimel after a 3-9 season.
Dimel, 61, went 20-49 in six seasons with the Miners, including a New Mexico Bowl appearance in 2021, UTEP’s first since 2014. UTEP went 2-6 in Conference USA play this season.
More: Dimel out after six seasons at UTEP
Gonzales out at New Mexico
New Mexico fired head coach Danny Gonzales on Nov. 25 after a four-year stint in which he went 11-32 at his alma mater.
The school announced the move in the wake of a 4-8 season, which was his highest win total in Gonzales’ tenure.
More: Lobos haven’t played bowl game since 2016
San Diego State’s Hoke set to retire
Hoke, who is in his second stint as San Diego State‘s head coach, announced he will retire at the end of the season. Hoke took over before the 2020 season after having led the program from 2009 to ’10. He has a combined 39-31 record over those two stints and has twice been named Mountain West coach of the year.
SDSU will finish this season with its first losing record — both overall and in Mountain West play — since 2009. In 2021, Hoke led the Aztecs to a school-record 12 wins.
More: SDSU’s Hoke to retire at end of season
Boise State fires Avalos after 22-14 record
Boise State fired football coach Andy Avalos on Nov. 12, with the Broncos at 5-5 and in danger of the program’s first losing season since 1997.
Avalos went 22-14 in three seasons at Boise State, including a 10-4 record that resulted in him being named 2022 Mountain West coach of the year. At no point during Avalos’ two-plus seasons was Boise State ranked in the Associated Press poll; the Broncos’ 19-year streak of being ranked ended during his first season in 2021.
Defensive coordinator and longtime Boise State assistant Spencer Danielson is serving as the interim coach.
More: Avalos out as Boise State can’t match past success
Penn State fires OC Yurcich
Penn State fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Nov. 12, a day after the unit struggled in a high-profile loss for the second time this season.
The Nittany Lions scored only 15 points and managed just 238 yards of offense (74 through the air) in a 24-15 loss to Michigan. Penn State’s offense also struggled in a 20-12 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 21, finishing with 240 yards and not reaching the end zone until the game’s final minute.
Yurcich, 48, has been the team’s offensive playcaller and quarterbacks coach since 2021.
More: Franklin hears boos: ‘Not good enough’ | Yurcich fired
Grinch gone as USC’s defensive woes continue
After USC surrendered 101 total points in two games, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was relieved of his duties, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley announced Nov. 5.
Grinch, who was Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021 before leaving for USC alongside Riley, led a unit that allowed an average of 34.5 points per game this season and was in the bottom 30 in the country in nearly every statistical category, including 120th in rushing defense and 107th against the pass.
More: USC defensive coordinator Grinch let go
Brian Ferentz won’t return as Iowa’s OC
Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of longtime coach Kirk Ferentz whose contract amid the offense’s historic struggles drew national attention, will not return for the 2024 season.
Brian Ferentz, a former offensive lineman at Iowa, has served as the team’s offensive coordinator since 2017 and has been on his father’s staff since 2012. In February, Iowa announced contract amendments for him that included an unusual points-per-game provision — the team would need to average 25 points per game during the 2023 season and win at least seven games for Ferentz’s two-year rolling contract to be reactivated beyond June 30, 2024. The Hawkeyes have fallen well short of that average.
More: Iowa falls short in ‘Drive for 325’ | Brian Ferentz out
FILLED JOBS
A&M hires Duke’s Elko to replace Fisher
Duke coach Mike Elko is leaving the Blue Devils to become head coach at Texas A&M.
Elko is a former Texas A&M defensive coordinator who left there two years ago to take the Duke head-coaching job. Since Elko’s departure after the 2021 season, A&M’s performance has dipped on the field. The Aggies went 12-12 the past two years, which is why the school paid a record $76 million buyout to fire coach Jimbo Fisher.
Elko immediately showed his chops as a head coach, authoring one of the sport’s biggest turnarounds in the 2022 season. Duke went 9-4 in Elko’s first season after he inherited a team that had gone 3-9 the year before. The team went 7-5 this season after losing quarterback Riley Leonard to injury in Week 4.
Fisher was 45-25 in six seasons at Texas A&M.
More: Elko leaves Duke after two seasons
Fisher fired, gets record buyout | AD: Aggies stuck in neutral
Oklahoma OC Lebby in for Arnett at Mississippi State
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby will be the new coach at Mississippi State, the school announced Nov. 26.
Lebby has been the offensive coordinator at OU, Ole Miss and UCF, with high-tempo and prolific offenses his hallmark. Since 2019, he’s been coordinator of an offense that has scored 50 or more points 14 times, leading all active offensive coordinators.
Lebby replaces Zach Arnett, who fired Nov. 13 before completing his first season. Arnett, the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator for three seasons, was promoted to head coach this past December after the sudden death of Mike Leach.
More: Lebby agrees to five-year deal
Mississippi State fires Arnett after 11 games
Michigan State hires Oregon State’s Smith
Michigan State hired Oregon State football coach Jonathan Smith for the same role Nov. 25, hours after both teams ended their regular seasons.
Smith, 44, completed the regular season as No. 16 Oregon State fell to rival Oregon 31-7 on the road, dropping to 8-4 on the season. The former Beavers quarterback finishes 34-35 in six seasons at his alma mater, but 18-7 since the start of the 2022 campaign.
The Spartans fired Mel Tucker for cause Sept. 27 as he was under university investigation for a sexual misconduct complaint brought by Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault awareness speaker.
More: MSU fires Tucker for bringing ‘ridicule’ to program
Northwestern promotes interim coach Braun
Interim coach David Braun, hired in January as defensive coordinator by former coach Pat Fitzgerald, was promoted to the permanent head-coaching role. Entering Week 12, Braun had led Northwestern to five wins, more than the team’s combined win total from the past two seasons (4). He is the first Northwestern coach to win five games in his first season since Walter McCornack in 1903.
The school named Braun interim coach July 14, four days after it fired Fitzgerald in the wake of hazing allegations against the program. Fitzgerald went 110-101 over 17 seasons at Northwestern.
More: Committee liked Braun’s approach | Hazing ‘clearly not a secret‘
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge has accomplished plenty during his nine-year major league career. The five-time All-Star set the American League record for home runs in a season in 2022. He won the AL MVP award. He was named the 16th captain in New York Yankees history.
And not once in his first 869 career games was the 32-year-old slugger ever ejected.
That streak, though, ended Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Judge was tossed for the first time leading off the seventh inning after arguing a called third strike in the Yankees’ eventual 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Judge was displeased when plate umpire Ryan Blakney punched him out on a pitch he thought was outside for ball four. The outfielder had some words for Blakney as he walked away before turning around to go to the Yankees’ dugout. Blakney then threw him out of the game.
“Very surprising, especially in a 5-3 game, late in the game,” Judge said. “Battling a 3-2 count and kind of walking away saying my piece. I’ve said a lot worse. … I usually try not to make a scene in situations like that. So a little surprised [that] walking away that happened.”
Judge said there wasn’t any tension between him and Blakney leading up to that point. He ended his day 2-for-3 with a double. It was just his second multihit game since April 14, raising his batting average on the season to .209. Trent Grisham replaced him in center field.
“I got a lot of respect for Ryan and what he does,” Judge said. “I know their job is tough and I’ve always had their back because it’s tough back there. So, for it to happen that way, that’s what I’m most upset about. Especially late in a game like that, close game.”
Umpire crew chief Alan Porter told a pool reporter that Blakney hadn’t yet told him what Judge said to warrant the ejection.
“Apparently, Aaron did not agree with the pitch and said something that you shouldn’t have said, and he was ejected,” Porter said. “We do what we can to keep guys in the game, but he said something he shouldn’t have said.”
Judge said he had never been ejected at any level in his baseball life — from little league through high school, college and the pros. It was the first time a Yankees captain was ejected from a game since Don Mattingly in May 1994.
“I didn’t even see myself get tossed,” Judge said. “It was a crowd reaction I heard, so I kind of assumed at that point.”
Though surprising to the Yankees, Judge’s ejection isn’t the team’s most controversial this season. Manager Aaron Boone was tossed five pitches into a game on April 23 for words that appeared to have come from a fan behind the dugout.
On Saturday, Boone, whose 35 ejections since 2018 are the most among managers, defended his star.
“I was surprised,” Boone said. “Judgy says very little usually. Very respectfully, walking away. Come on, man.”
PHOENIX — Luis Arraez had four hits and an RBI in his first game after being traded from the Miami Marlins, Ha-Seong Kim hit a three-run homer in San Diego’s eight-run seventh inning and the Padres routed the listless Arizona Diamondbacks 13-1 on Saturday.
The Padres made a massive deal Friday, acquiring Arraez from the Marlins along with nearly $7.9 million in a trade for four players. The two-time batting champion didn’t join his new team until about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, but he wasted no time in producing, going 4-for-6 while scoring two runs.
“Clearly an amazing approach, and I can see why he is the rightful moniker of ‘The Sprinkler,'” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “You’re talking about he’s an artist being able to put the ball in the whole field. That was that was a sight to behold. What a talent.”
Arraez wasn’t the only San Diego player seeing the ball well at Chase Field.
Jurickson Profar had a two-run homer in the seventh inning among his four hits, and Kim followed with a three-run shot. Manny Machado had three RBIs. And Michael King (3-3) allowed six singles in six innings for San Diego’s season-high fourth straight victory. The Padres had 18 hits.
“I absolutely love him,” King said about Arraez. “He’s a spark plug who’s a really tough out and just finds the bases. It’s going to be really fun to see him with the guys we have behind him.”
The Diamondbacks would love to put this week behind them.
Arizona had two runners picked off at first in the first inning and didn’t get a runner past second base until Gabriel Moreno‘s two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth. The reigning National League champion Diamondbacks have been outscored 28-2 since a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and have lost seven of nine.
“It’s obvious right now we’re grinding, things are not going well and we just aren’t getting the job done,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “You go to work and you have a bad week at work — it happens. But we’ve got to find a way to shorten up that gap when we’re not playing good baseball to find a way to win a game.”
Arraez led off his first game with the Padres by hitting the second pitch by Brandon Pfaadt (1-2) into the corner in right for a double. He scored on Machado’s single for San Diego’s 32nd run in the first inning this season, second most in the majors to the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 37.
“He got us going and kept us going,” Shildt said.
The Diamondbacks got off to a much shakier start.
Arizona had two singles in the first inning, but Jake McCarthy got picked off by King, and Ketel Marte was thrown out by right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. after rounding first too far.
Fielding caused the Diamondbacks problems in the fourth inning.
Shortstop Blaze Alexander had an error on a potential double-play ball then threw late to the plate when Profar took off from third on Luis Campusano‘s grounder. Arraez’s single to left put San Diego up 3-0.
The Padres chased Pfaadt in the seventh inning and blew the game open against Arizona’s bullpen, sending 14 batters to plate. Pfaadt allowed five runs on 10 hits in six innings.
“We’re a team trying to get back on its high horse, and certainly it didn’t work out today,” Pfaadt said. “Certainly, we’ll try to look forward to tomorrow and try to get back on the horse.”
PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner will miss at least six weeks with a left hamstring strain after being injured in the fourth inning of Philadelphia‘s 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
The Phillies placed the two-time All-Star shortstop on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but Turner said he’ll need more time.
“I hate being hurt,” he said.
Turner has started all 30 games this season, helping the Phillies (22-11) enter Saturday with the most wins in baseball. He is hitting .343 with two homers, 10 doubles, nine RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson, before knowing the extent of the absence, said losing Turner for any amount of time would be a blow.
“It’s a huge loss,” he said. “It’s Trea Turner, one of the best players in baseball.”
Turner had two hits in Friday’s game, when he helped the Phillies to their 14th win in the last 17 games.
He was injured on a stellar hustle play. He singled, stole second and scored from there on a passed ball on a walk to Bryce Harper. Philadelphia’s speedy shortstop just beat the tag by right-hander Jordan Hicks, and plate umpire Brian Walsh’s safe call was confirmed by video review.
“It was a great play,” Thomson said. “Won us a ballgame.”
Turner injured his left hamstring running the bases between third and home.
The Phillies recalled Kody Clemens from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Turner’s roster spot.
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