It’s December. That means it’s coaching carousel season.
And it means it’s time to rank the jobs that have come open from a recruiting standpoint. Which jobs have a ton of potential? Which jobs are harder than you may think?
Note: The jobs were ranked independent of the hires made during the current cycle. This is more of a big-picture look at each program, not a prediction of how each new coach will recruit.
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1. Auburn: Auburn is the only job that has opened — so far — that has a national championship as a ceiling. Among its geography, conference and brand, Auburn is a place where a great recruiter can stock the roster with elite talent. Having Alabama as an in-state rival isn’t ideal, but what more could a job offer in terms of resources and location from a recruiting standpoint?
2. Arizona State: Even Though Arizona State has been one of the more underperforming programs in the country, the bones for success are there. It’s located in a very desirable city in which to live, it’s right next to California — one of the deepest hotbeds for talent in the country — and the state of Arizona produces high-end prospects every year. The Pac-12 is getting tougher with Lincoln Riley at USC, Kalen DeBoer at Washington, Dan Lanning at Oregon and Deion Sanders at Colorado, but the right coach with the right plan could have the Sun Devils in a very good spot in a few years. There’s a reason people refer to ASU as a “sleeping giant.”
3. Georgia Tech: Though Georgia Tech has inherent academic challenges, its location is hard to beat. There is a seemingly never-ending supply of talented prospects in the metro Atlanta area. While previous coaches have tried to claim Atlanta as their own and failed, there is no question that a coach with the right plan to take advantage of the school’s location could turn this into one of the top programs in the ACC. Yes, the Yellow Jackets must contend with Georgia, but the Bulldogs recruit nationally. There is more than enough talent in the state for Tech to build a quality roster.
4. Wisconsin: Usually when jobs open, it’s up to the new coach to formulate a plan to how to build that program. But in Wisconsin’s case, there has been a recruiting plan in place that has worked well for the past two decades. The Badgers have been able to bring in top offensive linemen and running backs but have struggled to find the right quarterback (in recent years) and elite wide receivers. The coach who can continue to stay true to the program’s identity while increasing the athleticism at a few key positions will be in position to raise the program’s profile.
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5. Cincinnati: Certain Group of 5 programs — like Cincinnati, Houston and UCF — continue to be successful over several coaching regimes. There are certain advantages to all those places, most notably a very good local recruiting base. Cincinnati, a program that is a year removed from playing in the College Football Playoff, isn’t even in the Group of 5 anymore. This is a Big 12 team now. There’s a reason Scott Satterfield left Louisville to take this job on Monday morning.
6. Nebraska: Ask any coach in the country what is important about a job, and the top of that list is administrative buy-in and support. There is no place in the country that wants to win more than Nebraska. It has the facilities, the tradition and, of course, the passionate fan base. The geography is tough to overcome, but Nebraska has managed to sign top-25 recruiting classes with regularity. A good coach can attract to Lincoln.
7. Stanford: Stanford is the most selective of the academic schools in the Power 5 and has the smallest pool of players to recruit from, but it also has a powerful national brand that is very attractive to certain prospects. An offer from the Cardinal means a lot. There are other hurdles, as well — how committed is the university to fielding a winning program? — but there is also plenty to sell. The coach at Stanford must view the academics as an advantage and not a hinderance.
8. Louisville: Before Satterfield left Louisville for Cincinnati, the Cardinals had put together a top-20 recruiting class. It’s notable that Louisville doesn’t have a single commitment in its 2023 class from the state of Kentucky. The assumption is that the program has some NIL money backing it. If that’s true, that’s a great place to start. Also, the state of Kentucky is underrated for talent, and Louisville is located near Ohio. This job, when done right, has a lot of potential.
9. Colorado: This is the lowest-ranked Power 5 job on this list due to its location and the school’s recent lack of commitment to competing at the highest level. However, all of the obstacles Colorado has faced in the past were completely neutralized when it brought in Deion Sanders as the coach. As Sanders said in his news conference, “My calling is not built on a location. It’s built on the destination.” Talent is expected to flock to Boulder, and Colorado will soon become must-watch television. Buckle up.
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10. Liberty: Liberty was able to pull Jamey Chadwell away from Coastal Carolina because it is a Group of 5 program that acts like a Power 5 program. Though there are challenges as it pertains to culture and fit when recruiting some athletes, Liberty has solid geography and the finances that can help erase issues that may be harder to overcome at other places.
11. South Florida: Can you believe it has been 15 years since USF climbed to No. 2 in the BCS Standings? Time flies, and when it does, things change. USF was one of the worst teams in the sport this past year, which should never be the case for a program that’s located in one of the most talent-rich states in the country. With new facilities on the way, USF should, at the very least, be a really solid option for prospects in the transfer portal. There are multiple ways to build a solid football team, and being located in Tampa is a nice start.
12. FAU: The FAU campus is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, and the school is one of the six programs moving to the AAC next season. Lane Kiffin proved you could win at FAU, posting two 11-win seasons before parlaying that into the Ole Miss job. A program located in South Florida has direct access to talent. Getting an offensive-minded coach who can make it fun to play in Boca is an exciting proposition.
13. UNLV: This is a program that has only made one bowl game since 2000. It’s been dormant for so long, it seems impossible to figure out a way to pull it out of the dumps. But there is a way. Play it up as Sin City U. Embrace the Las Vegas strip. Use the big-time businesses located in Las Vegas as NIL opportunities. Show recruits what this city has to offer on official visits. The recruiting base — California and Arizona — is solid, and the school opened a new football facility in 2019. UNLV has the tools to succeed. Someone just needs to come unlock it.
14. North Texas: You don’t often see coaches get fired two days after playing in their conference championship game, but that’s what happened to Seth Littrell at North Texas after posting a 44-44 record in seven seasons. Located just an hour north of Fort Worth, the school has an incredible recruiting area — more than 80 players on its current roster are from the Lone Star State. For a job like this, access to players is crucial. North Texas has that.
15. Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane played in the AAC title game in 2020 and reached a bowl game last year, but the job came open after Philip Montgomery posted a 5-7 record in 2022. The state of Oklahoma isn’t particularly known as a recruiting hotbed, but Tulsa plays in the best Group of 5 conference and has convenient proximity to Texas. Tulsa, however, has an extremely small enrollment — the smallest of any FBS program at 2,600 undergraduates — and isn’t known to pay a lot in coaching salaries.
16. Charlotte: You may be surprised to hear this, but Charlotte is one of the most underrated cities in the country for talent. There are four Power 5 programs in North Carolina and Clemson has made Charlotte one of its primary recruiting bases, but the 49ers aren’t targeting the same caliber of athlete. Being in a metropolitan area gives this Group of 5 program advantages that most others don’t have in terms of location.
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17. Coastal Carolina: Thanks to Chadwell’s success — and style of play — in recent years, Coastal Carolina has the type of brand recognition you won’t find at other Group of 5 jobs. It also gives the next coach a plan on how to keep things rolling in the right direction. There are also worse places to be located, in terms of quality of life and a proximity to talent.
18. UAB: There’s talent in Birmingham and there is the ability to recruit surrounding metropolitan areas such as Atlanta and Nashville. There is also a new stadium to recruit to, as well. This is a place that has experienced success in recent years and should remain among the better Group of 5 jobs.
19. Western Michigan: Recruiting in the MAC is challenging. All of the schools recruit the same areas and are after the same pool of players. Evaluation is crucial when trying to separate from the rest of the pack. That said, Western Michigan is well-resourced relative to most of the teams in the league and has won at a high level — P.J. Fleck guided the Broncos to Cotton Bowl in 2016.
20. Kent State: Kent State has historically been one of the most difficult jobs in the MAC, with only four winning seasons dating back to 1988. The recently departed Sean Lewis did enjoy some success over the past few years, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The new coaching staff should be able to attract a quality quarterback and enough skill at wide receiver and running back to keep the Golden Flashes relevant.
21. Texas State: You may think that Texas State would be higher on this list because of its location — San Marcos is 30 miles south of Austin — but it’s a program that has lacked an identity. It’s the only Sun Belt team in the state of Texas, and many of the programs it recruits against — UTSA, Rice and North Texas — are moving to the AAC to join SMU. Yes, it’s in Texas, but this is a difficult job.
(Top photo: John Reed / USA Today)
