Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where Kenny Dillingham’s call for kicker tryouts at Arizona State is bringing candidates out on social media. First Quarter: Twelve Angry Fan Bases.
Second Quarter: The Thrill Is Gone?
The coaching carousel was dormant longer than usual, but it finally lurched into action Sunday with firings at East Carolina and Southern Mississippi. More will follow in the weeks to come.
There are some schools where the coaches almost certainly will not be fired, based on a meritorious track record over time. But that doesn’t mean everything is joyful in those locales. The Dash has identified 10 places where coaches have had success, but it’s fading in the rearview mirror. Would a breakup be best for all involved parties, or should they stick together?
Mark Stoops (13), Kentucky Wildcats. Age: 57. Years on the job: 12. Record: 76–69, 36–59 in the SEC. Salary: $9 million. The best of times: Going 10–3 in 2021, with a Citrus Bowl win over Iowa. Current times: Kentucky is 3–4, 1–4 in the SEC and on a two-game losing streak.
Stoops is the winningest coach in Kentucky football history, and the only one with a winning record since Blanton Collier was in charge from 1954–61. Other than Bear Bryant, he’s the best coach the Wildcats have ever had. But since that 10–3 record in 2021, which netted him a fat new contract, Stoops has gone 17–16, 7–14 in the SEC. Beating Louisville four straight times has helped maintain support.
Stoops had the Texas A&M job last year until A&M pulled the plug, so he’s indicated a desire to move. Kentucky is just a hard place to win long-term—but it’s also a place that will stand by someone who is making $9 million a year to barely exceed .500.
Dash relationship advice: Stick together. Both sides might regret a breakup.
Lane Kiffin (14), Mississippi Rebels. Age: 49. Years on the job: Five. Record: 39–17, 21–15 in the SEC. Salary: $9 million. The best of times: Going 11–2 last year and walloping Penn State in the Peach Bowl to finish No. 9 in the rankings. Current times: Ole Miss is 5–2, 1–2 in the SEC.
Kiffin’s 29 wins over the previous three seasons is the most at the school since 1959–61, which is the program’s all-time high-water mark. So he has done great work, and the expectation is he could continue to do so if he remains focused and committed. A considerable “if.” This season was pegged as the breakthrough, a playoff season, and with two losses the Rebels have slid onto the wrong side of the bubble. That could change, but it would require Ole Miss to beat Georgia on Nov. 9, not to mention everyone else before and after that game.
Kiffin’s name has been in heavy rotation for the (currently occupied) Florida job, and there was intense speculation about his interest in Auburn in 2022. It’s difficult to see him spending a decade anywhere.
Dash relationship advice: Same as above with Stoops and Kentucky. You’ve got a good thing going.
P.J. Fleck (15), Minnesota Gophers. Age: 43. Years on the job: Eight. Record: 54–37, 31–34 in the Big Ten. Salary: $6 million. The best of times: An 11–2 record in 2019 that included a 9–0 start and ended with a No. 10 national ranking. Current times: Minnesota is 4–3, 2–2 in the Big Ten.
Big Ten expansion didn’t figure to be a good thing for the Gophers, who lose the cocoon of softer West Division schedules. But they’re actually 2–0 against Los Angeles, beating USC at home and UCLA on the road, and they avoid Oregon this season. In a departure from the norm, Minnesota is struggling to run the ball, ranking 17th out of 18 Big Ten teams in rushing yards per game and yards per carry.
Fleck has punched slightly above Minnesota’s general .500 standing since World War II, with some notable successes and slight disappointments. (The Gophers never have made the Big Ten championship game, while four of their old West Division brethren did.)
Dash relationship advice: Might be time for a change. Fleck probably could use a new congregation for his sloganeering.
Kirk Ferentz (16), Iowa Hawkeyes. Age: 69. Years on the job: 26. Record: 200–122 overall, 124–87 in the Big Ten. Salary: $7 million. The best of times: Iowa went 12–2 in 2015, narrowly losing the Big Ten title and accompanying playoff bid to Michigan State. Current times: The Hawkeyes are 4–3, 2–2 in the league.
He’s inarguably the best coach in school history, with remarkably consistent success at a place that shouldn’t be able to automatically churn out winning seasons. His style of play has become iconic in its own right, even if it has spawned a million jokes about its boring nature. But at some point, it will be time to call it a career.
Losing at Michigan State on Saturday takes some air out of this season, effectively eliminating the Hawkeyes from playoff contention. The program has a comfortable floor—it will win more than it loses—but also a pretty hard ceiling as a non-title contender.
Dash relationship advice: Within reason and as long as he’s still winning, Ferentz should be able to set his own expiration date. He should be getting close to it.
Greg Schiano (17), Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Age: 58. Years on the job: Five, in his second iteration (he did 11 seasons at Rutgers earlier this century). Record: 91–98 overall, 10–30 in the Big Ten. Salary: $6.25 million. The best of times: Rutgers went 11–2 in 2006, landing in the top 15 at year’s end. During Schiano 2.0, last year’s 7–6 record and bowl win is the school’s best season since he left in ’11. Current times: Rutgers is 4–3, 1–3 in the Big Ten.
A 4–0 start has turned into a 4–3 letdown, with a home loss to UCLA on Saturday especially disappointing. The usual offensive struggles have been accompanied by some unusual defensive lapses. Gifted with a schedule that does not include Oregon, Penn State or Ohio State, Rutgers is missing a golden opportunity to rise up in the league.
Dash relationship advice: Rutgers is an administrative mess at the moment, with the athletic director gone and president on the way out. The school doesn’t need to lose its best football coach, too.
Kyle Whittingham (18), Utah Utes. Age: 64. Years on the job: 20. Record: 166–82 overall, 2–3 in the Big 12. Salary: $6.5 million. The best of times: A 13–0 season in 2008, and back-to-back Rose Bowls in the ’22–23 seasons. Current times: Utah is 4–3, 2–3 in the Big 12.
Well, this has gotten awkward. Preseason favorites in their new league, the Utes have lost three straight to middling competition, scoring a total of 36 points. Longtime offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resigned Sunday. Star quarterback Cam Rising is injured again, and done for the season again. One of the most consistent programs in the country is in flux.
Dash relationship advice: There is speculation that Whittingham is ready to retire, and his successor has already been named (defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley). Whittingham wouldn’t want to go out on a sour note, but it might be time to go ride his motorcycle.
Sonny Dykes (19), TCU Horned Frogs. Age: 54. Years on the job: Three. Record: 22–12, 14–9 in the Big 12. Salary: $5 million. The best of times: A 13–2 run to the national championship game in 2022, his first season on the job. Current times: TCU is 4–3 overall, 2–2 in the Big 12.
Since that fate-kissed debut season, Dykes has gone 9–10. Results have been all over the map—an upset win at Utah on Saturday served as a course reversal after an upset loss to dismal Houston and giving up 66 points to rival SMU (a game in which Dykes was ejected). Given the current state of both the Big 12 and the Frogs, every remaining game is both winnable and losable.
Dash relationship advice: It’s too soon to give up on this marriage. A coach capable of going 13–2 at TCU is a coach worth keeping, and Dykes is in his element in Texas.
Mike Norvell (20), Florida State Seminoles. Age: 43. Years on the job: Five. Record: 32–23 overall, 21–18 in the ACC. Salary: $10 million. The best of times: Florida State went 13–1 last year, winning the ACC. Current times: FSU is 1–6 overall, 1–5 in the conference.
Few programs have ever had the free fall of Florida State, which was a controversial exclusion from the playoff last year and a punching bag ever since. This season has been a complete disaster, with 2–10 a likely final landing spot.
Dash relationship advice: It would be both financially prohibitive and premature to not give Norvell another season to get this right. But it would also be foolish to simply proceed with the status quo—some staff will be sacrificed for sure. From Norvell’s side of the equation, he’s moving from the Alabama hot list to fighting to keep his job in 2025.
Mack Brown (21), North Carolina Tar Heels. Age: 73. Years on the job: Six in this iteration, after an earlier stint at UNC from 1988–97. Record: 41–31 overall this time around, 24–21 in the ACC. Salary: $5 million. The best of times: The 2020 Tar Heels rose as high as No. 5 in the rankings, on their way to an 8–4 record and an Orange Bowl berth. Current times: North Carolina is 3–4 overall, 0–3 in the ACC and on a four-game losing streak.
James Madison broke the Heels on Sept. 21, scoring 70 points on them, and they haven’t recovered. That said, the schedule offers full opportunity for Carolina to get well—the final five opponents are a combined 16–20.
Dash relationship advice: If this season doesn’t turn around, it’s time for Brown to enjoy the sunset and the Heels to enjoy an invigorating new coach.
Justin Wilcox (22), California Golden Bears. Age: 47. Years on the job: Eight. Record: 39–47 overall, 0–4 in the ACC. Salary: $4.6 million. The best of times: Cal went 8–5 in 2019 and was briefly ranked. Current times: Cal is 3–4 overall, 0–4 in the ACC and on a four-game losing streak.
After starting 3–0 and winning at Auburn, Cal has become the heartbreak team of the year. The Bears’ four ACC losses are by a combined nine points, and in every one of them they had a great chance to win that ended badly. There was a blown 25-point lead against Miami; a blown 13-point lead against North Carolina State; potential winning drives that produced no points against Florida State and Pittsburgh. Cal leads the nation in missed field goals with eight, which speaks volumes when you lose close game after close game.
Dash relationship advice: Wilcox has made a career out of close losses but has been loyal to Cal. The school doesn’t have a lot of money to burn. They should probably stick it out together.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Forde-Yard Dash: 10 Coaches Whose Goodwill Is Fading.
