In the past couple of years, NCAAF fans have seen their fair share of head coaching changes in some of the biggest programs in the country. Take 2021 for example. Brian Kelly’s arriving at LSU, Lincoln Riley taking over at USC, and Mario Cristobal landing at Oregon were the biggest coaching moves of the season. With Cristobal now at the University of Miami, both Kelly and Riley have continued to build success with their programs.
But the shuffling didn’t stop there. Staying with the Ducks, following Cristobal’s departure to Miami, former Georgia DC Dan Lanning took over the coaching duties, putting up a strong first season in 2022. Schools like Virginia Tech and Virginia also decided to give former Penn State DC Brent Pry and past Clemson AHC Tony Elliott their head coaching jobs respectively.
Former Texas A&M DC Mike Elko saw his first chance to lead a football program as HC after getting picked up by the Duke Blue Devils for the 2022 season, while Marcus Freeman got promoted from DC to HC at Notre Dame, posting a 9-5 record since taking over.
Lastly, let’s not forget about Brent Venables who took over Oklahoma’s head coaching job, leaving Clemson’s AHC post behind after 10 years with the Tigers. After an initial lackluster season with the Sooners, Venables is looking for 2023 to be a bounce-back year.
2021 Brought The Heat, What About 2022 and 2023?
In 2022, not many power moves were made, with Purdue taking former Illinois DC Ryan Walters, Arizona State snagging former Ducks OC Kenny Dillingham, and Mississippi State DC Zach Arnett moving up to HC to replace the legendary Mike Leach after his passing.
So what does this all come to show us? That the coordinator carousel in college football is filled to the brim with candidates ready to make the jump to a head coaching job as soon as possible.
As the 2023 college football season nears, let’s look at three coordinators who could be looking like top-caliber prospects to land a head coaching gig as soon as 2024.
Ryan Grubb, OC, Washington Huskies
When you allow yourself the possibility to say “No thanks, I’m good” when Nick Saban comes offering the job of Alabama’s OC, then you better believe in yourself. Grubb was Saban’s top choice when looking to replace Bill O’Brien, New England’s new OC, and QB coach. With Grubb deciding to stay at Washington it was former Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees who landed the job with the Crimson Tide.
In the world of college football, playing and working for Saban is the equivalent of learning from and shadowing a demigod. So why would Grubb not want the job? Simple. Between his relationship with Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer, Washington’s dominant 11-2 record last season, and Grubb leading his offense to become the second-best in the country, there’s too much good stuff going on to walk away.
If any proof is needed, look at his work with Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. Passing for more than 4,500 yards, with 31 TDs to eight INTs and a passer rating of 151.3, Grubb and the passer made Washington the best passing team in the country.
Given that Grubb can manage for his high-scoring, explosive offense to become stronger in 2023, that would automatically propel the OC to become one of the most sought-after coaching candidates next year.
Thanks to @presnapinc‘s charting of the Husky offense, we can take a look at some of the electricity that Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb’s “Big O” has brought to Montlake https://t.co/mpfYlJjmo0
— Roman Tomashoff (@rtomashoff34) May 19, 2023
Jesse Minter, DC, Michigan Wolverines
One of Michigan’s biggest strengths last season was its defense. Ranked fifth in total defense overall, and finishing in the top 10 of both yards allowed per pass and yards allowed per rush, the Wolverines were a defensive machine. All that was mostly thanks to the work of first-year DC Jesse Minter, who will now be looking to make 2023 the year in which his head coaching stocks take off.
After working at Vanderbilt, and more interestingly in the NFL, with Michigan’s coach Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John, Minter has become one of the most interesting head coaching prospects in the Power Five school circuit. Taking over the job at Michigan following the departure of key players such as Aidan Hutchinson, Daxton Hill, and David Ojabo, Minter stepped up and brought the heat to his defense.
Largely thanks to his work with said defense, the Wolverines once again managed to win the Big Ten title and make it to the CFP, landing Minter a finalist spot for the Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches.
With Michigan looking like one of the heavy NCAAF odds favorites to win this season’s CFP title, Minter’s defensive work could end up being a pivotal key to the Wolverines’ success. Give him another strong season with Harbaugh and company and we could be looking at Minter leaving for a head coaching position soon.
Under Jesse Minter, the Michigan defense has become both talented and versatile.
“The good thing about Coach Minter is he changes it up. We’ve added new things based on the same principles, so all the guys know how to go in and play different roles.” https://t.co/zEx6WgfBet
— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) May 17, 2023
Garrett Riley, OC, Clemson Tigers
What is it in the water over at the Riley family house that boasts football talents? While Lincoln is head coach over at USC, his younger sibling Garrett Riley is already making waves in the college football orbit.
Garrett Riley’s rise in the college football world started from his playing days as QB for Texas Tech. Not pursuing a career in the pros, Clemson’s new coordinator started his career at Kansas as an offensive analyst, followed by a stint as RB coach and OC over at Appalachian State.
After a couple of seasons as OC with SMU and TCU respectively following his stint with the Mountaineers, Riley was appointed as Clemson’s new offensive coordinator for the 2023 season. In his last job, with the Horned Frogs though, Riley started making his true mark in the scene.
Leading TCU’s offense to the CFP title game last season, lifting the team’s QB to become a Heisman Trophy finalist, and winning the Broyles award over Minter, Riley managed to make people forget about him just being “Lincoln’s little brother” and see him as the top OC in the country.
Joining Clemson, a team looking to go back into the CFP championship picture, a lot will ride on Riley’s innovative ideas to bring the Tigers back to relevance. Considering his track record, if the Tigers can have a strong bounce-back season, they might end up having to look for a replacement at OC sooner rather than later.
