College Football: 93 Programs Turn Over Coaches Since 2023

Ninety-three FBS programs have changed head coaches over the last three offseasons. That number includes 32 new hires in 2025 alone, a record year for churn in college football. The 2025 cycle saw 17 new head coaches hired across the four power conferences, along with hundreds of assistant coaching changes. The 2026 cycle has started slower than usual, but moves began in earnest in late October.

Maryland started the current hiring season on Oct. 21 by firing Mike Locksley. Locksley went 39-54 in eight seasons at the school. The Terps finished 4-8 in two consecutive seasons before the 2026 campaign. Maryland is now searching for a successor in College Park. Candidates include Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert and Memphis’ Charles Huff. Huff is a Maryland native. The school has better NIL resources now than a year ago, but the Big Ten environment remains challenging.

NC State parted ways with Dave Doeren after 14 years in Raleigh. The Wolfpack lost 31-28 at Stanford, dropping to 1-3 in the ACC. Doeren’s record with the school reflects a consistent but often short-of-special tenure. Over the last three years, results declined. Philip Rivers, a former NC State quarterback, is the leading candidate. Rivers has coached high school football in Alabama for five years and interviewed for the Buffalo Bills job in January. His son, Gunner, is committed to NC State. Other names in play include Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, UNLV’s Dan Mullen, and Charles Huff.

Baylor dismissed Dave Aranda, ending his seven-year stint with the Bears. Aranda won a Big 12 title in 2021 but went 40-40 overall. He was below .500 in conference play, finishing 26-32. Baylor is expected to look for an offensive-minded coach with ties to Texas high school football. Potential targets include UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, Texas State’s GJ Kinne, and USC’s Lincoln Riley.

The hiring market may be cooling as schools adjust to the economics of the NIL and revenue-sharing era. The 2025 record for turnover set the stage for a slower 2026 start. CBS Sports is tracking all moves in the 2026-27 cycle and grading each hire. The three power conference firings this week signal that the search for stable leadership is continuing.

All three schools, Maryland, NC State, and Baylor, have yet to announce replacements. The search for a new head coach in each program is ongoing. No interviews have been scheduled for the public record yet. The next major announcement in the 2026-27 cycle is expected in the coming weeks.