Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Coming in From the Cold: Where Will These Coaches Find their Next Gig?

Where will these out of work coaches end up?

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By: Mike Huesmann

The coaching carousel rarely stops, but the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” rings true in this business. You can be forgotten quickly, though that doesn’t mean your career is over. Mack Brown spent six years out of coaching before going back to North Carolina, Jerry Kill seems to retire every few years, Bronco Mendenhall was away from the game, and the list goes on. 

Here I dive into five prominent names who don’t have a job right now but certainly will have opportunities and be mentioned in the future. Picking a specific school is nearly impossible here as predicting openings is too difficult, rather I will say what level they’ll be coaching at and what their role as coach will be. With the new trend of hiring copious amounts of analysts now it is possible some of them do that before a full-time gig. With the growing trend of G5 schools hiring experienced veteran HC’s (eg: New Mexico, Middle Tennessee, Nevada, San Jose State) that throws added possibilities in for these coaches.

Dan Mullen

Next Job: Mid to Lower Tier P4 Head Coach

Mullen is the least likely of this list to coach again, mainly because we don’t know if he wants to. He has a quality gig on TV, where he is very good. The fact that we hear his name mentioned regularly for jobs and he doesn’t quell those rumors tells me he at least thinks about coaching again. He was a good schematic and X’s and O’s coach who didn’t recruit well. Perfect for elevating the play of a lower level P4 team, like Mississippi State was when he took over that job in 2009 and spent nine seasons.

Mel Tucker

Next Job: NFL Position Coach (DB or LB)

Not many stars fall faster than Mel’s did. If Nick Saban had retired two or three years ago, Mel would’ve had a good chance to succeed him at Alabama. Successful assistant stints at Alabama and Georgia came before one good season at head coach of Colorado. Mel then went to Michigan State where he had an 11-2 season in 2021, with a great deal of help from Kenneth Walker. A scandal ensued, which we still don’t know all the details about. But we know one thing, if you’re a good coach in turmoil the best way to stay out of the limelight and rehab your image is in the NFL. I think that’s what Mel does next.

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Jimbo Fisher

Next Job: Upper Tier G5 Head Coach

Jimbo may never work again. Financially he doesn’t have to and if I was him, I’m not sure I’d work another day in my life. That being said, anyone who won a national title and sent that many guys to the NFL will have job opportunities (ie- Mack Brown). If Jimbo wants to work he can pick a project that interests or intrigues him and just go with it due to his financial stability. I think if the right G5 job comes along that strikes his fancy he’ll get in the saddle again and go to work, though a lower tier P4 could be an option. His career record of 128-48 is better than most and certainly good enough to work again.

Dana Holgorsen

Next Job: P4 Offensive Coordinator

A true Mike Leach disciple and Air Raid proponent. A head coach of a P4 team will look at Holgo and see a guy who’s experienced, successful, a workaholic, recruits, and will scheme with the best of them. That checks most boxes of what you want in an assistant. I don’t know if he gets a head job again, and definitely not as his next job, but successful programs who need an OC could be intrigued by him.

Pat Fitzgerald

Next Job: Lower Tier P4 Head Coach

Sometime between now and next April the Fitzgerald v. Northwestern litigation will be done, if they don’t settle before that. After this, Fitzgerald will coach again and we know he wants to. His record of 110-101 at Northwestern doesn’t tell us the picture of how successful he was there. Few places in the P4 are as difficult to win at and the 9-10 win seasons he would sporadically have were truly impressive. I don’t know what will come of his hearing and backlash from hazing, but I don’t doubt he works again. Other coaches have come back from similar issues and resumed their career. Someone will decide what he did either was in the past, wasn’t that bad, or that he’s contrite enough for a second chance. Winners get those second chances, that’s a theme in this list. A profile similar to Northwestern is where I expect him in the future. Smaller school, academic constraints, tough to win, don’t expect to challenge for the conference title yearly. 

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