Several FBS head coaches have either been fired or have left for other jobs this season. And most of them have been in the Group of Five.
Only four days into December, there were five head coaches hired and one fired among G5 teams. Some of these open jobs are likely going to be extremely appealing to several candidates.
Here’s some of the G5 head coaching news going on during this cycle.
Washington State’s Jake Dickert Hired At Wake Forest
Jake Dickert guided Washington State through some turbulent times.
Most recently, the Cougars had to find a path forward as nearly every Pac-12 team left the conference. The Pac-12 is rebuilding, but WSU will have to move forward in that new-look conference without Dickert, the Cougars’ head coach.
Dickert is taking over at Wake Forest. He led the Cougars to an 8-4 overall record in 2024 after going 15-16 the previous three years at Wazzu.
Dickert was a top-notch defensive assistant before he was Washington State’s head coach.
He was WSU’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for two years previously. The Cougars consistently produced all-conference players and were among the best in the Pac-12 in multiple statistical categories.
Before going to WSU, he was a defensive coordinator at Wyoming in 2019 and worked with linebackers and safeties there from 2017-19. That was after he was a safeties coach and co-special teams coordinator at South Dakota State for a season.
Dickert was previously a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Minnesota State (2014-15) and a DC at Augustana (2013). He worked with defensive backs at Southeast Missouri State (2012), South Dakota (2011), and North Dakota State (2009-10) and coached special teams at South Dakota as well.
He began his collegiate coaching career at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he was an all-conference wide receiver, as a graduate assistant in 2007 before also being a GA at NDSU in 2008.
Brian Smith Promoted To Head Coach At Ohio
Brian Smith, after Tim Albin decided to go to Charlotte, will stay at Ohio and become the Bobcats’ next head coach.
Smith was Ohio’s offensive coordinator this past season, when the Bobcats were first in the MAC in scoring offense (29.2 points per game), total offense (399.8 yards per game), and rushing offense (2,758 yards).
“Ohio Bobcat Football has been on a historic run in recent years, and Brian Smith has been a significant part of not only our MAC Championship team, but also our established culture of winning,” Ohio athletic director Julie Cromer said in a press release. “During the course of a national search that attracted several outstanding candidates, Coach Smith ultimately stood out above the rest. He presented a plan for not only sustaining our culture and foundation but also building upon it in the evolving landscape of college football. He prioritizes our student-athletes’ experiences and shares our common goals of developing leaders, graduating students, unifying our community and amplifying our University. I am especially grateful to our former players, particularly those who directly assisted with our search process to ensure we identified the best leader for our program. We are thrilled that Coach Smith has agreed to lead our program into the next era of Bobcat Football.”
Smith went to Ohio in 2022 to become the team’s running backs coach and passing game coordinator. Before that, he was Washington State’s associate head coach, OC, and RBs coach in 2020.
He also was an associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Hawaii from 2016-19 and also coached there from 2008-11. From 2013-15, he was an OC and offensive line coach at Occidental College and was an O-line coach at California Lutheran in 2012. He also worked with running backs and receivers there in 2005. In 2006, he was a graduate assistant at Oregon State and was an O-line coach at Portland State a year later.
At Hawaii, he played from 1998-2001 as a long snapper before playing in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Ohio University football program,” Smith said. “Coach (Frank) Solich and Albin laid the foundation for our success brick-by-brick, developing a culture that is second to none. Our culture and values will be protected and will continue to thrive, producing tremendous young men who are champions on the field and in our communities.”
Phil Longo Returns To Sam Houston To Be The Bearkats’ HC
Phil Longo, who was Sam Houston’s offensive coordinator almost a decade ago, will be the Bearkats’ next head coach. Former Sam Houston coach KC Keeler is now at Temple.
“Throughout each step of this process, Phil Longo kept rising to the top as the best choice to lead our football program,” Sam Houston athletic director Bobby Williams said in a press release. “He checked all the boxes we were looking for from knowing our program and his success as our offensive coordinator. His growth from his time at Ole Miss, North Carolina and Wisconsin were also key factors in our decision. In addition, he has a high level of support from our on-campus leaders and overwhelming positive input from donors and fans.”
Longo began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant head coach and OC at William Paterson (2000-01). He had the same roles at LaSalle from 2002-03 before becoming LaSalle’s head coach from 2004-05.
He then was an OC at Minnesota Duluth (2006-07) and Southern Illinois (2008-09). He was a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Youngstown State in 2010. He also was a receivers coach at Slippery Rock before becoming the team’s OC and quarterbacks coach from 2012-13.
After being Sam Houston’s OC from 2014-16, he held the same role at Ole Miss from 2017-18. He was also an offensive coordinator and QBs coach at North Carolina from 2019-22. He was the OC and quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin for the last two seasons.
“My family and I feel that a part of us has never left Sam Houston and it feels like we are returning home,” Longo said. “I am elated and honored to become the next head football coach at Sam Houston State University.”
Jason Eck Named Next Head Coach For New Mexico
Idaho head coach Jason Eck has become the next head coach at New Mexico, the school announced Saturday.
“I am thrilled to have Jason Eck as our next head football coach,” UNM athletic director Fernando Lovo said in a press release. “Jason has led Idaho to tremendous success, turning around the program and building upon success year after year, through recruiting, teaching and a strong culture. Throughout his career, he has been a part of winning programs at all levels of college football and his passion for student-athlete success and well-being is evident. We are fortunate to have Jason and his family join the Lobos and I am confident that he will take us to unprecedented heights.”
Eck was one of the top head coaches in the FCS, and he has familiarity with the region.
Eck just finished his third season as Idaho’s head coach, which ended with a loss at No. 1-ranked Montana State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The Vandals went 7-4 during the regular season in 2022, earning a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2016, and were 9-4 last year as they reached the FCS quarterfinals.
Before going to Idaho, he was the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State from 2019-21 and the team’s offensive line coach from 2016-19. Going back to 2000, he’s also been an assistant at Montana State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State, Winona State, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
“I want to thank President Stokes, Vice President and Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo and everyone involved with the search process,” Eck said. “I am truly humbled to be selected as the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos. I know that the university community, students, alumni, Lobo Nation and greater Albuquerque and New Mexico communities are eager for success and I cannot wait to give that to them. We will have tremendous coaches and support staff and develop our student-athletes into elite athletes, UNM graduates and people. My wife, Kimberly, and our five children are thrilled to be a part of Albuquerque and we are ready to go!”
UNLV Hires Dan Mullen As Next Head Coach
Former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has been hired to lead UNLV’s program, the school announced Thursday.
He’s spent the last three seasons as a college football analyst on ESPN.
“I am very excited to be a part of the UNLV family,” Mullen said in a press release. “These past two years, a foundation has been set to compete for championships, including being just one game away from making the College Football Playoff, which is a great testament to where we plan on continuing to be. My expectation is to keep that excitement and momentum alive and produce a team for the University, the City of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada that is going to compete for championships on a regular basis. I want to thank President Keith Whitfield and Director of Athletics Erick Harper for this opportunity. Our program will make the university proud and benefit our student-athletes equally both on and off the field. I look forward to creating excitement for all UNLV Athletics and our goal is to be the premier program in the Mountain West.”
Mullen is 103-61 as an FBS head coach. He went 34-15 at Florida from 2018-21 and was 69-46 at Mississippi State from 2009-17. He’s 7-3 in bowl games and helped Florida reach the SEC Championship in 2020.
He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida from 2005-08. He was also the OC at Utah from 2003-04. He was an offensive graduate assistant at Notre Dame from 1999-2000 and at Syracuse in 1998. He worked with wide receivers at Columbia (1996-97) and at Wagner (1994-95).
“We are ecstatic to announce the hiring of Dan Mullen, who is both an innovator and nationally respected leader in the sport of football,” UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said. “The momentum of UNLV football continues to skyrocket with Coach Mullen coming aboard and is even more proof that our university is serious about success. Rebel Nation came alive while watching this program reach new heights the last two seasons and we are excited to keep it moving forward under the leadership of someone the caliber of Dan Mullen.”
Jax State Head Coach Rich Rodriguez Is Reportedly Returning To West Virginia
After leading Jacksonville State through its transition to the FBS and helping the team win a Conference USA Championship, Rich Rodriguez is reportedly returning to West Virginia.
Rodriguez, who is Jax State’s head coach, will once again be the head coach at West Virginia, per several media reports. He was the head coach there from 2001-07, where he went 60-26.
Rodriguez was an FBS head coach for 16 total years before he was chosen to lead Jacksonville State.
He was the head coach at Arizona (2012-17), Michigan (2008-10), and WVU. He led his teams in bowl games in 11 of those years. His teams also reached the top 10 in the AP rankings during five of those seasons.
Rodriguez was also a head coach at Salem, where he was once the youngest head coach in college football at 24 years old, and Glenville State.
As an assistant, Rodriguez worked mostly on the offensive side of the ball. He was an offensive coordinator at ULM (2021), Ole Miss (2019), Clemson (1999-2000), and Tulane (1997-98).
Rodriguez is 136-91 in the FBS as a head coach. He went 9-4 at Jacksonville State last year.
Army Assistant Matt Drinkall Named Central Michigan Head Coach
Matt Drinkall, the offensive line coach at Army, has been named the next head coach at Central Michigan, which announced the move Monday.
Jim McElwain, the MAC Coach of the Year in 2019, announced last month he would be retiring and will be a special assistant to the athletic director at CMU.
In 2024, Army is first in the country with 314.4 rushing yards per game. The Black Knights have averaged 32.92 points and 397.6 yards per game. Army’s O-line is a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the most outstanding offensive line in the country.
Drinkall has been at Army since 2019, where he’s also been a co-offensive coordinator, a tight ends coach, and a quality control coach. Before that, he was a head coach and offensive coordinator at Kansas Wesleyan from 2014-19. He was also an offensive coordinator (2012-14), an offensive line coach (2010-12), and a wide receivers coach (2008-09) at St. Ambrose University in Iowa. He coached tight ends at Western Illinois from 2006-08 and was a wide receivers/defensive backs coach at Bettendorf High School in Iowa from 2003-05.
Tulsa Reportedly Hiring East Tennessee State’s Tre Lamb
Tulsa is hiring East Tennessee State head coach Tre Lamb to be the Golden Hurricane’s next head coach, according to multiple reports.
Lamb was at ETSU for one season. He led the Buccaneers to a 7-5 record, including a 5-3 mark in Southern Conference play.
Lamb was previously the head coach at Gardner-Webb, which made impressive strides during his time there.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs were 2-2 in the spring of 2021 and 4-7 during the fall of that year. Then Lamb, who was Tennessee Tech’s offensive coordinator before, led the Runnin’ Bulldogs to their first Big South championship since 2003 by going undefeated in conference play. Lamb was the conference’s coach of the year in 2022.
In 2023, the Runnin’ Bulldogs were Big South/OVC co-champions and reached the FCS playoffs again.
Lamb replaces Kevin Wilson, who was 7-16 overall and 3-12 in AAC play before being fired.
Charles Huff Goes To Southern Miss, Tony Gibson Replaces Him At Marshall
One day after Marshall won the Sun Belt Championship, the program and the conference saw some major coaching changes.
Southern Miss announced that Marshall head coach Charles Huff would become USM’s next head coach, and Marshall followed by hiring Tony Gibson to replace Huff.
Huff is 32-20 in the FBS as a head coach. That’s from the past four years at Marshall. The Thundering Herd went 9-3 during the 2024 regular season before defeating Louisiana in the Sun Belt title game. He led Marshall to four consecutive bowl appearances.
Huff was a well-respected assistant coach and recruiter before taking over at Marshall.
During his career, Huff has mostly coached running backs. And within the past decade, he’s mentored some great ones like Saquon Barkley of Penn State and Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. of Alabama.
Huff was an assistant head coach and running backs coach at Alabama from 2019-20. The year before, he was an assistant head coach, running backs coach, and run game coordinator at Mississippi State.
He was a running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Penn State from 2014-17. He also worked with RBs at Western Michigan in 2013, and he was an assistant running backs coach at the pro level for the Buffalo Bills in 2012.
He was an offensive quality control coach for Vanderbilt in 2011 after coaching offensive linemen for a year at Hampton, which is where he played and started 12 games at center as a senior.
He was an assistant O-line coach at Maryland in 2009. He began his coaching career at Tennessee State, first working with offensive linemen in 2006 and then becoming a tight ends coach and special teams coordinator from 2007-08.
Before going to Marshall, Gibson was a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at NC State, where he’s been since 2019. In 2021, he was a nominee for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant coach in the country.
He began his career as the head coach at Gilmer County High School in West Virginia in 1995. He then was a defensive backs coach at Glenville State (1996) and worked with DBs and special teams at Cumberland University (1997-98).
He was a defensive coordinator at West Virginia Tech from 1999 to 2000 before coaching DBs at West Virginia from 2001-07. He was an assistant head coach while working with DBs and special teams at Michigan from 2008-10.
He was a secondaries coach and pass game coordinator at Pitt (2011) and an assistant head coach and safeties coach while also working with special teams at Arizona (2012) before returning to West Virginia. While there, he was a safeties coach (2013), defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2014-15), and an associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach (2016-18).
During his career, he’s coached five All-Americans, 27 all-conference honorees, and 22 eventual pros.
UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom Named Next HC At Purdue
Barry Odom, who was UNLV’s head coach the past two years when the Rebels made it to two Mountain West Championships, will be Purdue’s next head coach, the school announced.
Odom has a 44-32 overall record as a head coach. He went 9-5 last season in his first year as UNLV’s head coach. He was 25-25 from 2016-19 at Missouri.
Odom, the 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year, spent a great deal of his career at Missouri. But his coaching career began at the high school level. He was an assistant at Ada High School in Oklahoma in 2000 and was the head coach at Rock Bridge High School in the state of Missouri from 2001-02.
He then went to Missouri, where he worked in a variety of roles. He was an administrative graduate assistant in 2003, a director of football recruiting from 2004-05, a director of football operations in 2006, and an assistant athletic director from 2007-08.
That led to him becoming a safeties coach for the Tigers from 2009-11. His first stint as a coordinator, though, was at Memphis where he was a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2012-14.
He returned to Missouri to be a DC and LBs coach in 2015 before being promoted to head coach from 2016-19.
He was an associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and safeties coach at Arkansas from 2020-22 before going to UNLV.
Dowell Loggains Named The Next Head Coach For App State
Dowell Loggains has been hired to be App State’s next head coach, the school announced. He was previously the offensive coordinator at South Carolina.
He agreed to a five-year contract.
South Carolina was 42nd in the FBS with 31.6 points per game and was 49th with 409.2 yards per game after the 2024 regular season. While at South Carolina, Loggains worked with quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receiver Xavier Legette, who are both now in the NFL.
Though Loggains did coach tight ends at Arkansas from 2021-22, he was primarily a coach in the NFL before that. He was the New York Jets OC and QBs coach from 2019-20, the Miami Dolphins OC in 2018, the Chicago Bears OC and QBs coach from 2015-17, and the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach in 2014.
He was with the Tennessee Titans from 2006-13 first as a coaching administrative assistant, then as a quality control coach, then as a passing game coordinator and QBs coach before becoming the team’s OC. He began his NFL coaching career as a scouting assistant for the Dallas Cowboys in 2005.
Ohio Head Coach Tim Albin Reportedly Hired By Charlotte
Tim Albin has helped Ohio be one of the best teams in the MAC recently.
After a 3-9 record in his first season as Ohio’s head coach in 2021, Albin has led the Bobcats to three 10-win seasons the past few years. That includes two bowl wins.
But now, after leading his team to a MAC Championship victory over Miami (Ohio), he’s reportedly on his way out and will be becoming the head coach at Charlotte.
The 49ers went 5-7 in 2024, a season in which the program fired Biff Poggi.
Albin is 33-19 in the FBS as a head coach. That’s all from the past four years at Ohio. He’s currently 2-0 in bowl games.
Albin has spent a great deal of his coaching career at Ohio.
Before becoming the Bobcats’ head coach going into the 2021 season, he was the team’s offensive coordinator for 16 years. During that span, he mentored a good number of all-conference and All-American players. He also helped the Bobcats set several school records.
Before going to Ohio, Albin was an offensive coordinator and running backs coach at North Dakota State in 2004. He was at Nebraska for four years, first as a graduate assistant for three years, then as a passing game coordinator and running backs coach in 2003.
He began his coaching career at Northeastern State as an assistant from 1989-93. He then was the offensive coordinator at Northwest Oklahoma State, his alma mater, from 1994-96 and then was the program’s head coach from 1997-99.
Duke Running Backs Coach Willie Simmons Named FIU’s Head Coach
Willie Simmons, the running backs coach at Duke, has been named the next head coach at FIU, the program announced.
Simmons has the kind of head coaching experience FIU was clearly looking for.
Simmons is in his first season at Duke after previously being the head coach at Florida A&M. In six years there, Simmons went 45-13 and 34-5 against SWAC opponents. In 2023, a year when Simmons was the SWAC Coach of the Year, the Rattlers won their first SWAC title and the Celebration Bowl. They also were fifth in the FCS rankings. He coached multiple All-American players like Isaiah Land, who was the Buck Buchanan Award winner in 2021.
Before going to Florida A&M, he was the head coach at Prairie View A&M from 2015-17. He had a winning record there as well, going 21-11.
Previously, he was an offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Alcorn State (2012-14). But he also has other FBS experience, having been an offensive coordinator, running backs coach, and passing game coordinator at Middle Tennessee (2007-11). He was also a graduate assistant at Clemson in 2006.
Utah State Hires Bronco Mendenhall As Head Coach
Utah State hired New Mexico head coach Bronco Mendenhall for the same position at USU, the Aggies announced. He signed a six-year deal.
Mendenhall spent one season at UNM, which went 5-7 in 2024 but showed substantial progress down the stretch. The Lobos won five of their last eight games, including a victory over Washington State.
Nate Dreiling had been the Aggies’ interim head coach for all of 2024. USU went 4-8 this year. Blake Anderson was fired as head coach before the season began.
Mendenhall has coached at multiple programs in that region of the country before. And with 140 wins, he’s in the top 100 all-time among Division I head coaches.
Mendenhall was BYU’s head coach for 11 years, from 2005 to 2015. He was also BYU’s defensive coordinator from 2003-04. He was the head coach at Virginia from 2016-21.
Mendenhall was a defensive coordinator and secondary coach at New Mexico from 1998 to 2002. During that time, he worked with New Mexico legend Brian Urlacher.
Mendenhall started his coaching career after playing on defense at Snow College and Oregon State in the 1980s. He was then a graduate assistant at OSU in 1989 and was a secondary coach and DC at Snow College from 1991-92. He’s also been a secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator at Northern Arizona, a defensive line coach and defensive coordinator at Oregon State, and a secondary coach at Louisiana Tech.
Ball State Hires Mike Uremovich From Butler
Butler head coach Mike Uremovich has been hired for the same position at Ball State, the Cardinals announced. Uremovich led Butler to three consecutive winning seasons.
Uremovich, who went 23-11 at Butler, was an assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach at Temple previously from 2019-21. He had the same roles before that at Northern Illinois from 2016-18. He also was NIU’s special teams coordinator and running backs coach in 2012 and was a graduate assistant there from 2001-02, so he’s familiar with the MAC.
He was NC State’s offensive line coach from 2013-15. He also was a head coach at St. Francis in Illinois (2005-11), an offensive coordinator at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania (2003-04), a special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach at Benedictine University in Illinois (2000), a wide receivers coach at Providence Catholic High School in Illinois (1998-99), and a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at McCutcheon High School in Indiana (1996-97).
Matt Entz Hired At Fresno State
Matt Entz, a linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense at USC, has been hired as the next head coach at Fresno State.
Entz was in his first season at USC. He was previously North Dakota State’s head coach where he led the Bison to two FCS national championships and a 60-10 overall record from 2019-23. He was the team’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach before that from 2014-18.
He was an associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach at Western Illinois in 2013. He spent three years before that as a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Northern Iowa. From 2002-09, he was at Winona State where he was an associate head coach, defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, and linebackers coach. He was an assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Wayne State in Nebraska from 1999-2001 and began his collegiate coaching career as a defensive coordinator at Illinois College in 1998.
Rutgers Defensive Coordinator Joe Harasymiak Named Next UMass Head Coach
UMass has hired Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak to be the Minutemen’s next head coach, the program announced.
Harasymiak has been at Rutgers for three seasons. During that time, he was a two-time nominee for the Broyles Award, which goes to the country’s top assistant coach.
Previously, he was a co-defensive coordinator (2020-21) and a defensive backs coach (2018-19) at Minnesota. In 2021, the Gophers were third in the FBS in total defense with 278.8 yards per game allowed.
Before that, he was the head coach at Maine, where he earned FCS coach of the year honors in 2018. He went 20-15 overall there with a CAA Championship and an FCS playoff semifinal appearance in 2018.
He moved up the ranks at Maine, having been a defensive assistant (2011), defensive backs coach (2012-13), a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2014-15), and a head coach (2016-18) while there. He was also an assistant at Maine Maritime Academy in 2008 and a graduate assistant who focused on wide receivers and quarterbacks at Springfield College (2009-10).
FAU Hires Zach Kittley
Zach Kittley will become FAU’s next head coach, the school announced, after Tom Herman was fired a couple weeks ago.
Kittley spent the last three seasons as Texas Tech’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was also an offensive intern there from 2013-14 and was a graduate assistant who focused on quarterbacks from 2015-17 – when Patrick Mahomes was there.
Kittley has worked with other eventual NFL quarterbacks as well, including Bailey Zappe and Davis Webb. He was the OC and QBs coach at Houston Christian from 2018-20. He then had the same roles while at Western Kentucky in 2021 before going to Texas Tech.
The teams that Kittley’s been the offensive coordinator for have averaged 457.3 yards and 34.8 points per game.
Sam Houston Head Coach KC Keeler Hired At Temple
Sam Houston head coach KC Keeler took the head coaching job at Temple this past weekend.
Keeler led Sam Houston during its transition to the FBS last year. And the team made a remarkable turnaround in 2024.
The Bearkats were just 3-9 overall in 2023. But they went 9-3 during the regular season this year, becoming bowl-eligible for the first time ever and nearly making it to the Conference USA Championship.
Keeler, who was on the ESPN Top 150 College Football Coaches of All-Time list, has been a head coach for the majority of his career. He’s the only coach to lead two different teams to FCS championships and the only one in NCAA history to lead three different programs to a national title game appearance.
He started coaching at Amherst College in 1981 and then went to Division III Rowan in 1986. He became the head coach there in 1993. He led Rowan to seven playoff appearances and five national championship berths.
He then went to Delaware, where he won a national championship in 2003 and reached the title game in 2007 and 2010. Then, after going to Sam Houston, he helped the Bearkats win a national title in the spring of 2021. They also reached the FCS semifinals three times and appeared in the playoffs another two times.
Kennesaw State Hires Jacksonville Jaguars RBs Coach Jerry Mack
Kennesaw State has hired Jerry Mack to be the team’s next head coach, the program announced.
Mack, who is currently the Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach, has experience as a head coach and has recruited in the area.
Before going to the Jaguars, Mack was Tennessee’s running backs coach from 2021-23. Last year, the Volunteers were 10th in the country with 204.8 rushing yards per game. Leading rusher Jaylen Wright was among the 45 running backs in the country to rush for at least 1,000 yards.
Previously, he was an associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Rice. He’s also been a head coach at North Carolina Central, a wide receivers coach at South Alabama and Memphis, an OC and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Central Arkansas, and a wide receivers/tight ends coach at Jackson State.
Rice Hires Scott Abell From Davidson To Lead The Program
Davidson head coach Scott Abell has been hired to be the head coach at Rice, the school announced.
Abell is the winningest head coach in Davidson history, having led the team to a 47-28 record over seven seasons and a 25-18 record in Pioneer League play. He led the program to two conference championships and three appearances in the FCS playoffs.
Abell was previously the head coach at Division III Washington & Lee University, where he went 39-24 overall and won three conference titles. He was also the offensive coordinator there and was a head coach at the high school level before that.
East Carolina Promotes Blake Harrell To Head Coach
Blake Harrell, East Carolina’s defensive coordinator and interim head coach, will be ECU’s head coach beyond this season.
Harrell became the team’s interim head coach a month ago after Mike Houston was fired. ECU was 3-4 at the time.
But after that, Harrell led the Pirates (7-5, 5-3 AAC) to four straight victories. They defeated Temple, FAU, and North Texas by double digits and won at Tulsa 38-31 a few weeks ago as well.
Harrell had been ECU’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach since 2020. He was at Kennesaw State, which was in the FCS at the time, before that.
