As the Coaching Carousel Turns: 2018 Vol. 1

It's that time of year again, as we get ready for the Holidays, we also prepare for the annual spin we call the coaching carousel. There is plenty of news to get to as we enter the Thanksgiving holiday, and as we enter the last full week of the college football season for 2018. Some movement has already taken place, with plenty left to go over that will surely come next week. Let's get started...

East Carolina
Scottie Montgomery's future will be decided after the Pirates take on Cincinnati this weekend. All indications are pointing towards Montgomery being out after the game, which should likely be a loss to the Bearcats this week.
Replacement targets in early discussions have included a pair of FCS candidates who are currently in the FCS playoffs in Mike Houston of James Madison, and Curt Cignetti of Elon.

U Conn
Randy Edsell still has not signed his original contract that brought him back to Storrs. That should make things easy when it comes to moving on him. There has been no indication outside of a scheduled meeting next week as to which way the ax will swing next week, but his support is waning in a major way. More to come on this early next week.

USF, Louisville
While Jeff Brohm is still the target at Louisville, Charlie Strong's return is plan B if Brohm says no. I said weeks ago that nobody should be surprised about an eventual return to Power 5 football for Strong, but there were some very personal issues between Strong and a board member back in the day that may have an impact on this. That board member could be vetoed. Remember that Tom Jurich hated Bobby Petrino, but still brought him back as football coach because it was viewed as the pragmatic thing to do. Manny Diaz could be a strong candidate here.

North Carolina
Though it will cost a bit of cash, it is highly expected that Larry Fedora will be fired as coach at North Carolina after this weekend. In the event that this will happen, Seth Littrell will become a top candidate to return to Chapel Hill to replace him, and there will be a full court press to make it happen. The last time that UNC had a legitimate offense, Littrell was the OC.
There is no truth to the rumor that Mack Brown would be the primary target as was reported yesterday. Mack Brown will not be coming back to coaching, and is not on anyone's real radar.

TCU
There have been rumors swirling about the potential retirement of TCU head coach Gary Patterson this week, but those rumors were immediately refuted by Patterson himself. Others I have spoken with still believe it to be true, and that it is possible that he would be interested in stepping away from coaching for a period of time to recharge. Again, stay tuned.

Kansas State
Bill Snyder's retirement is imminent, with an announcement coming at any minute. Some believe that the announcement could come down before the game against Iowa State this week so as not to be a distraction any longer. Kansas State can still get to a bowl by winning this week. Chris Kleiman and Jim Leavitt are early solid candidates.

Texas Tech
If Texas Tech loses this week, which is possible, look for Kliff Kingsbury to be out of a job in Lubbock. If the Red Raiders go bowling, he could very well save his job, but not if they fail to do so. Neal Brown and Seth Littrell would be top targets here.

Kansas
I have largely left this one alone since Les Miles was hired, because the web has been inundated with stories on his hire. It is a solid hire, and a splash to get Kansas on the radar again. It is not, nor was any potential hire going to be, a guaranteed return to the top, but it is one hell of a start. The contract reads brilliantly, with no massive buyout clause, and a reasonable rate of pay. Kudos to Jeff Long for getting it done.
One thing to add, as I had tweeted last week...Seth Littrell was very much a target here, but with rumors about Lincoln Riley and the NFL spinning, Littrell became enamored with the potential of joining the Sooners, and Kansas moved on.

Oklahoma
Lincoln Riley will have his choice of as many as 6 NFL jobs, with Dallas, Green Bay, Cleveland, and Baltimore all in line. He could also very well stay at Oklahoma and be a deity. Stay tuned here, because this situation could drag into January and gum up some other openings in the process, especially as it concerns Seth Littrell.

Maryland
I continue to state that the smart play here would be to leave Matt Canada in place here, as he has done a tremendous job in holding the Terps together during the DJ Durkin debacle. That said, nothing is set in stone, nd the internal camp is very much divided over how to go about this, with half the power base wanting to move on, and the other half wanting to give Canada a shot. If Mike Locksley is your top target outward, sticking with Canada may be the better option here.

Rutgers
It has become the main likelihood in recent days that Chris Ash will be back for another go at Rutgers, but 2019 is a red line season. He will have to put up results or be gone. Things can always change, but that is the latest news.

Purdue
Jeff Brohm has been leaning away in recent days from leaving Purdue to return to Louisville. The instability at the top is a key reason why he is leaning away from going home again. Louisville has fired a basketball coach, football coach, and AD, and lost their top donor, and with all of the money needed to make these moves, he may not get the offer he would need to put up with all of the chaos right now. He could still swing back depending on what package they can cobble together, but it may not be at this point.
Purdue has dual plans in motion currently. One plan is putting together a sizable package to keep Brohm. Should he leave, they have a second plan in motion with a strong list of candidates ready to go if they need to move on. I call that the ultimate in smart planning. Expect Matt Campbell, Neal Brown, and Luke Fickell all to be on that list.

Illinois
It is expected that Illinois could move on from Lovie Smith next week, which would necessitate a higher buyout number than they would like to pay, but the 63-0 loss to Iowa last weekend shook the tree. In a perfect world, the power brokers would have liked to have waited until 2019 to make the move, but that may no longer be possible. Stay tuned.

Charlotte
As I have been reporting for weeks, Brad Lambert, the only coach the program has ever had, has been let go. Regardless of showing solid progress on the field, the W/L count is not what people expected, and the program is moving on to the next chapter. Mike Houston has been named as a solid candidate here, as the facilities are brand new and solid. He will have other options, but this could be one of the better ones.

Western Kentucky
Mike Sanford, Jr. picked up a solid win against UTEP last week, but make no mistake, he is coaching for his job in the finale. Many people inside the industry believe that there is no way that he is retained next week, but we are awaiting official word. My belief is that they will move on, as he has completely destroyed the foundation that he found when taking the job, and has made detrimental changes in the process.

North Texas
It is likely that Seth Littrell will get an offer that he cannot refuse to leave in the coming weeks. Whether it's North Carolina, Texas Tech, Purdue, or any number of the other available spots that will open up, chances are incredibly slim that he returns to Denton in 2019 after reviving a long dormant football program. This is a situation that the team is watching closely.

U Mass
Mark Whipple's second term as head football coach at U Mass is done, and his first term was very much more successful than his second. He was suspended for offensive comments about an officiating crew a couple of weeks ago, and it appeared then that the situation could not be revered. Michigan DC Don Brown will be a heavy target here, but he may get better offers. Stay tuned, as we should have a solid list of candidates after the weekend.

Bowling Green
We are hearing some names here now. Darrell Hazell, the former coach that revived Kent State for a short time, is a very real target here, but we are also hearing an incredibly interesting name this week, as Mount Union coach Vince Kehres is being courted as well. Mount Union is engaged in the D3 playoffs currently, as they defeated Denison 60-0 last week in the opening round. They will take on Centre this week in the D3 quarterfinals.
The success that Lance Leipold has had at Buffalo after making the D3 jump is encouraging to the administration, and they are willing to kick those tires hard to get the right guy after the disaster that was Mike Jinks.

Ball State
Mike Neu is on the bubble firmly right now after losing by 3 TDs to Miami (Ohio) this week. We will learn more in the coming weekend, but right now, all remains quiet in Muncie, but we are watching the situation closely.

Central Michigan
This is the season that the Chippewas family would very much like to forget, as CMU is just 1-10. There are rumors swirling that John Bonamego could very well be courted to return to the NFL in his old Special Teams Coordinator capacity, and that he may very much have interest in doing so. CMU will not stand in his way if this is what he wishes, as there has been some solid buyers remorse here. Again, stay tuned...

Colorado State
The power brokers around the program are not happy. The new stadium is basically empty these days, and revenue is down overall. A program that was discussed as a potential target of Big 12 expansion just 24 months ago is now off the radar. Mike Bobo is very much in danger, and a loss to Air Force could do irreparable damage to his chances of sticking. More on this job early next week.

New Mexico
UNM has no money, and that is what kept them from buying out Davie's deal after last season, even though the cost was incredibly low. This season, there are no such concerns as a buyout, and I am told by multiple sources that UNM is ready to move on from Davie, as a suspension and diminished returns on the field have soured the decision makers. Expect this week to be Davie's last coaching the Lobos.

UNLV
Do not expect any movement on Sanchez at UNLV after this season. Things could change on a dime, but recruiting visits are all still scheduled, and it would seem that a camp that was intent on keeping him will very much get their way, but if results do not come in 2019, he will be gone.
Do expect some staff changes after the season, but it is likely that Sanchez returns as head coach of the Rebels in 2019.

USC
Expect Clay Helton to be fired on Sunday, after the Trojans take on Notre Dame at the Coliseum. The Trojans are a 10 point dog here, and it is likely that they fall on Saturday, which would finish the season at 5-7, and USC would be home for bowl season. Expect James Franklin of Penn State to be the top candidate for the job.

Colorado
Mike MacIntyre is already out, and Kurt Roper will coach the team as interim against Cal this week. A national search is underway, but there could be a lot of interesting names around this gig. Two names that are intriguing around this job are Jason Candle of Toledo and Matt Campbell. Jim Leavitt is also being considered at this time.

Vanderbilt
Late news coming out of Nashville indicates that Derek Mason may be out at Vandy regardless of a win or loss against Tennessee this week. Stay tuned here, but it has been indicated that Mason may not want to return, even if he is able to. Again, stay tuned.

Texas State
Everett Withers is out at Texas State officially, so a search has begun. Dating back to their FCS days, this has long been a middling to lower level program, and there may not be much of a rush of candidates to fill it. We will update as soon as we have a list of candidates.

More news as it becomes available, and look for our audio version of the blog that will begin next Monday, which will cover all of our postseason news and coaching carousel information. That can be found right here on the blog starting next week!