Coaching carousel updates: Utah State intends to fire Blake Anderson
The Aggies are promoting defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling, becoming the 32nd FBS school to have a new head coach in 2024.
Editor’s note: This column will be updated regularly as new information becomes available.
Make that 32 new head coaches for the 2024 season, plus one head-coach-in-waiting.
One day after Utah named defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley the successor to Kyle Whittingham, Utah State announced its intentions to fire head coach Blake Anderson for actions taken in spring 2023 that violated school policy.
The move comes “after a thorough external review of alleged noncompliance with university policies that implement Title IX,” per the schoo.. Deputy athletic director of external affairs Jerry Bovee and football director of player development and community Austin Albrecht have been dismissed as well.
Anderson, whose wife gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday, went 23-17 in three seasons with the Aggies, winning the Mountain West Conference title in his first season with the program in 2021. USU finished No. 24 in both major polls that season. The 55-year-old Anderson, who lost his wife Wendy to cancer in 2019 and whose son Cason died by suicide in 2022, spent seven seasons leading Arkansas State before taking the USU job in 2021, going 51-37 with two Sun Belt Conference titles.
AD Diana Sabau, who took over in August of 2023, has promoted defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling to interim head coach.
Keep it here for up-to-the-minute news on the coaching carousel. And be sure to look at our candidate list for each opening.
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FILLED JOBS
Utah State (July 2): The Aggies have promoted defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling to interim head coach after announcing their intentions to fire Blake Anderson. The 33-year-old Dreiling becomes the nation’s youngest FBS head coach. He was the DC at New Mexico State the previous two seasons.
Georgia State (Feb. 23): The Panthers have hired Dell McGee to as their next head coach, focusing in on McGee on Friday after an eight-day search that featured a number of high-profile assistant coaches, Texas A&M running backs coach Trooper Taylor and former Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons among them. The 50-year-old McGee has coached Georgia’s running backs since head coach Kirby Smart took over the program in 2016, and he has held a variety of roles with the Bulldogs since then, most recently serving as run game coordinator as well.
“Thank you to President Blake, Athletic Director Charlie Cobb and the entire search committee for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Georgia State University,” McGee said in a release. “I’ve spent 20-plus years coaching in Georgia. As a native of this state, this opportunity to develop student-athletes here has always been the blessing I knew I was preparing for. I am forever grateful for Coach Smart and the University of Georgia for supporting me in my dream of being of a college head coach.
“Georgia State is primed for success. As a premiere institution in the best city in America, I can’t wait to lead the football program as we compete for championships.”
Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott resigned from his post on Feb. 15 to become the new tight ends coach at South Carolina. Georgia State, which had started spring practice on Feb. 13, became the 31st FBS school to have a head-coach opening. Elliott became the fifth sitting FBS coach this cycle to leave for an assistant job elsewhere, joining Chip Kelly, Jeff Hafley, Maurice Linguist and Kane Wommack.
Elliott went 41-44 in seven seasons at Georgia State, making five bowl games and winning four.
The Panthers worked with Parker Executive Search on their coaching search. The program is working with the NCAA on a waiver that will allow them to re-start spring practice at a later date. Their March 7 spring game has been postponed.
UCLA (Feb. 12): The Bruins hired DeShaun Foster on Monday, capping a weekend-long search that began when Chip Kelly left Friday to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State (replacing Bill O’Brien). Foster, a former UCLA and NFL running back who is in the Bruins’ Hall of Fame, had spent 10 seasons on the Bruins’ staff in a variety of capacities and had recently been hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as running backs coach.
Boston College (Feb. 9): The Eagles hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien on Friday, nine days after Jeff Hafley left to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. O’Brien, a Boston native, joined the Buckeyes’ staff this winter after serving as the Patriots’ OC in 2023, his second stint with New England. He was Alabama’s OC for two years before that, after serving as head coach of the Houston Texans (2014-20) and of Penn State (2012-13).
Michigan (Jan. 26): Michigan promoted offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Sherrone Moore to succeed Jim Harbaugh, who is off to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Wolverines were the 28th FBS opening this cycle. Moore coached Michigan’s offensive line to consecutive Joe Moore Awards in 2021 and 2022, and went 4-0 as acting head coach in 2023.
Buffalo (Jan. 21): The Bulls hired South Carolina special teams analyst Pete Lembo on Sunday, filling the void created by Maurice Linguist leaving for a job on Alabama’s defensive staff.
Lembo led Lehigh (2001-05), Elon (2006-10) and Ball State (2011-15), going 33-29 with the Cardinals, including 23-17 in MAC play.
San Jose State (Jan. 21): The Spartans hired Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo on Sunday. Niumatalolo replaces Brent Brennan, who left for Arizona.
Niumatalolo went 109-83 in 15 seasons as the Midshipmen’s head coach. He spent the 2023 season in an off-field role with UCLA and was recently hired as the Bruins’ tight ends coach.
South Alabama (Jan. 18): The Jaguars officially promoted OC Major Applewhite to head coach on Thursday, just three days after losing Kane Wommack to Alabama. Applewhite had been the Jags’ OC the previous three seasons, with the program going 22-16. Applewhite was Houston’s head coach from 2017-18, going 15-10.
Arizona (Jan. 16): The Wildcats have agreed to a five-year deal with San Jose State coach Brent Brennan to become their next head coach.
The 50-year-old Brennan went 34-48 in seven seasons with the Spartans, and went 26-19 across the last four years. SJSU started this season 1-5 but won six straight games to close the regular season, finishing in a three-way tie for the Mountain West Conference regular-season title. Brennan was a GA at Arizona in 2000.
Washington (Jan. 14): The Huskies have hired Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch as their next head coach. Fisch took over the Wildcats after a winless 2020 season and, by Year 3 this past fall, had them at 10-3, with a seven-game winning streak to end the season.
Fisch has extensive NFL experience, having recently worked on the offensive staffs of the Patriots and Rams. He is familiar with Seattle, having coached the Seahawks’ quarterbacks in 2010, to..
Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama on Friday, leaving new AD Troy Dannen with his first major move. Parker Executive Search assisted with this hire, as the firm worked with UW when hiring Dannen in October as well.
Alabama (Jan. 12): The Crimson Tide hired Kalen DeBoer on Friday to succeed Nick Saban. DeBoer has 104-12 lifetime record and is coming off a national title game appearance this season with Washington, where he went 25-3 in two seasons. Saban publicly endorsed the hire after it was announced, saying: “I want nothing more than to see Alabama football continue to be successful, and Coach DeBoer is an outstanding choice to lead this program. He has a proven track record of success and is one of the brightest football minds. Coach DeBoer has an excellent understanding of what it takes to be a successful head coach, whether it’s coaching, recruiting, developing players or building a culture. He has done a fantastic job at every stop of his coaching career, and I am excited to see what he will be able to accomplish in Tuscaloosa. Terry and I will be here to support Coach DeBoer and his family with anything they need.”
New Mexico State (Dec. 23): Wide receivers coach Tony Sanchez is taking over as the Aggies’ head coach after Jerry Kill decided to step down. Kill was offered a $1.1 million per year extension, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Inside Zone, but as Kill said in a statement released Dec. 23: “This year has been tremendously difficult for me, and I gave it everything I had physically, mentally and emotionally. New Mexico State holds a special place in my heart as it marks the end of my journey as a head coach. While I'll remain involved with the Aggies, I recognize the need for a head coach with a lot of energy. Good luck to Coach Sanchez, the student-athletes and New Mexico State University.”
Troy (Dec. 18): The Trojans hired Notre Dame OC Gerad Parker on Monday after a more than week-long search.
Tulane (Dec. 8): The Green Wave hired Jon Sumrall on Friday. Sumrall went 23-4 in two seasons at Troy, winning back-to-back Sun Belt titles. Tulane found itself in an interesting situation with new AD David Harris not officially coming aboard till Jan. 3. Harris, deputy AD Kortne Gosha and Collegiate Sports Associates moved fast in targeting Sumrall, landing him just five days after losing Willie Fritz.
Duke (Dec. 7): The Blue Devils hired Penn State DC Manny Diaz on Thursday. Diaz, the former Miami head coach, led the nation’s No. 1 defense this year with the Nittany Lions. He replaces Mike Elko, who left for Texas A&M.
JMU (Dec. 7): The Dukes hired Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney on Thursday on a five-year deal. Chesney just won his fifth straight Patriot League title with the Crusaders and is 111-46 across three head-coaching jobs. He replaces Curt Cignetti, who left for Indiana.
Wyoming (Dec. 6): The Cowboys announced Wednesday that Craig Bohl will retire after the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. Defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel will take over as head coach. Bohl has gone 60-60 in 10 seasons leading Wyoming, after going 104-32 and winning three national titles across his 11-year tenure at FCS North Dakota State.
New Mexico (Dec. 6): The Lobos officially hired Bronco Mendenhall on Wednesday. Mendenhall went 135-81 across 17 seasons at BYU and Virginia. New Mexico had fired Danny Gonzales on Nov. 26 after a 4-8 season and 11-32 overall record across four years.
Middle Tennessee State (Dec. 6): MTSU has hired former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason on Wednesday. Mason was most recently the DC at Oklahoma State (2022) and Auburn (2021) before taking a year off from coaching. The Blue Raiders parted ways Nov. 27 with Rick Stockstill, who had been with the program since 2006 and was 113-111 overall but just 4-8 this season.
ULM (Dec. 6): ULM made the hire of Bryant Vincent official on Tuesday. Vincent, who led UAB to a 7-6 record as interim head coach in 2022, led a massive turnaround offensively at New Mexico, where he was offensive coordinator in 2023. The Lobos went from 130th to 66th in scoring offense, 131st to 39th in yards per play, and 101st to 20th in rushing offense.
The Warhawks fired Terry Bowden on Nov. 26 after a 2-10 season. Bowden went 10-26 in three seasons.
Nevada (Dec. 4): The Wolf Pack hired Texas co-DC Jeff Choate on Monday, three days after firing Ken Wilson after a 4-20 record across two seasons. Choate was Montana State’s head coach from 2016-19, going 28-22.
UTEP (Dec. 4): The Miners hired Scotty Walden on Monday to replace Dana Dimel, who was fired after a 3-9 season and 20-49 overall record across six years in El Paso. The 34-year-old Walden is coming off two conference championships at Austin Peay, where he had a 26-14 record across four seasons.
Boise State (Dec. 3): The Broncos have promoted interim coach Spencer Danielson to the full-time job. The school came to the decision late last week, independent of Saturday’s Mountain West Conference title game victory over UNLV, per a source. The 35-year-old Danielson won decision-makers over with his vision for the program, and he galvanized the players in the three weeks after Andy Avalos was fired.
AD Jeramiah Dickey said in a release, in part: “I value process over results. As exciting as it was to win the last three games and reclaim the conference championship, from the standpoint of hiring a head coach, it was more exciting to me to hear Spencer’s vision for the future and how he is going to approach the job full time.”
Houston (Dec. 3): Houston hired Tulane coach Willie Fritz on Sunday. The 63-year-old Fritz has gone 23-4 the past two seasons with the Green Wave and is 208-116 overall across four schools.
Indiana (Nov. 30): The Hoosiers hired JMU head coach Curt Cignetti as their head coach on Thursday. The 62-year-old Cignetti has a 119-35 career record across three stops, including an 11-1 mark this year with the Duke. Cignetti’s first head coaching job was in-state at IUP, where he went 63-17 across six seasons.
Indiana fired Tom Allen on Sunday. His $20 million will be split into two $7.75 million installments to be paid through donor funds.
San Diego State (Nov. 29): SDSU officially hired Sean Lewis on Wednesday. The 37-year-old Lewis completely turned Kent State’s program around in his five years there, leading the Golden Flashes to the first bowl victory in school history in 2019 and posting the No. 1 offense in 2020. Lewis joined Colorado’s staff last season as an OC but mysteriously had play-calling duties stripped late in the season.
Oregon State (Nov. 28): The Beavers promoted DC Trent Bray to head coach on Tuesday. The 41-year-old Bray is a former All-Pac-10 linebacker with OSU, and he has been on staff since 2018. (He was on staff from 2012-14 as well.) Bray garnered a ton of support from the locker room and alums, and his familiarity with the program should make for as smooth of a transition as possible given the uncertainty surrounding the athletic department’s future in the post-Pac-12 era.
Syracuse (Nov. 28): Syracuse officially hired Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown on Tuesday. The 40-year-old Brown is a New Jersey native with extensive East Coast ties and was recently named the nation’s top recruiter by 247Sports, a distinction that the Orange emphasized throughout their announcement.
Texas A&M (Nov. 27): Mike Elko was introduced Monday, after a 16-9 run at Duke these past two seasons. Elko was A&M’s defensive coordinator from 2018-21. His six-year deal has a base salary of $7 million.
Mississippi State (Nov. 26): The Bulldogs hired Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby on Sunday. Lebby led the Sooners to a No. 4 ranking in total offense and No. 3 ranking in scoring offense. As the OC at Ole Miss before that, Lebby helped the Rebels’ offense post back-to-back top-10 offenses. UCF had the nation’s No. 2 offense under Lebby’s watch in 2019 as well. Lebby’s deal is for four years with an average annual salary of $4.51 million.
Michigan State (Nov. 25): The Spartans officially hired Jonathan Smith on Saturday. Smith went 34-35 in six years at Oregon State, his alma mater, winning 18 games across the past two seasons.
Northwestern (Nov. 15): The Wildcats removed the interim tag from David Braun on Wednesday.
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