Whenever a college football coach is fired during the season and an interim head coach is installed, there are going to be mixed feelings. And as the season rolls on, some supportive feelings will become galvanized around the new guy, with players voicing support for him to remain in the position long term.
It doesn’t work out very often.
A great example is Mickey Joseph, a former Nebraska quarterback who returned to Lincoln as an assistant coach under Scott Frost. After Frost was fired early in the 2022 season, Joseph took the reins, and the Huskers made notable on-field improvement. Big Red Country was largely behind Joseph, who was the first African-American head coach in Nebraska history. Under Joseph, Nebraska won two of their first three games before hitting a tough patch, but finished the season with a win over arch-rival Iowa. Finishing 4-8 was hardly a success, but there was still a faction that wanted Joseph to get the job.
However, after a domestic dispute surfaced at the end of November, Joseph’s chances vanished and Matt Rhule was hired.
Legal matters or not, it’s tough sledding for any interim head coach when he’s trying to keep the job.
Large Field of Interim Coaches This Season
This season, with 11 head coaching jobs still open (James Franklin was hired at Virginia Tech after being fired at Penn State) and more to come after the season, there are remain a good number of coaches currently leading programs on an interim basis who are still hoping to impress their current employers enough to get hired. How many of them are still viable candidates where they’re at? Can any of them become the next Dabo Swinney?
Far more often than not, when a mid-season firing happens, the interim is shown the door after the season. That’s certain to be the case in places like LSU and Florida, where a high-profile hire is a necessity and big dollar offers are already being made. There are others who also have little or no shot…and a couple that maybe, could be…
No Shot
When the Gators showed Billy Napier the door, the team was 3-4 and coming off a win. Since then, under interim Billy Gonzales, they are 0-3 with no shot at a bowl game. Florida (3-7, 2-5) is looking to hire a BIG name for this job, and they’re ready to toss big money at the situation.
When Brian Kelly was fired at LSU (6-4, 3-4), Frank Wilson was named the interim guy. He’s gone 1-1, and the Tigers will be bowling, but when your employer is actively courting another coach with a $90 mil offer, it’s time to start packing your office.
In Stillwater, Oklahoma, they haven’t had a coaching search in two decades. There’s one going on right now, however. There’s virtually zero chance that former OC Doug Meacham remains in charge at Oklahoma State (1-9, 0-7.) The Cowboys are on a nine-game losing streak, seven of those losses coming after Mike Gundy was fired.
Colorado State (2-8, 1-5) some players are reportedly behind interim HC Tyson Summers getting the job, but with the team struggling to the finish line (they are 0-3 since Jay Norvell was fired) his chances are slim to none. CSU joins the Pac 12 next year and will need a fresh start.
Arkansas (2-8, 0-6) fired Sam Pittman after an embarrassing beat down by Notre Dame, and replaced him with interim/former Head Coach Bobby Petrino. The team is 0-5 under his guidance. Despite Petrino’s history with the Razorbacks, they’ll be a change in Fayetteville.
Part Two: The “maybes” and “best shots.”
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