Mike HoustonFired: Scottie Montgomery (9-26 in three seasons)
Many people didn't think Scottie Montgomery got a fair shake and was fired before he even finished the 2018 season. Montgomery did lead the Pirates to victories over both NCST and North Carolina during his tenure.
His replacement is Mike Houston, who comes over from James Madison where he won the FCS Championship in 2016. The Dukes are the only team in the last eight years to win an FCS crown not named North Dakota State. Houston initially thought about taking the Charlotte vacancy, but changed his mind and elected to take on the ECU gig.
Houston
Fired: Major Applewhite (15-11 in three seasons)
In just two full seasons the Cougars decided they saw all they needed in Major Applewhite and fired him after the Cougars lost their third straight bowl game, a 70-14 beatdown at the hands of Army. As the American tries to justify that they are just as good as the Power 5, the made a big move to lure a familiar face away from the Big 12.
Dana Holgorsen formerly served as the offensive coordinator at Houston, but had left for greener pastures it seemed with West Virginia. In eight seasons he went 61-41, but finished his time with the Mountaineers having lost his last three bowl appearances.
Nevertheless, the Cougars administration wanted to make a splash and made Holgorsen the highest paid coach in the Group of 5 schools. The pressure will be on for Houston to finish with ten wins or bust.
Temple
Rod CareyLeft: Geoff Collins (15-10 in two seasons)/Manny Diaz (left for Miami after 17 days)
One of the weirdest coaching changes in the offseason. Geoff Collins garnered enough success in his two years at Temple to snag the Georgia Tech job. That sent the Owls on the hunt for a new coach and it looked like the Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, was the man for the job.
Then Mark Richt abruptly retired from the "U" and that provided an opportunity for Diaz to take a promotion from his former employers just 17 days after taking the Temple job.
Temple found a replacement for the replacement in Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey. Carey had an great career in the MAC winning four West crowns and two MAC Titles, going 52-30 in six seasons. The one downside is his 0-6 bowl record, although one of those losses came in the Orange Bowl against Wisconsin in his first game as the Huskies coach.
Georgia Tech
Geoff CollinsRetired: Paul Johnson (82-61 in 11 seasons)
Paul Johnson was a winner at every turn in his 20 years of coaching going 189-100 at Georgia Southern, Navy, and finally Georgia Tech. Lately though, the Yellow Jackets have fallen on hard times going just 24-25 in the last four seasons. Johnson's retirement comes in a time where the ACC has gotten increasingly more difficult to navigate.
Enter Geoff Collins who looks to revamp the offense and will abandon the triple-option that defined the Johnson era. Collins promises to bring a more NFL based offense to Atlanta which could be difficult with the personnel left over. He was just 15-10 in two seasons while at Temple before making the switch to Georgia Tech.
Louisville
Scott SatterfieldFired: Bobby Petrino (77-35 in nine seasons, second stint with team)
The Louisville Cardinals went from conference front runners to laughing stock of the ACC. One big reason was Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson heading to the NFL leaving a glaring hole in the offense. The defense wasn't much better as they had seven games in which they allowed 50 points or more including an ACC high 77 points to Clemson.
That led to Bobby Petrino's exit in his second go round with the university. He was a solid 36-26 in the last five years, but the embarrassment from the 2018 season couldn't save him.
That brings Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield to Louisville. Satterfield guided the Mountaineers into the transition from FCS to FBS and stuck the landing with five straight winning seasons. In the past three seasons Appalachian State finished atop the Sun Belt Conference with Satterfield leading the Mountaineers to three bowl victories.
Miami (FL)
Manny DiazRetired: Mark Richt (26-13 in three seasons)
Mark Richt seemed like the guy who could turn around the "U" and get it back to the glory days and a first place finish in the Coastal Division in 2017 looked like the jumping point. Then in 2018 their was the tumultuous that featured a quarterback shuffle with no good answers. Richt's final game was an embarrassing 35-3 loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Richt was also going to have to find a new defensive coordinator after Manny Diaz took the Temple job. Instead of solving those problems, Richt elected to retire and after just 18 days of being the head coach for the Owls, Diaz jumped back to the Hurricanes to fill the head coaching void.
Diaz's defense was one of the brighter spots under Richt, but the Pinstripe Bowl featured Jonathan Taylor carving up the defense for 205 yards. One benefit for Diaz is that he is Miami born and bred and graduated from Florida State, so the Sunshine State should be in his wheelhouse to recruit.
North Carolina
Mack BrownFired: Larry Fedora (45-43 in seven seasons)
The Tar Heels were atop the Coastal Division in 2015, but in the three years since they've gone 13-23. Larry Fedora took UNC to four bowl games, but went 1-3 and had seemed to wear out his welcome as the Tar Heels watched the ACC blow by them in the past few years.
Much like the many TV show reboots, UNC is hashing up a familiar face in College Football Hall of Famer and former coach, Mack Brown. Brown hasn't coached since 2013 when he was let go by Texas and has been working as an analyst for ESPN.
Brown is just six wins from 250 for his career with 158 of those coming with the Longhorns, where he also won a National Championship in 2005. He built a program from the bottom up after beginning 2-20 at UNC in 1988-89. From 1990-97, Brown's teams posted a winning record and made six bowl appearances. There's no doubt Brown can coach, but can he relate to players on the recruiting trail and in the locker room.
Kansas
Les MilesFired: David Beatty (6-42 in four seasons)
The David Beatty was no doubt a disaster with just six wins in four seasons, but they finally got things going in 2018 with three wins for the first time since 2014. Wins against TCU, Rutgers, and Central Michigan on the road, helped ended various droughts. A chance to knock off Kansas State faltered and shortly after, Beatty was informed he would not return.
Then the Jayhawks, not known for their football, made a big splash in their coaching hire in Les Miles. Miles hasn't coached since 2016 when he was let go by LSU. In that time the "Mad Hatter" has been starring in commercials and even movies.
Kansas is hoping Miles can return them to 2007. That year the Jayhawks posted a school best 12-1 record including an Orange Bowl win under Mark Mangino, while Miles was busy leading LSU to a National Championship.
Kansas State
Chris KliemanRetired: Bill Snyder (215-117-1 in 27 seasons)
The Godfather of Kansas State football, Bill Snyder, has officially hung it up at the age of 79. Snyder had two stints from 1989-2005 and then from 2009-2018 in which he amassed 215 wins in 27 seasons and just missed his 20th bowl appearance after the Wildcats finished 5-7 last season.
Enter Chris Klieman, who will be just the third coach in the last 30 years to lead Kansas State. For Klieman a move to the FBS level is what he needed to add a new challenge. In the past five years he's led North Dakota State to four National Titles in the FCS. He went 69-6 in those five years as the Bison head coach.
Texas Tech
Fired: Kliff Kingsbury (35-40 in six seasons)
Kliff Kingsbury never got the Red Raiders back to the Mike Leach era that he thrived under as a quarterback. The offensive minded Kingsbury finished with a losing record including a 5-7 season in 2018. Don't worry about him though as much like Manny Diaz, he's taken two jobs this winter. First he was briefly going to be the USC Offensive Coordinator, but then took the Arizona Cardinals head coach job after Steve Wilks was fired just one year on the job.
Enter an equally talented offensive mind in Matt Wells who led Utah State to a surprising 10-2 campaign. The Aggies averaged 51.5 points in their 12 games this season thanks in part to great quarterback play from Jordan Love. During the exact same tenure as Kingsbury, Wells led his program to a 44-34 record including five bowl appearances.
West Virginia
Left: Dana Holgorsen (61-41 in eight seasons)
Dana Holgorsen surprised a lot of people when he decided to leave a Power 5 school like West Virginia to become the highest paid Group of 5 coach at his old stomping grounds in Houston. The Mountaineers had a great 2018 season, but when Will Grier announced he would not play in the bowl game, West Virginia looked sluggish especially from the quarterback play in their Camping World Bowl loss to Syracuse.
Neal Brown comes over from a small school that has had big success. He was the Sun Belt Coach of the year at Troy in 2017 and has wins over LSU and Nebraska during his tenure with the Trojans. They went from 4-8 in his first season to 31-8 in their next three with three bowl wins.
Maryland
Mike LocksleyFired: DJ Durkin (10-15 in two seasons)
It's been well documented on how and why D.J. Durkin was fired. Durkin was ultimately held responsible for the death of Jordan McNair during summer workouts after training staff failed to recognize signs of heat stroke. After a tumultuous investigation and poor handling from the administration, Durkin was let go. Matt Canada filled in as interim coach and led the Terrapins to a 5-7 finish.
Maryland returns a familiar face and big recruiter in the area in Mike Locksley. He's spent the last three years on Nick Saban's staff and served as the offensive coordinator in 2018. He previously coached at New Mexico were he was a disastrous 2-26 in just over two seasons. He also served as the interim coach for the Terrapins in 2015 finishing 1-5 and was the Terps OC and quarterback coach from 2012-15.
Ohio State
Retired: Urban Meyer (83-9 in seven seasons)
The up and downs for Urban Meyer in 2018 proved to be too much as health and controversy led to him stepping aside as the head coach for a Buckeyes team that he once led to a National Title. He also never lost to the team up north and his worst finish in conference play was tied for first. Meyer's final game was a Rose Bowl win over Washington.
The transition for players should be seamless as Ryan Day takes over for good. Day led Ohio State to a 3-0 start after Meyer was suspended for his handling of assistant coach Zach Smith. Already there has been some big changes at the quarterback position. After a school record season, Dwayne Haskins is headed for the NFL while Tate Martell is transferring to Miami (FL). Don't feel sad for day as he welcomes Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who will likely be the starter for the Buckeyes.
Charlotte
Will HealyFired: Brad Lambert (22-48 in six seasons)
Brad Lambert led the 49ers into the transition from FCS to FBS level, but Charlotte failed to win more than five games in any season. In 2018 they finished 5-7 and were 4-4 in conference play.
Will Healy comes over from Austin Peay where he won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the year in 2017 for the top coach in the FCS. Healy went from 0-11 in his first season to 8-4 in year two including a 7-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. Overall he was 13-21 for the Governors in three seasons. At 33, Healy is the second youngest coach in the FBS behind Kent State's Sean Lewis.
Western Kentucky
Tyson HeltonFired: Mike Sanford (9-16 in two seasons)
Mike Sanford led the Hilltoppers to a bowl game in his first year and by year two found himself on the way out after a 3-9 finish in 2018.
Tyson Helton returns to Bowling Green after having served as the team's offensive coordinator from 2014-15 under Jeff Brohm. Helton comes over from Tennessee were he served as the offensive coordinator for the 5-7 Volunteers. He was also the quarterback coach at USC under his brother Clay Helton in 2016 and 17.
Liberty
Hugh FreezeRetired: Turner Gill (47-35 in seven seasons)
Turner Gill led the Flames to a domination of the Big South Conference before Liberty made the transition from FCS to FBS. The Flames finished in first four of the six years Gill was in charge including a playoff win. He went 6-6 this year, but announced that he was retiring to spend time with his wife, who has developed health issues in the past few years.
Liberty, a private-Christian school, opted to hire Hugh Freeze, who was forced to resign after improper booster activity and a personal matter concerning his choice to call and escort service on a school phone. Freeze has stated those days are behind him and it should also be noted that he would've had to serve a two-game suspension had he been hired in 2018. That goes away since he sat a year and he will be able to serve as head coach for all games next season.
UMass
Walt BellFired: Mark Whipple (65-70 in 11 seasons)
The Mark Whipple era started off with a bang as the Minutemen won the 1998 I-AA Championship. After two more playoff appearances, Whipple left for the NFL to be an assistant. He then returned in 2014 to try and lead the transition to the FBS starting the MAC and then becoming an independent. He didn't find success in either venue and was suspended for one game after referencing rape when asked about the officiating.
Whipple was fired and replaced by a young fresh and sought after mind in Walt Bell. Since 2014, Bell has served in various capacities on the offensive coaching staffs for Arkansas State, Maryland, and was the offensive coordinator at Florida State in 2018. Bell at 34 is the fourth youngest head coach at the FBS level.
Akron
Tom ArthFired: Terry Bowden (35-52 in seven seasons)
Terry Bowden was a big name coach at a MAC school that the Akron Zips hoped would lead to more Frank Solich results than Ron English. What they got was something in between as the Zips managed one MAC Championship appearance in 2017 and only had one winning season and two bowl appearances.
Tom Arth's success at Chattanooga doesn't really excite at 9-13, but his work just 40 minutes north of Akron did catch the locals attention. While at John Carroll he went 40-8 with three playoff appearances including a loss in the Division III Semifinals.
Bowling Green
Scott LoefflerFired: Mike Jinks (7-24 in three seasons)
Since 2001 Bowling Green has been a jump-off point for bigger jobs. It started with Urban Meyer, skipped over Gregg Brandon, sent Dave Lawson to Wake Forest, and then Dino Babers to Syracuse. Mike Jinks found himself in Brandon's shoes as the Falcons faltered under his guidance to the point that Bowling Green let him go midway into his third season.
Scott Loeffler left Boston College where he served as the offensive coordinator in the past three seasons. He's had success molding quarterbacks like Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, and Brian Griese during his time as quarterbacks coach at Michigan and Florida. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Temple, Auburn and Virginia Tech.
Central Michigan
Jim McElwainFired: John Bonamego (22-29 in four seasons)
What a difference one year can make. In his first three seasons John Bonamego had three bowl appearances although all three resulted in a loss. Then in 2018, the Chippewa's had a school worst 1-11 finish that included being the the first team to lose at home to Kansas in 45 games.
Jim McElwain comes to Mt. Pleasant looking to get the program back on track. In six seasons between Colorado State and Florida he finished 44-28, but his last season at Florida had a tumultuous finish. He was fired after a 3-4 start and there was plenty of bad blood between him and the administration. McElwain spent last season as the wide receivers just two hours down the road in Ann Arbor.
Northern Illinois
Thomas HammockLeft: Rod Carey (52-30 in six seasons)
The success of Rod Carey will be a tough act to follow. Carey only had one losing season and four first place finishes, two MAC Championships, and won MAC Coach of the Year in 2013. He did have the unfortunate luck of going 0-6 in bowl games, but that didn't deter the Temple Owls who hired Carey away after Manny Diaz, who replaced Geoff Collins, left after 19 days.
The Huskies went with an interesting choice in a first time head coach, former player, and running backs coach (2005-06), Thomas Hammock. He also served as an RB Coach for Minnesota, Wisconsin, and most recently the Baltimore Ravens since 2014.
Utah State
Gary AndersenLeft: Matt Wells (44-34 in six seasons)
Matt Wells left the Aggies in good shape as Utah State had two ten win seasons and five bowl appearances in his six seasons. He used the Aggies offensive explosion this season to catch the eyes of Texas Tech and left before the bowl game this season.
Utah State turns to a familiar face in Gary Andersen who went 26-24 in four seasons from 2009-2012. Andersen took that success and went to Wisconsin where he had two strong seasons, but opted to leave for Oregon State where he had an abysmal 7-23 record before being fired in his third season. He spent last season at Utah serving as an assistant head coach.
Colorado
Mel TuckerFired: Mike MacIntyre (30-44 in six seasons)
Colorado had not had great success since moving to the PAC-12, but in 2016 they shocked everyone by winning the PAC-12 South. That was the only winning season for Mike MacIntyre, but it seemed like that wouldn't be the case after a 5-0 start in 2018. The Buffaloes would get derailed in conference play and finish 5-7 with MacIntyre being fired before the final game.
Mel Tucker comes in looking to change that luck with his experience in the NFL coaching circles, Alabama, and most recently as the defensive coordinator for Georgia. Tucker's lone head coaching experience comes as an interim coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 where he went 2-3.
Appalachian State
Eli DrinkwitzLeft: Scott Satterfield (51-24 in six seasons)
The transition from FCS to powerhouse to the FBS has gone smoothly for Appalachian State thanks to the hard work of Scott Satterfield. After a losing season in the Mountaineers final season in the FCS, they won at least seven games in every seasons since they transitioned to the FBS in 2014. The team went 4-0 in bowl games and won the Sun Belt three times. Satterfield left before the fourth bowl appearance to take the vacancy at Louisville.
Eliah Drinkwitz brings his success as an offensive coordinator at Boise State and NCST to Boone, North Carolina. Drinkwitz will have lofty expectations as the Mountaineers cracked the Top 25 for the first time in school history.
Coastal Carolina
Jamey ChadwellRetired: Joe Moglia (56-22 in six seasons)
Joe Moglia had a great career as the coach for Coastal Carolina as he led the Chanticleers to four straight FCS playoff appearances and three Big South Championships in his first four seasons. He then led them to a 10-2 season in the final season in the FCS. Health issues forced him to sit out 2017 and then he had his first losing season at 5-7 in 2018. Those health concerns led him to step down at the end of the season.
He handed the reigns to a familiar face in Jamey Chadwell, who served as the interim coach in 2017 while Moglia was out. Chadwell went 3-9 in that season, but did have success at Charleston Southern where he went 35-14 in four seasons. However, he does come with some baggage as the NCAA investigated his use of ineligible players during his time at Charleston Southern and the Buccaneers were forced to vacate 18 wins from 2014 and 2015.
Texas State
Jake SpavitalFired: Everett Withers (7-28 in three seasons)
There's not much positive for Everett Withers in his time at Texas State. He did finish with his best season, but at 3-8, he was fired before the season finished.
The Bobcats go with the youth movement of a young offensive mind in Jake Spavital. Spavital is the third youngest coach at the FBS level and has led the offenses at Texas A&M, Cal, and most recently at West Virginia where he coached quarterback Will Grier.
Troy
Chip LindseyLeft: Neal Brown (35-16 in four seasons)
Neal Brown laid the ground work in the last four years at Troy, building a Sun Belt power that picked up stunning wins over LSU and Nebraska. That success led Brown to take the West Virginia opening just after the new year.
Chip Lindsey knows the state of Alabama well as he spent time as a high school football coach in the region and also served as the offensive coordinator for Auburn the last two seasons. His offensive mind was tapped by Les Miles to be his offensive coordinator at Kansas, but Lindsey took the opportunity for his first college football head coaching gig.
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