As the college football regular season comes to a close, here’s the latest on what I’m hearing about the coaching carousel as of Saturday morning.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M is the biggest coaching vacancy on the carousel. Sources with direct knowledge of the coaching search tell The Athletic that there are a few candidates whom A&M really likes, but there are some other top coaches the Aggies are expected to pursue after their games on Saturday.
The Aggies like Kansas coach Lance Leipold, Duke coach Mike Elko (a former A&M defensive coordinator) and Kansas State coach Chris Klieman. Each is regarded as a strong leader who knows how to establish and build a strong culture. Another name to watch in the A&M search is Kentucky’s Mark Stoops. Even though UK is only 6-5 heading into Saturday’s game at rival Louisville, the 56-year-old Stoops, a former SEC Coach of the Year, has led the Wildcats to two 10-win seasons since 2018 at a place that previously had only one 10-win season since 1951.
There is one big wild card here looming. Don’t be surprised if Texas A&M pursues Ohio State’s Ryan Day, those sources said. Day is 56-6 as a head coach and 39-2 in the Big Ten heading into Saturday’s showdown with Michigan. He came within a last-second field goal of beating Georgia last year in the College Football Playoff, but the specter of losing back-to-back games to arch-rival Michigan hangs heavy over Columbus. Now, if Day leads the Buckeyes to a win in Ann Arbor on Saturday and has the Buckeyes primed for a CFP run, he’s probably not taking that call. But if they lose, he might be more open to listening to A&M’s pitch.
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Michigan State
After months of a coaching search, Michigan State has focused all of its attention on Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith, sources told The Athletic Saturday morning.
For Smith, the former Fiesta Bowl winning quarterback, for Oregon State, this is not going to be an easy decision to leave his alma mater and a program that he breathed new life back into a few years ago as it’s now in the midst of the uncertainty of life after the Pac-12.
Smith knows all about building a program in the shadow of a much more high-profile, better-resourced program in-state, similar to what Michigan State faces compared to Michigan. Smith, a former star QB for the Beavers, has deep connections in Corvallis, though. And for as shaky as the Beavers’ conference situation is right now, with a lot of uncertainty swirling, it still isn’t an easy decision for him to bolt.
NC State’s Dave Doeren, Kansas’ Leipold and Toledo’s Jason Candle are believed to be in the mix.
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Baylor
Another hot seat situation to watch is at Baylor. The Bears are 3-8 and finish against West Virginia on Saturday in Waco. Baylor has lost four in a row, and the pressure is mounting on Dave Aranda. It wasn’t that long ago Aranda led Baylor to a No. 5 ranking with a 12-2 record in 2021, but the Bears are 9-15 since then. The Baylor administration really likes Aranda, and I’m told that if he presents a plan to make some key changes it likes, he probably will be back in 2024.
(Photo of Ryan Day: Jason Mowry / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
