2025/2026 Coaching Carousel

[zjcvols]

Cal fired Justin Wilcox.

That's really surprising. He's not a superstar or anything but he's done a pretty decent job at the program.

 

[05_never_again]

That's really surprising. He's not a superstar or anything but he's done a pretty decent job at the program.

I think he got done kind of dirty. He's at a place that doesn't give two ***** about football and a horrible conference fit, but he's been to bowls 3 years in a row. I know they played poorly against Stanford but they were coming off an upset win over a ranked Louisville team on the road the game before.

 

[zjcvols]

I think he got done kind of dirty. He's at a place that doesn't give two ***** about football and a horrible conference fit, but he's been to bowls 3 years in a row. I know they played poorly against Stanford but they were coming off an upset win over a ranked Louisville team on the road the game before.

Losing to 3-7 Stanford did not help his case I'm sure but seems shortsighted with this current market.

He will never come back South, but man I'd love for him to be the DC here again.

 

[05_never_again]

Losing to 3-7 Stanford did not help his case I'm sure but seems shortsighted with this current market.

He will never come back South, but man I'd love for him to be the DC here again.

I guess they figured they aren't swimming in the same waters as PSU/UF/LSU etc., which is of course true. Even if every other school in the country kept their coach, Cal is still probably signing an assistant or coordinator with West Coast ties.

 

[05_never_again]

Pretty good hire for Okla St. Figured they were going the coordinator route. A reservation might be that at his 2 HC stops, he's been mediocre for a few years before breaking through with a single season, then he leaves for another job.

Okla. State hires UNT's Morris to revive program

Eric Morris, who has led North Texas to a 10-1 record this season while averaging 503.3 yards per game, has been hired as the next coach at Oklahoma State.

www.espn.com

 

[stolitonic]

Pretty good hire for Okla St. Figured they were going the coordinator route. A reservation might be that at his 2 HC stops, he's been mediocre for a few years before breaking through with a single season, then he leaves for another job.

Okla. State hires UNT's Morris to revive program

Eric Morris, who has led North Texas to a 10-1 record this season while averaging 503.3 yards per game, has been hired as the next coach at Oklahoma State.

www.espn.com

Was just about to post that.

I hate this for the Mean Green.

I also detest it when a sitting HC takes another gig before the season is over. Very disrespectful.

 

[RandomUTfan]

That's really surprising. He's not a superstar or anything but he's done a pretty decent job at the program.

He will probably get a better job than Cal. He should.

 

[05_never_again]

Was just about to post that.

I hate this for the Mean Green.

I also detest it when a sitting HC takes another gig before the season is over. Very disrespectful.

At least he's staying with the team through the end of the season.

If anything, maybe this just gets any "is he staying or is he going" distraction out of the way for the players and rest of the staff and they can focus for the rest of the season on the games.

 

[gohogs14]

At least he's staying with the team through the end of the season.

If anything, maybe this just gets any "is he staying or is he going" distraction out of the way for the players and rest of the staff and they can focus for the rest of the season on the games.

The portal windows and pressure to start recruiting ASAP don’t help things either

 

[Carp]

Was just about to post that.

I hate this for the Mean Green.

I also detest it when a sitting HC takes another gig before the season is over. Very disrespectful.

Yeah it's also crazy because North Texas still has a not so small chance to be the highest ranked G5 team. I get that a HC opportunity at a P4 school doesn't come around so often. But man, giving up on your team when you have a shot at playoffs is pretty low down.

The only thing I will say, if you are going to leave, then doing it now instead of waiting for a couple weeks is way more preferrable. At least now you give your former team a chance to prepare for your absence. And it gives them a better chance at finding a good replacement before the coaching carousel gets even more crazy.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Yeah it's also crazy because North Texas still has a not so small chance to be the highest ranked G5 team. I get that a HC opportunity at a P4 school doesn't come around so often. But man, giving up on your team when you have a shot at playoffs is pretty low down.

The only thing I will say, if you are going to leave, then doing it now instead of waiting for a couple weeks is way more preferrable. At least now you give your former team a chance to prepare for your absence. And it gives them a better chance at finding a good replacement before the coaching carousel gets even more crazy.

I was about to say really sucks since NT has a shot at a playoff spot and let's face, for a school like them that's the ultimate goal. It's like a one bid conference making the NCAAT.

 

[gohogs14]

He also beat a pretty good Cincy team in the opener, a South Carolina team that ended up finishing #19, a decent BYU team in Provo, and upset an Ole Miss team who was ranked #14 at the time and had been as high as #7.

Cincy and BYU are solid programs but an SEC team should be expected to win those games against G5 teams (BYU wasn’t in the Big 12 yet at the time).

Overall I just don’t think Arkansas’ expectations should be any lower than what Ole Miss is currently able to achieve with a good coach. Those are two very comparable at worst programs who just went in opposite directions after they each made hires in 2019.

 

[05_never_again]

Cincy and BYU are solid programs but an SEC team should be expected to win those games against G5 teams (BYU wasn’t in the Big 12 yet at the time).

Overall I just don’t think Arkansas’ expectations should be any lower than what Ole Miss is currently able to achieve with a good coach. Those are two very comparable at worst programs who just went in opposite directions after they each made hires in 2019.

Ole Miss has a NIL collective that, at the moment, is better funded and run than many other schools that have much more resources. Until Arkansas creates something like that (which isn't impossible), it is just hard to consistently expect 8 or 9 wins a year. And BTW, I don't think Ole Miss's expectations should be CFP contention every year even though that's where they've been the last few years. What Lane is doing there is incredible and way above what their expectations should be, honestly. He's the exception that proves the rule. It's unreasonable to expect that just like it is unreasonable for UGA to expect Kirby to win just as much as Saban.

Arkansas is a tough job because the only SEC schools you clearly have more resources than are Miss St, Vandy, Kentucky, Missouri, and maybe South Carolina. To go 9-3 in any given season, you're probably going to have to go 5-3 in SEC play, which is hard if two-thirds to three-fourths of your conference opponents have resource advantages over you.

 

[stolitonic]

Ole Miss has a NIL collective that, at the moment, is better funded and run than many other schools that have much more resources. Until Arkansas creates something like that (which isn't impossible), it is just hard to consistently expect 8 or 9 wins a year. And BTW, I don't think Ole Miss's expectations should be CFP contention every year even though that's where they've been the last few years. What Lane is doing there is incredible and way above what their expectations should be, honestly. He's the exception that proves the rule. It's unreasonable to expect that just like it is unreasonable for UGA to expect Kirby to win just as much as Saban.

Arkansas is a tough job because the only SEC schools you clearly have more resources than are Miss St, Vandy, Kentucky, Missouri, and maybe South Carolina. To go 9-3 in any given season, you're probably going to have to go 5-3 in SEC play, which is hard if two-thirds to three-fourths of your conference opponents have resource advantages over you.

Gonna be honest- that last part was kind of chilling. Vandy is whatever. When you stop to think about the resources some of those schools commit to athletics though-

South Carolina has a decent atmosphere for football-as much as I hate to admit it. The chicken suit behind a shower curtain and techno are lame to me, but they get into it. They also have a top flight WBB team and have had some decent mens teams


KY-the focus on basketball.Football is just a passtime until November

The point of all that being that being in the SEC is humbling. 99% of us are at least fairly familiar with the UT campus even if you didn't go to school there. You have been around to kind of know where things are. The place is HUGE. The campus is literally bigger than the city I grew up in-and has more students.


To realize that we are middle of the pack in terms of resources is mind boggling.

These schools are getting way too big man lol.


Sorry for the rant. Just in kind of a reflective mood today I suppose as I stand in lines everywhere I go so I have free time ha ha

PS-to address the other school you mentioned, Missouri was a mistake.

 

[05_never_again]

Gonna be honest- that last part was kind of chilling. Vandy is whatever. When you stop to think about the resources some of those schools commit to athletics though-

South Carolina has a decent atmosphere for football-as much as I hate to admit it. The chicken suit behind a shower curtain and techno are lame to me, but they get into it. They also have a top flight WBB team and have had some decent mens teams


KY-the focus on basketball.Football is just a passtime until November

The point of all that being that being in the SEC is humbling. 99% of us are at least fairly familiar with the UT campus even if you didn't go to school there. You have been around to kind of know where things are. The place is HUGE. The campus is literally bigger than the city I grew up in-and has more students.


To realize that we are middle of the pack in terms of resources is mind boggling.

These schools are getting way too big man lol.


Sorry for the rant. Just in kind of a reflective mood today I suppose as I stand in lines everywhere I go so I have free time ha ha

PS-to address the other school you mentioned, Missouri was a mistake.

It definitely is, because when you look at it Tennessee is not as high on the list as most of our fanbase thinks it is. Your point is dead on.

 

[Firebirdparts]

Jim Mora to Colorado State, which leaves UConn open. UConn is pretty far down the totem pole.

I guess Mora is one you used to hear mentioned for head coaching jobs, but it's been a while. 9 wins at Uconn last year and also this year to date.

 

[05_never_again]

Jim Mora to Colorado State, which leaves UConn open. UConn is pretty far down the totem pole.

I guess Mora is one you used to hear mentioned for head coaching jobs, but it's been a while. 9 wins at Uconn last year and also this year to date.

Colorado St is an interesting program. Several years ago they built a brand new on-campus stadium (that I think was fairly controversial in Fort Collins) that was a big part of a supposed renewed investment in the program. Went after and hired a couple of SEC offensive coordinators (McElwain and Bobo). Hasn't worked out, but I think there is an institutional desire there to be pretty good at football. Deion Sanders coaching at their biggest rival might also be a motivating factor.

 

[stolitonic]

It definitely is, because when you look at it Tennessee is not as high on the list as most of our fanbase thinks it is. Your point is dead on.

I have never been so delusional (at least while sober lol) that I think UT would ever be at the top of any list.

I suppose that I just cannot really wrap my head around the amount of funds and infrastructure that is required to make a place like tOSU work. Face it, our campus is its own city. Theirs is its own metropolis.

From a logistics and engineering standpoint-it is somewhat mind boggling honestly.

 

[stolitonic]

Colorado St is an interesting program. Several years ago they built a brand new on-campus stadium (that I think was fairly controversial in Fort Collins) that was a big part of a supposed renewed investment in the program. Went after and hired a couple of SEC offensive coordinators (McElwain and Bobo). Hasn't worked out, but I think there is an institutional desire there to be pretty good at football. Deion Sanders coaching at their biggest rival might also be a motivating factor.

Colorado St has always reminded me kind of Nevada Reno. Also to a lesser extent Kansas St about 20 years ago the first time Bill Self retired

All 3 were doing quite well for an extended period-like a decade. Consistently ranked. Pouring resources into football.

Then their coach retired.or moved on

They weren't able to keep up the momentum.

Nevada Reno was always one of my "secondary" schools. I rooted for them when I lived out there and their games were fun. UT games are for the most part pressure packed lol. I was just there to have fun

Really sad how badly they have fallen. They are getting scheduled as a cupcake game now. Depressing.

 

[stolitonic]

About a month after they actually did it, LSU formally served notice to fire Brian Kelly today ha ha.

Guess they realized they were not gonna be able to get out of his buyout.

They owe him $54 million.

 

[LouderVol]

I have never been so delusional (at least while sober lol) that I think UT would ever be at the top of any list.

I suppose that I just cannot really wrap my head around the amount of funds and infrastructure that is required to make a place like tOSU work. Face it, our campus is its own city. Theirs is its own metropolis.

From a logistics and engineering standpoint-it is somewhat mind boggling honestly.

Yeah UTK has its own power plant and steam system that is delivered throughout campus thru a series of underground tunnels. With their own engineering group, each building has a crew, the grounds crew is also huge and more active than you will see from any city. Pretty much always a, or more, 50 million+ construction projects.

Also the amount of restaurants, number of beds in a small area. Its own health clinic. Multiple libraries which would dwarf any municipal library.

And then you throw in sports, neyland stadium is bigger than any professional stadium, and isn't even the biggest in the SEC yet alone college football. Also 20k+ basketball arenas don't grow on trees even in large market towns. Baseball, swimming, track, tennis so on and so forth.

 

[stolitonic]

Drink signs a contract extension at Mizzu.

Guess you can rule him out for Florida and PSU

 

[RandomUTfan]

About a month after they actually did it, LSU formally served notice to fire Brian Kelly today ha ha.

Guess they realized they were not gonna be able to get out of his buyout.

They owe him $54 million.

If they weren't already paying him for the year, I would make sure they paid me for the games they appear to say I was still the head coach at LSU for.

 

[Stickseller]

 

[It's Vols or nothing!]

Losing to 3-7 Stanford did not help his case I'm sure but seems shortsighted with this current market.

He will never come back South, but man I'd love for him to be the DC here again.

I remember when I was a kid, I saw him one night at Krogers all by himself, very quiet individual. I was in shock because back then he was a huge name and was a legend at Boise State. He seemed like he didn't really like Tennessee imo.