College football viewer's guide: Here are all the new head coaches, including Lane Kiffin and James Franklin
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The end of the 2025 college football regular season was overshadowed by the bombshell that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was jumping ship to LSU.
It was the biggest news in college football, especially since Ole Miss then didn't allow him to finish out the postseason and had new head coach Pete Golding leading the Rebels into the College Football Playoff.
With the addition of Sacramento State and North Dakota State as transitioning FBS members, there are now 138 FBS schools. Heading into the 2026 season, 34 of them have new head coaches.
Here's your quick guide to every school with a new head coach this season.
Jump to a conference: ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, American, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, Sun Belt, Independent
American
Neal Brown, North Texas: Former North Texas head coach Eric Morris was hired by Oklahoma State following the 2025 season to take over for Mike Gundy.
Brown was the head coach of West Virginia from 2019 to 2024, amassing a 37-35 record in that span. He was fired after the Mountaineers went 6-6 in 2024. Brown wasn't a head coach last season, instead serving as a special assistant to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
He will be expected to hit the ground running after the Mean Green went 11-2 last season, making the conference championship game. Brown and North Texas will open the season on the road against the reigning national champions Indiana Hoosiers.
Will Hall, Tulane: Jon Sumrall led the Green Wave to a 11-2 season, including an American Conference title and a berth in the College Football Playoff. He was hired away by the Florida Gators.
Tulane opted to hire Sumrall's replacement from within. Hall was the passing game coordinator last season. It will not be his first head coaching gig. Hall was the head coach at West Alabama from 2011 to 2013, West Georgia from 2014 to 2016 and Southern Miss from 2021 to 2024.
All told, he takes over at Tulane with a 70-50 record as a head coach.
Brian Hartline, USF: Hartline takes over for Alex Golesh, who is the new head coach at Auburn. This will be the first head coaching opportunity for Hartline, who has been on the Ohio State coaching staff since 2017.
He is a former wide receiver who spent six seasons in the NFL. Hartline had served as either the offensive coordinator or co-OC for the Buckeyes since 2023.
Charles Huff, Memphis: With Ryan Silverfield taking over at Arkansas, the Tigers were in need of a new head football coach. Memphis went with Huff, who was the head coach at Southern Miss last season.
Huff and the Golden Eagles went 7-5 in the Sun Belt. When he was hired by Memphis, athletic director Ed Scott said the decision was made based on Huff's "proven track record of building strong, competitive programs."
The head coach helped Marshall win its lone Sun Belt conference championship in 2024 before helping Southern Miss go from a 1-11 record in 2024 to a 7-5 record last season, one of the biggest turnarounds in the FBS.
Alex Mortensen, UAB: Mortensen took over as the interim head coach after UAB fired Trent Dilfer following a 2-4 start to the 2025 season. After Mortensen was named the interim, the Blazers went 2-4 down the stretch of the season to finish 4-8. In his first game as interim head coach, he led UAB to an upset win over Memphis, which was ranked 22nd at the time.
UAB opted to retain Mortensen as its permanent head coach moving forward. He had been the offensive coordinator at the school from 2023 to 2025 before replacing Dilfer.
ACC
Tosh Lupoi, California: The Golden Bears fired former head coach Justin Wilcox with one game to go in the 2025 season. Cal went with a first-year head coach in Lupoi as Wilcox's replacement.
Lupoi spent the last four seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oregon under Dan Lanning. He has not been a head coach yet, and his coaching experience has been just on the defensive side of the ball. Cal is entering its third season in the ACC and has an overall record of 13-13, with a 6-10 conference record so far.
Lupoi was a defensive lineman for Cal from 2000 to 2005, and returns to the team after serving as a defensive line coach from 2008 to 2011.
James Franklin, Virginia Tech: Yes, that James Franklin. The longtime Penn State head coach could not buy wins in 2025 after a gritty overtime loss to Oregon was followed up by a loss to previously winless UCLA and then an embarrassing home loss to Northwestern. He was fired after a 3-3 start to the season.
Franklin takes over the Hokies from Brent Pry, who was fired after a 0-3 start to last season. Pry is back at Virginia Tech, though, as Franklin hired him to be his defensive coordinator.
Tavita Pritchard, Stanford: Pritchard has returned home. He not only played quarterback at Stanford from 2006 to 2009, but also was on the coaching staff from 2011 to 2022.
Pritchard then jumped to the NFL, where he joined the Washington Commanders as quarterbacks coach. This will be his first chance at being a head coach.
Stanford went 4-8 last season under interim head coach Frank Reich. He replaced former head coach Troy Taylor, who had been fired in March 2025. The Cardinal hired Reich with the assumption he would be replaced at the end of the year, and once it could conduct an official coaching search, Stanford landed on Pritchard.
Big 12
Collin Klein, Kansas State: Former Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman announced he would be retiring from coaching on Dec. 3 of last year. The Wildcats replaced him with a familiar face in Klein.
Kansas State's new head coach played quarterback for the Wildcats from 2008 to 2012. Klein returned to his alma mater in 2014, joining the coaching staff as a graduate assistant.
He left for a year in 2016, going to Northern Iowa as quarterbacks coach. Klein returned in 2017 and was with the Wildcats until 2024. For the past two seasons, he has been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Texas A&M.
Now, Klein returns home to try and help Kansas State improve on its 6-6 record from last year.
Eric Morris, Oklahoma State: Morris will be the first new head coach for the Cowboys since 2005 when the school hired Mike Gundy. Even though he was with the program for 20 years, Gundy was fired following a 1-2 start last season.
Morris comes to Stillwater after a successful stint with North Texas. He steadily improved with the Mean Green, going 5-7 in his first season, 6-7 in his second and then 11-2 last year, taking the team all the way to the American Conference championship.
Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State: Rogers lands with the Cyclones after one season at Washington State. He made a name for himself as the head coach at South Dakota State, going undefeated and winning the FCS championship in his first season as a head coach in 2023. Rogers then went 12-3 in 2024, leading to Washington State hiring him for last season.
He wasn't able to continue his impressive winning ways, going just 6-6 with the Cougars, but it was enough for Iowa State to take a shot on him. Rogers replaces Matt Campbell as the Cyclones' head coach, because Campbell was hired by Penn State to replace James Franklin.
Morgan Scalley, Utah: Like Morris, Scalley is taking over for a head coach that had been with the program for two decades. Kyle Whittingham was Utah's head coach from 2005 to 2025, but left to become the new head coach at Michigan for the 2026 season.
Scalley is an internal hire for the Utes. He played defensive back at Utah from 2001 to 2004 and then returned to the program in 2007 as a graduate assistant. Scalley has served as the safeties coach since 2008 and was named the defensive coordinator in 2016, a position he held until he was promoted to head coach.
Big Ten
Bob Chesney, UCLA: After the Bruins began the 2025 season 0-3, UCLA opted to fire former head coach DeShaun Foster. Tim Skipper took over, and the Bruins finished out the season, but settled on Chesney as its new head coach.
Chesney heads out west after spending the last two seasons at James Madison. He led the Dukes to a 9-4 season in 2024 and followed it up with an impressive 12-2 season last year. James Madison made the College Football Playoff last year, but lost to Oregon in the first round.
This will be Chesney's fifth head coaching gig, but the first in a Power Four conference. He currently has a 132-52 record, has won five Patriot League championships, and helped James Madison win the Sun Belt last season.
Matt Campbell, Penn State: Campbell spent the last 10 years as the head coach at Iowa State, but now heads to State College to take over for James Franklin. He went 72-55 with the Cyclones, but had a 3-4 record in bowl games.
Last year, Iowa State finished 8-4. That marked back-to-back seasons with at least eight wins. Campbell will be expected to hit the ground running to help the Nittany Lions recover from a disappointing 7-6 season.
Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State: The Spartans fired former head coach Jonathan Smith after a lackluster 4-8 season. Overall in his tenure, Smith led Michigan State to a combined 9-15 record after going 5-7 in 2024.
Fitzgerald returns to the Big Ten after three years away. He had served as Northwestern's head coach from 2006 to 2022. Fitzgerald was fired following a hazing investigation that included reports of physical and sexual assault accusations between players and subsequently filed a wrongful termination suit. That suit was settled a year ago, and, as part of the agreement, Northwestern said that Fitzgerald was not aware of the hazing and did not condone it.
When Fitzgerald was introduced, Michigan State AD J Batt said, "Pat is an excellent fit for Michigan State Football, as he understands the Big Ten, has great relationships throughout the Midwest and embodies the values on which our program was built. His incredible passion will resonate throughout the program."
Kyle Whittingham, Michigan: Whittingham left Utah after 20 years to become the new head coach of the Wolverines. Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was fired for cause after evidence was found that he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Biff Poggi finished out the season, but was not retained.
Whittingham brings a career 177-88 record into Ann Arbor, including 11-6 in bowl games and an undefeated 2008 season.
Conference USA
Casey Woods, Missouri State: Woods takes over as head coach of the Bears from Ryan Beard, who was hired to be the head coach at Coastal Carolina. This will be Woods' first opportunity as a head coach.
The 43-year-old spent the last four seasons as the offensive coordinator at SMU. Missouri State is heading into its second season at the FBS level, and athletic director Patrick Ransdell believes that Woods is the ideal coach to help the program grow.
"Casey is an absolute winner. He is going to continue our upward trajectory with an unwavering commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field. His ability to develop offensive talent and recruit top-level talent will make him an ideal fit for Missouri State."
FBS Independent
Jason Candle, UConn: The Huskies lost former head coach Jim Mora to Colorado State. UConn opted to bring in Candle, who has been Toledo's head coach for the last 10 years. Over the course of his tenure, the Rockets went 81-44 with a 3-5 record in bowl games and two MAC championships.
MAC
Alonzo Carter, Sacramento State: The 2026 season will be the first in the FBS for Sacramento State as a transitioning member, and the program will do so with a new head coach. The Hornets' former head coach, Brennan Marion, was hired as the new offensive coordinator at Colorado.
Carter has been a head coach before. He was at the helm of Contra Costa, a JUCO in California, from 2010 to 2016. Carter spent the last two seasons as an assistant head coach and running backs coach at Arizona.
John Hauser, Ohio: Former head coach Brian Smith was fired by the University of Ohio in December 2025 for professional misconduct.
The Bobcats went with an internal hire as a replacement. Hauser had been at the school since 2022, coaching the defense. Last season, he was assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach. This will be his first opportunity as a head coach.
Mike Jacobs, Toledo: Jacobs is taking over for Jason Candle, who left Toledo for UConn. This will be Jacobs' fourth head coaching gig. His first was at Notre Dame (OH) from 2016 to 2019, his second was at Lenoir-Rhyne from 2020 to 2023, and then he was the head coach at Mercer the last two seasons.
Overall, he has a 94-23 head coaching record. Jacobs was the MEC Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019 as well as the SAC Coach of the Year in 2023 and the SoCon Coach of the Year both years he was at Mercer.
Mountain West
Rob Harley, Northern Illinois: Former Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock made the jump to the NFL, joining the Seattle Seahawks as their running backs coach.
Northern Illinois replaced Hammock with an internal hire. Harley joined the Huskies as their defensive coordinator for the 2025 season. Previously, he had assistant coaching stops with Arkansas State (assistant head coach/defensive coordinator) and Pittsburgh (linebackers coach).
This will be Hammock's first chance at being a head coach, and he and the Huskies will open the 2026 season, their first in the Mountain West Conference, on the road against Iowa.
Pac-12
Kirby Moore, Washington State: Moore will be taking over the Cougars for Jimmy Rogers, who is now with Iowa State. He is a first-time head coach, and most recently was at Missouri. He joined the Tigers in 2023 as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; last season, he was promoted to offensive coordinator only.
Washington State remained faithful to the Pac-12 when it restructured and will play the 2026 season with seven other teams in the rebuilt conference.
Jim Mora, Colorado State: Jay Norvell was fired by Colorado State midway through the 2025 season after starting 2-5. The Rams have replaced him with Mora, who is coming to Colorado State after being at UConn for the last five years.
Mora was one of the more experienced head coaches in this carousel. He has been coaching in some capacity since 1984, with small gaps from 2010 to 2012 and 2017 to 2021.
Mora was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2009. He returned to the college ranks as the head coach at UCLA from 2012 to 2017. Mora takes over at Colorado State with a 73-53 collegiate coaching record.
JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State: The Beavers started last season 0-7, resulting in the program firing former head coach Trent Bray.
Oregon State replaced him with Shephard. He has been coaching college football since 2011, but this will be his first chance as a head coach. Shephard was most recently with Alabama as the assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
SEC
Pete Golding, Ole Miss: The most highly covered coaching position in last year's carousel was at Ole Miss — not because of the new head coach, but who left.
Lane Kiffin chose to take a new job as head coach at LSU during one of the Rebels' best seasons in program history. He was not allowed to coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff and the school promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who had been on Kiffin's staff since 2023.
When Golding was hired, it was specified that he was not the interim head coach, and that he would be the team's permanent head coach moving forward.
Alex Golesh, Auburn: Golesh made a name for himself as the head coach of South Florida from 2023 to 2025. In that span, he led the Bulls to a combined 23-15 record with two bowl wins. USF went 9-3 last season and was ranked as high as 18th in the AP poll.
Golesh takes over for Hugh Freeze, who was the head coach of the Tigers from 2023 to 2025. Freeze was fired after starting last season 4-5. He went 15-19 at Auburn over three years.
Lane Kiffin, LSU: The man of the hour has arrived in Baton Rouge. Kiffin was not only the biggest hire of this offseason's coaching carousel, but also the one with the most drama. It developed like a soap opera with a "will he, won't he" media stream. When he opted to leave for LSU, it only got worse as fans instantly turned on him, and he was not permitted to continue coaching Ole Miss through the playoffs.
Kiffin will be taking over for Brian Kelly, who was fired following a 5-3 start to last season. The Kiffin era will begin with a stark test in LSU's first game in the battle of Death Valleys and Tigers as Clemson comes to town.
Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas: Sam Pittman was fired after the Razorbacks started the 2025 season 2-3, with the only wins against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State. Arkansas opted to tweak the old "if you can't beat them, join them" idiom by hiring former Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield.
Memphis hosted Arkansas on Sept. 20 and beat them 32-31. Silverfield had been with the Tigers since 2020. He finished his tenure with a 50-24 record over six seasons with a 4-0 bowl record.
Will Stein, Kentucky: Kentucky is entering the post-Mark Stoops era. He led the Wildcats to a 5-7 record last year, his 13th with the team. Stoops was fired after his second consecutive losing season and finished with an 82-80 overall record.
To replace him, Kentucky brought in Stein. The move was a bit of a surprise solely because he is a first-time head coach. Stein had been the Oregon offensive coordinator since 2023 under Dan Lanning.
Jon Sumrall, Florida: Sumrall is coming off back-to-back successful stints as the head coach at Troy (2022 to 2023) and Tulane (2024 to 2025). He finished 23-4 at Troy and 20-8 at Tulane with a loss last year in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Sumrall takes over at Florida for Billy Napier, who was fired after starting last season 3-4. The Gators have had one winning season since 2021.
Sun Belt
Blake Anderson, Southern Miss: Anderson takes over as the head coach for the Golden Eagles after being the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season. He has previous head coaching experience between Arkansas State (2014 to 2020) and Utah State (2021 to 2023).
Overall, Anderson has a 74-54 record in his previous coaching stints. He did coach Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl last year, but the Golden Eagles lost to Western Kentucky.
Ryan Beard, Coastal Carolina: Beard will take over for Tim Beck, who is now the offensive coordinator at USF. Beard spent the last three years as the head coach at Missouri State and helped the Bears transition from the FCS to the FBS and Conference USA.
He led the team to a 7-6 season last year and finished with a 19-16 record with the school. The Chanticleers went 6-7 the last two seasons and will be looking for their first winning record since 2023.
Billy Napier, James Madison: Napier's run at Florida never got the chance to get going in the right direction. Napier and the Gators went 5-7 in 2023, improved to 8-5 in 2024, but then fell off in 2025, finishing 4-8. Napier was fired after starting last season 3-4.
Under former head coach Bob Chesney, the Dukes went 9-4 and 12-2 over the last two seasons. Not counting the 2020 season, James Madison has won at least eight games per season since 2014, meaning Napier will be expected to hit the ground running when the Dukes open at home against Liberty.
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