Being a head coach at a major university is a tough job. It is nothing to see coaches fired and others leave for what they believe are bigger and better jobs.
This past week was a great example of that trend as the coaching carousel continued in a big way.
After 13 seasons guiding the Kentucky football program, Mark Stoops was fired, the university announced Monday. He was the SEC’s longest-tenured active coach at the time of his firing. No coach led the Wildcats longer. Fran Curci had the prior mark, spending nine seasons (1973 through 1981) as the Wildcats head football coach.
Stoops leaves as UK’s all-time wins leader, with an on-field record of 82-80; however, he was 38-68 in the tough SEC. Kentucky and the NCAA recognize Stoops’ official record as 72-80 (33-68). The Wildcats had to vacate every victory from their 10-win 2021 campaign because of NCAA violations.
Then on Monday evening, UK’s Athletic Department announced the hiring of Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein as the school’s head football coach,
Stein, 36, is a Kentucky native who has emerged as one of the country’s top offensive coordinators. Ironically, Stein played quarterback at Louisville from 2009 to 2012, appearing in 25 career games. Both of Stein’s parents attended Kentucky and he grew up going to Wildcats games.
Perhaps the biggest coaching move in the country and the SEC was when Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin left Oxford, Mississippi, for LSU. He got a lot of heat for this decision, but I can see both sides of the story. Of course more money is usually a big part of these decisions, but being able to recruit to a school with a big-time reputation like LSU and win a national championship is probably the tilting point.
The fact that both schools are in the same conference really hit a nerve.
Kiffin’s team has had a great season and will make the playoffs. Despite his request to stay and coach before heading to Louisiana, Ole Miss leadership told Kiffin to hit the road and that he would not be able to coach his team anymore. Thus, he leaves the team as they head into the NCAA playoffs.
Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge ended a month-long saga in which he was the top subject of coaching searches by both Florida and LSU. Ole Miss reportedly tried to retain him, but the chance to join a historic program like LSU lured Kiffin away. He leaves Oxford amid a historic season in which the Rebels are 11-1 and a top 10 ranking.
Meanwhile, Florida hired Jon Sumrall. He leaves Tulane after building a successful program there. He follows a 22-23 stint the Gators had under Billy Napier, who posted the worst record of any Florida coach of more than three seasons.
After Kiffin’s departure, the Rebels named Pete Golding as their next coach. It will be his first head-coaching tenure in college football. He was the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss, and worked under Nick Saban as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. He helped the Crimson Tide win three SEC titles and one national title before becoming the Rebels defensive coordinator in 2023.
Ryan Silverfield was named the Arkansas head coach following the Razorbacks’ worst record (2-10) since 2019. He was the Memphis Tigers’ coach for six seasons and had success there.
Auburn announced Alex Golesh as its next coach. He was the South Florida coach from 2023-25, posting a 23-15 record and 2-0 in bowl games.
Penn State, which fired head coach James Franklin during the season, is still looking for their man. Virginia Tech hired Franklin and he has already moved on.
Michigan State has hired former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to lead its football program.
The announcement came a day after the Spartans fired Jonathan Smith two seasons into his seven-year contract.
The theme here is that most coaches either move on after success at one school or are recycled after being fired by yet another college.
Some “mid-major” college coaches get the chance to move up to larger schools. Sometimes that really works out. Just ask Indiana fans how pleased they are with the hiring of Curt Cignetti, who came from James Madison University. All he has done is go undefeated in the Big 10 and has his team ranked No. 2 behind fellow conference foe and defending national champion Ohio State.
There are only a few major college coaching jobs available. It is big business for the colleges and also important for the rabid sports fans of these programs.
Even if a coach has had success in the past, it comes down to “What have you done for me lately?” If suddenly a team does not win many games and has a couple of subpar seasons, then his seat gets extremely hot.
It is a tough job at any level, but especially at a major college like Kentucky, LSU and many others.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)