College Football Coaches Who Could Get Poached This Season, Part One

The College Football Coaching Carousel also brings with it coach poaching season. None of it will stop until January at the earliest. With so many high profile jobs already open – including LSU and Florida, who are reportedly both after the same guy, it’s fair to predict that a number of Power Four programs outside the Top 25, and perhaps a couple that are currently ranked, could lose their head coaches when they leave for more high profile jobs.

An Even Dozen Openings Halfway Through the Season

There are currently 12 jobs open in College Football, nine of which are in Power Four conferences. (This isn’t counting places like Florida State or Michigan State, which could still join the list.) The three G6 jobs, Colorado State and Oregon State of the (new in 2026) Pac 12 and University of Alabama-Birmingham of the American Athletic Conference won’t be raiding the current roster of P4 head coaches for their new man…but the bigger P4 programs likely will.

That means any program that currently has what observers consider an “upwardly mobile” head coach running their programs should be on guard.

Here are the first three out of nine programs we’re listing who may be looking for new head coaches immediately after their currently successful head coach leaves for much greener pastures.

Arizona State. It will take a big phat offer to get Kenny Dillingham to leave his alma mater for another Power 4 program – especially after leading the Sun Devils into the College Football Playoff last season – but the kind of offer he’s likely to get and where it’s likely to come from could make saying no very very tough. Could he say no? Of course. He  young and has a lot of coaching years ahead of him. He’s already said ASU is his “dream job,” but could money talk loud enough?

Could Deion Sanders be on the Move?

Colorado. Calling Deion Sanders “successful” as a Power 4 HC requires us to look past the scoreboard. Colorado was struggling in every way possible before he arrived in Boulder and tossed out everything around him. His high roster turnover has resulted in mediocre results on the field (which is still an upgrade from before he arrived.) But off the field, he’s resurrected fan and booster interest, the Buffs are now on national TV almost every week, and revenues for the program have skyrocketed. His in-game coaching and choice of assistants is…questionable, but is there program out there that believes that he can do so much for the program off the field that they can get on board with the adjoining roller coaster ride on it?

One possibility is Arkansas of the SEC. Sanders is close with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who is a former Razorbacks player and influential alum. Arkansas has a lot of wealthy boosters, like the Walton (Walmart) Family, the Tyson Chicken family, and the JB Hunt trucking empire.

Iowa State. Matt Campbell’s name comes up every year at this time, but to this point, no one has lured him away from Ames. This cycle could be different, considering all the higher profile jobs that are open. Plus, the Cyclones mid-season swoon may be starting to bother some Iowa State fans. Campbell is rumored to be on the list of candidates at Penn State.

Next, Part Two: Six more schools who could lose their successful head coach.

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