Adam RittenbergFeb 10, 2026, 06:31 AM ETCloseCollege football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Sam Acho breaks down why Darian Mensah is perfect for Miami (0:50)Sam Acho breaks down why Darian Mensah is perfect for Miami Sam Acho discusses why he loves Darian Mensah’s fit with the Miami Hurricanes on “College Football Live.” (0:50)
The most familiar name in a familiar place is that of Brent Pry, whom Virginia Tech hired as defensive coordinator in a truly historic move. Pry began the 2025 season as the Hokies’ head coach and will begin 2026 as their defensive playcaller, working for the coach (James Franklin) who replaced him, and for whom he last served as a DC at Penn State.
The theme of the cycle, and a subplot for the 2026 season, is whether proven playcallers can replicate their success at places they know and at new ones.
This past coordinator carousel still has some names on the rise and key staff retentions, including at national championship participants Indiana and Miami, and several other CFP teams. Here’s a look at the key coordinator moves made in each Power 4 conference and how they could impact the 2026 season.
Kelly gives Northwestern a proven playcaller who can help improve its situational offense. The Wildcats tied for 60th nationally in red zone drives but were 129th in red zone touchdown percentage last season.
“Chip’s acumen and understanding for how we can manipulate coverages and utilize the QB run game is really exciting,” Braun said. “Ultimately, someone who understands, you win in the NFL by winning on third down, winning on two-minute drives and being successful in the red zone. That’s one area of the field where players matter, but scheme really matters.”
Another notable OC hire from the NFL is Ohio State’s Arthur Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons coach who held coordinator stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. Like Kelly in 2024, Smith arrives as a true autonomous playcaller, and will allow Buckeyes coach Ryan Day to focus on overall management of the team. Day likely would have needed to be more directly involved if he promoted an assistant to the OC role, and Smith’s hiring makes the responsibilities clear.
Another new Big Ten defensive coordinator with FCS roots is Travis Johansen, set to join Rutgers after serving as South Dakota’s coach in 2025. Johansen has been at USD since 2019, spending six seasons as defensive coordinator — Aurich worked under him from 2019 to 2021 — before taking over the program.
Patricia is back for a second season at Ohio State after overseeing a historically strong group that led the FBS with just 9.3 points per game allowed.
Also worth mentioning is Kevin Kane, who returns to Purdue as defensive coordinator, a role he held in 2023 and 2024. Although Kane was on hand for a very rough stretch for Boiler football, he also has extensive Big Ten experience and solid coordinator stints at SMU and Northern Illinois.
Mississippi State also brought back a familiar name in Zach Arnett, who will return to the defensive coordinator role he held for the Bulldogs from 2020 to 2022. Arnett then took over as head coach following the death of Mike Leach, only to be fired after one season. He spent the past two seasons as an analyst for Florida State and Ole Miss.
The thought of Petrino calling offensive plays for Belichick at an ACC program seemed unfathomable just two years ago, but here we are. North Carolina averaged just 19.3 points per game in Belichick’s first season, and Petrino should provide an upgrade. Arkansas ranked sixth in yards per game and 30th in scoring during Petrino’s return the past two seasons.
Chad Morris is back as offensive coordinator at Clemson, where he helped engineer the program’s rise alongside Dabo Swinney from 2011 to 2014. Will Muschamp is back as defensive coordinator at Texas, where he accelerated his “Coach Boom” reputation and spent 2009 and 2010 as head coach-in-waiting behind Mack Brown. Gary Patterson has not worked at USC before, but his arrival as defensive coordinator — a role he hasn’t held since 2000 — under a coach he knows well (Lincoln Riley) qualifies as one of the splashiest moves of the winter.
Timing is everything when it comes to many coaching hires, and Kelly’s availability — after being fired just 11 games into his tenure as Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator — and willingness to take on a role like this made Northwestern jump at the opportunity. Northwestern needs excitement around its program as it opens new Ryan Field. Despite seven bowl appearances since the start of the 2015 season, Northwestern ranks 129th nationally in scoring during the span. “If I was going to make a change, we can’t just make a change to make a change,” Northwestern coach David Braun told me. “Let’s make an aggressive, transformational change.”
Shutouts don’t occur very often in college football, especially from Group of 5 defenses, but San Diego State blanked three opponents in 2025 and allowed 10 points or fewer in five other victories. The Aztecs finished sixth nationally in points allowed (15.4 PPG), behind four CFP teams and Toledo. Aurich, in his first season as SDSU’s defensive coordinator, oversaw the surge and put himself on the radar for a significant opportunity with Matt Rhule at Nebraska. He returned to the Midwest, where he grew up, played college football and began his career at stops like Bemidji State and South Dakota. Among Aurich’s top priorities will be improving Nebraska’s run defense, which slipped to 98th nationally last fall.
This will be interesting. Patterson is a Hall of Fame coach with a keen eye for defensive talent and developing players, as he displayed throughout his 22-year run as TCU coach. He has never worked at a program with USC’s combination of history, resources and access to talent, and could be a significant asset for Lincoln Riley as the Trojans attempt to make their first playoff. Although Patterson has held some support roles since the end of his TCU tenure, he hasn’t been a coordinator for more than a quarter-century. How will the headstrong Patterson adjust to answering to a boss 23 years younger than him?
The Big Ten adds four new coaches, but most eyes will be on Kyle Whittingham and Matt Campbell at Michigan and Penn State, respectively. Both are bringing their offensive coordinators from previous stops while adding notable DCs. Beck, in particular, arrives with great anticipation after significantly elevating Utah’s offense, which finished fourth nationally in scoring (41.2 PPG) and second in rushing (266.3 YPG) last season. He now must work his magic with a very different type of quarterback in sophomore Bryce Underwood, who flashed his talent at times in 2025 but also struggled to find consistency. Hill joins Whittingham from rival BYU, which he helped to the Big 12 championship game in 2025 and 23 wins the past two seasons.
Continuity is the clear theme for Oregon ahead of a season where anything short of a national title might be deemed a disappointment. After losing coordinators Will Stein (Kentucky) and Tosh Lupoi (Cal), coach Dan Lanning looked within the program for their replacements. Hampton, who spent 2021 and 2022 as Tulane’s defensive coordinator before joining Oregon’s staff as Lupoi’s lead aide, was a fairly clear choice. Lanning went outside the program for Stein but opted to elevate Mehringer, who has coached the Ducks’ tight ends for the past four seasons but also has coordinator experience from Rutgers, Florida Atlantic and New Mexico. Mehringer’s work with Dante Moore and a passing game that regains wide receiver Evan Stewart from injury will be under the microscope.
Many Ole Miss fans won’t miss Lane Kiffin, but even they must acknowledge that the offensive structure he and former OC Charlie Weis Jr. created dramatically elevated the program and will be missed. Offensive coordinator was coach Pete Golding’s most important transition hire, and he went with Baker, who spent 2021 to 2023 as an Ole Miss assistant before landing his first lead coordinator role at East Carolina. He developed quarterback Katin Houser there and helped ECU rise to No. 19 nationally in passing offense and No. 24 in scoring. Baker inherits a very talented group, which includes Doak Walker Award runner-up Kewan Lacy, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (if he is available to return), wide receiver Deuce Alexander and others. Kiffin and Weis set a very high standard for production at Ole Miss, and Baker will be expected to match it. He will be helped by Joe Judge, whom Golding kept on as quarterbacks coach.
When Auburn rallied to tie Alabama in the fourth quarter of the 2025 Iron Bowl, momentum grew for Durkin, the team’s interim coach, to land the permanent role. Auburn ended up losing and hiring Alex Golesh instead, but Golesh retained Durkin in his original coordinator role. The veteran DC oversaw top-35 defenses at Auburn despite getting very little help from the offense and has experience from Texas A&M, Florida, Michigan and elsewhere. Golesh hasn’t worked with Durkin before but has known him for many years. If the partnership between the two holds up, Auburn should be better off. Kiffin scored a major win for LSU in keeping Baker, a candidate for Tulane’s head coaching vacancy. Baker’s 2025 defense held opponents to fewer than 20 points per game, and his extensive experience recruiting and coaching in the state will be a big boost as Kiffin gets settled.
After a historic season that featured Texas A&M’s first 11-0 start since its last national championship team in 1939, coach Mike Elko chose continuity when coordinators Collin Klein and Jay Bateman left College Station. Wiggins, the team’s co-OC the past two seasons next to Klein, will handle the primary role for the first time in his career. He has coached wide receivers since 2012, including a five-year stretch at Alabama, and will once again have Mario Craver at his disposal, along with Crimson Tide transfer Isaiah Horton and others. The question is how he will fare as the lead playcaller, and whether he can help quarterback Marcel Reed take the next step. Hemphill, who served as a senior defensive assistant in 2025, brings more coordinator experience after stops at James Madison, Duke (with Elko), Wake Forest and Stony Brook. He will oversee a unit seeking another reload up front after losing top pass rusher Cashius Howell.