By this time last season, seven FBS college football head coaches were already unemployed. By this time this year, it’s just one. So far. Mike Locksley is out at Maryland as the Big Ten program has elected to “part ways” as the saying goes.
The first domino has officially fallen, and likely more are to come in the future as schools compare the win column with their financial statements. All of which begs the question: who will take his place on the Terrapins’ sideline?
Brian Kelly
Any coach who has 200 wins at two elite programs in college football, at Notre Dame and then LSU, is worth considering, regardless of how it ended with the Tigers.
This could be a solid landing spot for Kelly, getting back into the Power Four and playing good teams every year, but not walking into a powerhouse that expects a national title tomorrow.
Because LSU owes Brian Kelly a massive $54 million buyout, any salary he would accept from Maryland would simply reduce the amount of money LSU has to pay him.
Coaches in his position might accept a relatively low salary from their new school because they are already getting millions from their old school anyway. This allows the new school (Maryland) to save money and spend it on assistant coaches or player recruiting instead.
Charles Huff
Huff has steadily advanced through the coaching ranks over the last few years, with head coaching stops at Marshall, Southern Miss, and currently at Memphis.
Memphis dipped to 5-2 after losing to Tulane the last time out, but is still one of the premier rushing teams in college football, within striking distance near the top of the American Conference, putting together a decent season that could set up their coach for a promotion into the Power Four.
An opportunity in the Big Ten could represent another real step-up for Huff, while Maryland would gain another coach with experience building quality rosters at other programs.
Lance Taylor
Power programs are always looking for coaching talent who have shown consistent production and improvement at lower-level schools, and the current Western Michigan coach has done exactly that.
The Broncos were branded as a team to watch in the MAC, and they showed their mettle in a controversial one-point loss at Michigan. Taylor went from 4-8 in 2023 to a 6-7 mark in ‘24 to a 10-4 record last season, playing for the MAC title, rebounding after an 0-3 start.
Now the Broncos are 5-2, and should have won at Michigan, proving that Taylor has what it takes to start somewhere and build something. Taylor has NFL experience in addition to stints at Notre Dame and Stanford, with a particular expertise building productive offenses.
Dan Mullen
Something of a wild card option. There was legitimate critique around Mullen’s ability to consistently build quality recruiting classes, a narrative that helped lead to his exit from Florida. But his time there and at Mississippi State is high-caliber experience, and he has shown a trend of orchestrating dynamic offenses.
Currently at UNLV, and just 4-3 to start the season, some of the shine may have come off Mullen as a go-to option for schools. But he also has a 117-68 overall record in FBS, won 10 games in three seasons, and finished in the AP top 15 five times.
Brian Hartline
Arguably no other up-and-coming coach has built more of a reputation than Hartline, who emerged as college football’s most heralded recruiter at his alma mater Ohio State. A pile of the receivers he brought there are in the NFL and he was responsible for getting Jeremiah Smith to choose the Buckeyes, too.
Now 39, Hartline has been the head coach at USF (5-2) for just this season. That inexperience could move Maryland to look elsewhere, even with his previous success in the Big Ten, but he just might be interested to take that jump, even if it only gets him one step closer to the gig he could really want: replacing Ryan Day at Ohio State.
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