By Mike Huesmann
I was surprised FIU fired Mike MacIntyre. Maybe I shouldn’t have been. He was 4-8 in each of his three seasons here, that isn’t good enough, alongside some concerning claims from a former player. That being said with the landscape of college football right now, the lower-level FBS schools are at such a disadvantage. You’re going to lose your best underclassmen most seasons and continuity is tough to sustain. I still believe Mac is a good coach, but hopefully, his replacement can get more W’s here. We have some exciting offensive minds and guys who have been primed to become head coaches for a few years.
Willie Simmons
Duke, RB Coach
Not so long ago I said Simmons would be an OC or possibly even HC at the FBS level, he was a fantastic hire for new head coach Manny Diaz. Simmons came to Duke from FCS Florida A&M where he was head coach for six years and never finished lower than 2nd in the division. He’s a heck of an offensive coach and it feels like this could be a job he’s a candidate for. The fans would embrace him, he’d inject some offense, and I think he’d be able to upgrade the roster.
https://twitter.com/HBCUGameday/status/1865054271940501548
Tim Harris
UCF, Offensive Coordinator
Harris spent six years here as an assistant after being an uber successful high school head coach in Miami at Booker T. Washington. He has since been at FIU, Miami, and UCF coaching RBs, WRs, and as offensive coordinator. He has as many connections in South Florida as anyone and could be a magnet for recruits and portal guys in that area. Like Simmons, he will be mentioned for other jobs.
https://twitter.com/FootballHotbed/status/1863376469881172118
Buster Faulkner
Georgia Tech, Offensive Coordinator
Faulkner is a big reason that Brent Key and the Yellow Jackets have turned it around so quickly. He won national titles as an assistant at Georgia prior to this stint. He has extensive experience in the G5 before that at Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, and Southern Miss. His name is hot right now and has only recently popped up in head coaching mentions. This can be good and bad depending on who is hiring.
More Sports News
https://twitter.com/gxrrettgsn/status/1862885245927723350
Brennan Marion
UNLV, Offensive Coordinator
Marion has had offensive success everywhere he’s coached at. He’s been rumored to be a candidate for a few G5 openings. Since 2018 his stops have included William & Mary, Hawaii, Pittsburgh, Texas, and now UNLV. He is as innovative as they come and his team’s ability to run the ball out of the Go-Go offense is assured. He would bring excitement and offense to a team that desperately needs it. He is on many of these lists for a reason, he’s very close to being a head coach.
https://twitter.com/HindsWesley/status/1864675128371487220
Frank Ponce
Appalachian State, Offensive Coordinator
Ponce is an FIU alumni and former assistant coach from 2007-2012. He has other impressive stops at schools such as Louisville and Miami. Like Harris, he also has coached at elite high schools in Miami, having coached at Northwestern High. His recent stop at Appalachian, his third stint for the Mountaineers, may have primed him to become a head coach and with Shawn Clark being fired there he is likely on the move anyways.
