CFW Preseason 2026 - The Head Coach Hires

 CFW Preseason 2026 – The Head Coach Hires

Franklin, Whittingham come out smelling

like roses, Kiffin comes out smelling

 

Most coaches who get fired or resign end up sitting out for at least a season if not more, maybe working as a commentator or broadcaster for ESPN or FOX. Some eventually come back as a head coach or an assistant coach.

 

That was not the case with James Franklin. Penn State fired Franklin just six games into the season last year. After Franklin was fired, there were a half dozen or more schools hot on Franklin’s tail. He was a heavily sought after commodity. Exactly five weeks after Franklin was let go by Penn State, he was hired by Virginia Tech.

 

That was not the case with Kyle Whittingham either. Exactly two weeks after Whittingham stepped down, resigned, retired, was fired or whatever at Utah, he was hired by Michigan.

 

Franklin and Whittingham came out smelling like roses.

 

Meanwhile, as the regular season was coming to an end last season, Lane Kiffin took center stage. It was his shining moment. And Kiffin took advantage of it, soaking up all the attention he could get. Would he stay at Ole Miss or not? If he left, would he go to Florida or LSU? Ultimately, Florida was eliminated. But it was still in doubt whether he would stay at Ole Miss or go to LSU.

 

Eventually, Kiffin chose to go to LSU. Kiffin’s handling of the situation didn’t sit well with Ole Miss fans. And it didn’t sit well with many college football fans around the country. After all, Ole Miss was all but certain to make the College Football Playoff and Kiffin ran off and left them hanging in the balance.

 

To Ole Miss and many other fans, Kiffin came out smelling, but not like a rose.

 

 

The New Head Coaches – 2026

 

Thirty-five Division I schools will have new head coaches this season. Six of those 35 schools are in the SEC. The SEC experienced a bloodbath after the 2025 season. Five SEC schools (LSU, Florida, Auburn, Kentucky and Arkansas) fired their head coaches, and the sixth school lost its coach to a fellow SEC member.

 

That sixth school was Ole Miss and that coach was none other than Lane Kiffin. Kiffin left Ole Miss to become the head coach at LSU. Prior to LSU, Kiffin has been the head coach at four other colleges and one NFL team. The NFL team was the Oakland Raiders (2007-2008). The other colleges were Tennessee (2009), USC (2010-2013), Florida Atlantic (2017-2019) and Ole Miss (2020-2025). In between USC and Florida Atlantic, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Alabama, under Nick Saban. That’s quite a resume. As a head coach in college football, his record is 116-53. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Kiffin is 51. In college, he played quarterback at Fresno State.

 

Replacing Kiffin at Ole Miss is Pete Golding. Golding was the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss (2023-2025). Prior to that, he was the defensive coordinator at Alabama (2018-2022). A native of Hammond, Louisiana, Golding is 42. In college, he was a defensive back at Delta State.

 

When it comes to hiring new coaches, Florida seems stuck on the state of Louisiana. In 2022, Florida hired Billy Napier to be its head coach. Napier came to Florida from the University of Louisiana. After firing Napier last year, Florida went back to Louisiana to find Jon Sumrall. He was the head coach at Tulane (2024-2025). Prior to Tulane, Sumrall was the head coach at Troy (2022-2023). His overall record is 43-12. A native of Texarkana, Texas, Sumrall 44, grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. In college, he played linebacker at Kentucky.

 

The new head coach at Auburn is Alex Golesh. Golesh is jumping back into the SEC. For two years (2021-2022) he was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee. More recently, Golesh was the head coach at South Florida (2023-2025). His three-year record at USF was 23-15. A native of Moscow, Russia, Golesh is 42. A graduate of Ohio State, he never played college football.

 

Kentucky hired a state native for its new head coach – Will Stein. Stein was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Oregon (2023-2025). A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Stein is 36. In college, he played quarterback for Louisville.

 

Arkansas reached across the Mississippi River to grab its new head coach – Ryan Silverfield. Silverfield was the head coach of Memphis for the past five seasons (2020-2025). His record was 50-25. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Silverfield is 46. A graduate of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, he never played college football.

 

Four schools in the Big 12 (Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Utah and Iowa State) will sport new head coaches in 2026.

 

Kansas State reached out to one of its own – Collin Klein – to become the Wildcats’ new head coach. Klein played quarterback at Kansas State (2008-2012). More recently, he has been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M (2024-2025). Prior to that he was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Kansas State (2017-2023). A native of Loveland, Colorado, Klein is 36.

 

Oklahoma State reached across the border into Texas to secure its new head coach – Eric Morris. Morris was the head coach at North Texas (2023-2025). Previously, he was a head coach at Incarnate Word (2018-2021). In between, he was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Washington State (2022). His head coaching record is 46-34. A native of Littlefield, Texas, Morris is 40. In college, he played wide receiver at Texas Tech.

 

Utah stayed within its program and also named a native son to be its new head coach – Morgan Scalley. Scalley has been on the Utah staff since 2007. Most recently, he was the defensive coordinator (2016-2025). A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Scalley is 46. In college, he was a defensive back at Utah.

 

The new head coach at Iowa State is Jimmy Rogers. Last year, Rogers was the head coach at Washington State (2025). Prior to that, he was the head coach at South Dakota State (2023-2024). His head coaching record is 33-9. A native of Chandler, Arizona, Rogers is 39. In college, he was a linebacker at South Dakota State.

 

Four schools in the Big Ten (Michigan, Penn State, UCLA and Michigan State) will debut new head coaches this season.

 

As mentioned above, Michigan hired former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. Whitingham had been the head coach at Utah for 21 seasons (2005-2025). Prior to that, he was Utah’s defensive coordinator (1995-2004). And prior to that, he was Utah’s defensive line coach for one season (1994). In all, he was on Utah’s staff for 32 seasons. Whittingham’s overall head coaching record is 177-88. A native of San Luis Obispo, California, he is 66. In college, Whittingham was a linebacker at BYU.

 

To replace James Franklin, Penn State hired Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. Campbell had coached Iowa State for 10 seasons. Prior to Iowa State he was the head coach at Toledo (2012-2015). His overall head coaching record is 107-70. A native of Massillon, Ohio, Campbell is 46. In college, he was a defensive lineman at Pitt.

 

UCLA hired James Madison head coach Bob Chesney. Chesney has been a head coach for 16 seasons – Salve Regina (2010-2012), Assumption (2013-2017), Holy Cross (2018-2023) and James Madison (224-2025). His head coaching record is 132-52. A native of Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, Chesney is 49. He graduated from Dickinson College (Pennsylvania) where he was a defensive back.

 

Hiring its new head coach, Michigan State brought a familiar face back to the Big Ten. The Spartans hired former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Northwestern fired Fitzgerald, amid allegations of hazing from some of the players. He had been on the Northwestern staff for 22 years, the last 17 years as the head coach (2006-2022). His head coaching record is 110-101. Fitzgerald has been away from coaching the past three seasons. A native of Midlothian, Illinois, Fitzgerald is 51. A Northwestern graduate, he was a linebacker for the Wildcats.

 

Three ACC schools (Virginia Tech, California and Stanford) have new head coaches this season.

 

The most well-known of the three new coaches is former Vanderbilt and Penn State head coach James Franklin. Franklin coached Vanderbilt for three seasons (2011-2013) and Penn State for 12 seasons (2014-2025). Prior to Vanderbilt, he was the head coach in waiting at Maryland. But he got tired of waiting and left the Terrapins for the Commodores. His head coaching record is 128-60. A native of Langhome, Pennsylvania, Franklin is 54. In college, he played quarterback at East Stroudsburg University.

 

The new head coach at California is Tosh Lupoi. Lupoi comes to Cal from Oregon where he has been the defensive coordinator (2022-2025). Prior to Oregon, Lupoi had three seasons in the NFL as a defensive line coach. A native of Walnut Creek, California, he is 45. In college, Lupoi was a defensive lineman for California.

 

After a season under an interim coach, Stanford hired Tavita Pritchard to be its head coach. Last season, Pritchard was the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders of the NFL. Prior to that he was on the Stanford staff for 12 seasons, the last five of those seasons as the offensive coordinator. A native of Tacoma, Washington, Pritchard is 39. In college, he played quarterback for Stanford.

 

Seventeen Group of Six schools will have a new head coach in 2026. One Group of Six school will go through the season with an interim coach. Five of those schools (North Texas, South Florida, Memphis, UAB and Tulane) are in the American Conference

 

North Texas looked no further than Texas to find its new head coach – Neal Brown. Last season, Brown was an offensive consultant on Steve Sarkesian’s staff at Texas. Prior to that, he had been the head coach at West Virginia for six seasons (2019-2024). Before West Virginia, Brown was the head coach at Troy (2015-2018). His head coaching record is 72-51. A native of Danville, Kentucky, Brown is 46. In college, he was a wide receiver at Massachusetts.

 

The new head coach at South Florida is Brian Hartline. Hartline has spent his entire coaching career (2017-2025) on the staff at Ohio State. The past three seasons (2023-2025) he was the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach. A native of Canton, Ohio, Hartline is 39. In college, he was a wide receiver at Ohio State.

 

Charles Huff is the new head coach at Memphis. Huff comes to Memphis after coaching Southern Miss for one season (2025). Prior to Southern Miss, he spent four seasons as the head coach at Marshall (2021-2024). His head coaching record is 39-25. Before Marshall, Huff was a running backs coach at Western Michigan, Penn State, Mississippi State and Alabama. A native of Denton, Maryland, Huff is 43. In college, he played football at Hampton.

 

UAB stayed within its program and elevated Alex Mortensen to be the full-time head coach. Mortensen became the interim head coach at UAB halfway through last season. He went 2-4. Since 2023, Mortensen has been the offensive coordinator at UAB. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he is 40. In college, Mortensen played quarterback at Samford and Arkansas.

 

Like UAB, Tulane stayed within its program and elevated Will Hall to the head coach position. Last year, Hall was the passing game coach for Tulane. Hall has head coaching experience at West Alabama (2011-2013), West Georgia (2014-2016) and more recently at Southern Miss (2021-2024). His head coaching record is 70-50. Previously, he was at Tulane as an offensive coordinator (2019-2020). A native of Amory, Mississippi, Hall is 46. In college, he played quarterback at Murray State and North Alabama.

 

Four Mid-American Conference schools (Kent State, Toledo, Ohio and Sacramento State) will have new coaches in 2026.

 

Last year, Mark Carney was the interim head coach at Kent State. At the end of the season, the Golden Flashes made Carney the full-time head coach. In 2024, he was the offensive coordinator at Kent State. His head coaching record is 5-7. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Carney is 46. In college, he played quarterback at Fordham.

 

Toledo’s new head coach is Mike Jacobs. Most recently, Jacobs was the head coach at Mercer (2024-2025). Prior to Mercer, he was the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne for four seasons (2020-2023). His head coaching record is 94-23. Jacobs was on the staff at Notre Dame for six seasons (2014-2019). A native of Maumee, Ohio, he is 47. In college Jacobs played football at Ohio State as an offensive lineman and long snapper.

 

John Hauser was elevated to the head coaching position at Ohio. Hauser has been on the staff at Ohio for four seasons (2022-2025). The last two seasons he was the Bobcats’ defensive coordinator. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Hauser is 46. In college, Hauser was a defensive back for Ball State and Wittenberg.

 

Sacramento State’s new head coach – Alonzo Carter – probably has the most interesting resume of all the head coaches. Following college, Carter was a backup dancer for M.C. Hammer. He was the choreographer for Hammer’s 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This.” After six years as one of Hammer’s dancers, Carter eventually got into coaching, initially at the high school level. The past two seasons, he has been the running backs coach for Arizona (2024-2025). Prior to Arizona, Carter was the running backs coach for San Jose State for six seven seasons (2017-2023). A native of Oakland, California, he is 57. Carter played college football for Hayward State (California).

 

There are three new head coaches this season at Pac-12 schools – Colorado State, Washington State and Oregon State.

 

Colorado State hired a well-known head coach – Jim Mora. Mora has a long coaching career in both the NFL and college football. In the NFL, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (2004-2006) and the Seattle Seahawks (2009). In college, Mora coached UCLA for six seasons (2012-2017). The past four seasons, he was the head coach at Connecticut (2022-2025). Mora’s head coaching record in college is 73-53. A native of Los Angeles, California, he is 64. In college, Mora was a defensive back and linebacker at Washington.

 

The new head coach at Washington State is Kirby Moore. The past three seasons, Moore has been the offensive coordinator at Missouri State (2023-2025). Prior to that he was on the staff at Fresno State for six seasons (2017-2022). His last season at Fresno State he was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator. A native of Prosser, Washington, Moore is 35. In college, he was a wide receiver at Boise State. Moore is one of the youngest head coaches in FBS football. Only Florida Atlantic’s Zach Kittley is younger.

 

Jamarcus Shepard is the new head coach at Oregon State. The last two years, Shepard was the offensive coordinator at Alabama (2024-2025). He was the passing game coordinator at Washington for two seasons (2022-2023). Shepard spent five seasons on the staff at Purdue where he was the passing game coordinator and offensive coordinator (2017-2021). A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Shepard is 43. In college, he played wide receiver for DePauw.

 

Three schools in the Sun Belt Conference have new head coaches this season – James Madison, Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina.

 

James Madison hired a well-known coach. Former Florida coach Billy Napier is the new head coach at JMU. Napier has been on the staffs of several schools – Clemson, Alabama, Colorado State and Arizona State (2003-2017). From 2018-2021, he was the head coach of Louisiana. The past four seasons, Napier was the head man at Florida. His head coaching record is 62-35. A native of Cookeville, Tennessee, Napier is 47. In college, he played quarterback at Furman.

 

Blake Anderson is the new head coach at Southern Miss. Last year, Anderson was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Southern Miss (2025). Prior that, he was the head coach at Arkansas State (2014-2020) and at Utah State (2021-2023). His head coaching record is 74-55. Before 2014, Anderson spent many years on the staffs at New Mexico, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana and North Carolina, mostly as an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. A native of Jonesboro, Arkansas, he is 57. In college, Anderson played quarterback and wide receiver for Baylor and Sam Houston.

 

The new head coach at Coastal Carolina is Ryan Beard. The past three seasons, Beard was the head coach of Missouri State (2023-2025). His head coaching record is 19-16. He had been the defensive coordinator at Missouri State (2020-2022). Prior to that, Beard was on the staffs at Western Kentucky, Louisville and Central Michigan (2012-2019). A native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Beard is 37. He played college football at Western Kentucky where he was a defensive back.

 

There is one new head coach in Conference USA. He is Casey Woods at Missouri State. The last four seasons, Woods was the offensive coordinator at SMU (2022-2025). From 2008 to 2021, he was on the staffs at Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas State, UAB and Missouri (2008-2021). A native of Starkville, Mississippi, Woods is 43. In college, he was a wide receiver for Tennessee.

 

The Mountain West Conference is sporting one new head coach this season. In the late winter/early spring, Rob Harley was named the interim head coach of Northern Illinois. The previous season, Harley was the defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois (2025). Previously (2012-2024), he was on the staffs at Michigan State, FIU, Pitt and Arkansas State, mostly as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. A native of Elmhurst, Illinois, Harley is 43. In college, he was a defensive back at Ohio State.

 

And finally, an Independent in the Group of Six – Connecticut – has a new head coach this season. He is Jason Candle. For the past 10 seasons, Candle has been the head coach of Toledo (2016-2025). Prior to that, he was on the staff at Toledo for seven seasons (2009-2015). His head coaching record is 81-44. A native of Salem, Ohio, Candle is 46. In college, he was a wide receiver for Geneva and Mount Union.

 

That’s a wrap on the 34 new head coaches and the one new interim head coach this season.

 

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the coaches who are on the “hot seat” this season. There aren’t as many as we have had in recent years.

 

Touchdown Tom

August 18, 2026

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