College Football Coaching Changes: 10 Schools With Recent Hires And Vacancies

Keeping track of all of the coaching changes in college football can be an exhausting task. In 2015, there have been roughly 20 coaching changes, and at some big-name programs. USC, Georgia, and Miami are just a few of the schools who had a shake up, while LSU decided to stand pat with longtime head coach Les Miles.

Here’s a look at some of the schools that have filled their head coaching vacancies and others still on the hunt.

Georgia: The Bulldogs are expected to tap Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to replace Mark Richt, who went 145-51 over 15 seasons in Athens but got the axe due to a serious lack of postseason results. Smart is a Georgia native, a former Bulldog safety and assistant coach. He has overseen the nation’s top defense in Tuscaloosa since his arrival in 2008, with Alabama ranking No. 1 in opponents’ points per game, yards per game, yards per play and total QBR.

Maryland: It was reported Wednesday that the Terrapins settled on Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to replace Randy Edsall, who was fired following an Oct. 10 loss to Ohio State. The hire comes at a bit of a surprise after athletic director Kevin Anderson originally said he wanted an “exciting, wide-open offense” while Durkin has a long history on the defensive side of the ball with bowling Green, Stanford, Florida and the Wolverines.

Miami (FL): Al Golden was let go from Miami after a crushing 58-0 loss to Clemson on Oct. 25 and has been replaced by Mark Richt, who accepted the job just three days after being fired from Georgia. Richt has connections to Miami and South Florida, where he attended high school before playing for the Hurricanes from 1979-1982. Richt coached under Bobby Bowden at Florida State as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator before winning 145 games and two SEC championships as Georgia’s head coach.

USC: After taking over for Steve Sarkisian five games into the season, Clay Helton helped straighten out the Trojans’ season and has them competing for the Pac-12 championship. Athletic director Pat Haden removed the interim tag and gave the longtime assistant the full-time job. USC is 5-2 under Helton with wins over then-No. 3 Utah and then-No.22 UCLA. This is Helton's first head coaching job since he beginning his coaching career in 1995.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies already hired former Memphis head coach Justin Fuente to replace Frank Beamer after the bowl game. Beamer went 279-144-4 in 29 seasons and extended Tech’s bowl streak to 23 with a win in his final game. Fuente injected life into an often-downtrodden Memphis program, which peaked at No. 15 on the AP poll this season. They went 19-6 over his last two years and 26-23 overall under Fuente.

Unfilled Openings

Missouri: Gary Pinkel is out at Missouri, where served as head coach since 2001, after announcing he has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Yahoo Sports reported on Tuesday the Tigers are interviewing Cal’s Sonny Dykes, Troy Calhoun from Air Force, Utah State’s Matt Wells, and Colorado State coach Mike Bobo.

Rutgers: Kyle Flood was fired nine games (three of which he was suspended) into what turned out to be a disastrous season for the Scarlet Knights. According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, ex-Miami coach Al Golden and Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash are on Rutgers' radar.

Virginia: After a fourth consecutive losing season, Mike London resigned as Virginia’s head football coach. Mark Richt interviewed with the Cavaliers on Wednesday before taking the Miami job but Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman reported the expectation that Temple head coach Matt Rhule, Air Force’s Troy Calhoun and former head coaches Greg Schiano and Al Golden would all get consideration from Virginia.

South Carolina: Steve Spurrier resigned as the head coach of South Carolina after 10-plus years on Oct. 13, a few days after a 45-24 loss at LSU. Among the reported candidates for this position are Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and former Florida head coach and current Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Syracuse: Scott Shafer took over following Doug Marrone’s split for the NFL and went 14-23 in three seasons, including 7-17 in the ACC. Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash was in the running but pulled out of the race. Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers is considered a top candidate.