Talking to people in and around the college football coaching industry, this year seems like it will be a quiet one in the coaching cycle. But observers said things would slow down during the COVID-19 year in 2020, and it didn’t. And it didn’t in 2021, either, when two of the most seismic changes in the history of the sport happened (Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly leaving Oklahoma and Notre Dame, respectively). Not all the coaches below are on a boiling hotseat, and many are borderline enough to win their way back on the right side of job security … but the only truism is the coaching industry is churn, so despite how little preseason chatter there might be in 2023, in the words of one industry source: “every year I’m blown away by how much activity there is.”
ACC
Jeff Hafley (Boston College)
Eagles brass is patient, but if BC underwhelms and misses a bowl game this year, questions may be asked. Could a decent 5-7 with the right wins do the trick? Losing defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu to the NFL was a blow, as was losing talented receiver Zay Flowers and QB Phil Zurkovec to the NFL Draft and the transfer portal, respectively. Steve Shimko takes over as the third offensive coordinator in the last three seasons.
Dino Babers (Syracuse)
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Entering his eighth year at the school, Babers has two winning seasons at the helm, and he may need another (or at least a bowl berth) to ensure another year in charge. A buyout that was reportedly $10 million last year will certainly drop this year. The question is whether an athletic department in some flux is willing to replace a vaunted men’s basketball coach and its football coach in the same calendar year. Syracuse is working with new coordinators, but there’s reason to believe continuity still exists. The offensive coordinator in promoted QB coach Jason Beck and defensive coordinator Rocky Long, is someone Babers attempted to hire a few years ago and will continue the same defensive system the Orange have been running.
