The college football coaching carousel doesn't look much different than it did entering the season, but some of the candidates to move up certainly do.
Florida has yet to fire Billy Napier, but the decision in Gainesville seems more about when, not if, the Gators move on from their fourth-year coach. Although the Florida job seemed likely to open, mainly because of a tortuous schedule that only gets tougher in October and November, the job is appealing enough to trigger other notable vacancies. Baylor and Arkansas are the other Power 4 programs generating the most attention for possible changes, as both teams have had some shaky moments early on.
But for now, the jobs cycle is quiet, other than at Fresno State and Utah State, which opened during the summer.
The intrigue through the first month of the season has come with the coaches -- mainly Group of 5 head coaches and Power 4 coordinators -- who have helped their chances of landing bigger jobs when the carousel really starts spinning in the next six to eight weeks. After researching them and talking to industry sources, these are the coaches who have stood out in those two categories -- dividing them into top names and others to watch -- as well as a few non-primary playcallers to track.
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G5 head coaches | Power coordinators | Non-playcallers
Group of 5 head coaches
The Group of 5 market is relatively strong, thanks to some early-season upsets, candidates who continue to grow their profiles and some long-established names. The coordinator pool seems a bit shallow right now, so those leading Group of 5 programs -- especially with meaningful Power 4 experience -- could be in demand when the searches begin.