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The pathway for top college football coordinators to land notable head coaching jobs still exists, but it's undeniably harder to see these days. Of the 25 teams that hired new coaches in late fall and early winter, only five hired Power 4 coordinators who weren't already working in their programs. Among that group, none was selected to lead a Power 4 program. The past cycle was very light on major job vacancies, and the ones that opened seemed more interested in hiring those already in head coaching roles, or, in the case of North Carolina, a former NFL coach with six Super Bowl rings from the New England Patriots. Where have all the elite assistants gone? They haven't gone anywhere, but thanks to escalating salaries and a limited job carousel, many are back with their teams for the 2025 season. Of the five finalists for the 2024 Broyles Award, which goes to the nation's top assistant, only the winner, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, left for an NFL coordinator gig. Arizona State's Marcus Arroyo, Indiana's Bryant Haines, Tennessee's Tim Banks and Texas' Pete Kwiatkowski are all set to return in their roles this fall. The winter featured some splashy coordinator moves, most notably Jim Knowles leaving national champion Ohio State for Big Ten rival Penn State, where he replaced Tom Allen, who left for the same role at Clemson. Promising young coordinators also landed new gigs. My goal is to identify the on-the-rise assistants who could be best positioned to secure head coaching roles in the next few cycles. A disclaimer: Not every elite coordinator will appear below. That's not a knock against them. I know guys like Knowles and Allen are out there. There's just a distinct group who might be a little less known, but could be on the move toward becoming head coaches, even at major programs. Let's look at who to watch for the 2025-26 coaching carousel. Jump to a tier:
Power 4 launchpad | Splashy new hires | Names on the rise 
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