College football coaching carousel 2026: Tracking moves as Maryland, NC State, Baylor make changes

Get the latest on the college football coaching carousel as CBS Sports tracks new hires and fires

Oct 27, 2026 at 2:40 pm ET • 2 min read

After a few false starts, the coaching carousel finally started spinning in late October.

It's not surprising the silly season is off to a slow start after 2025's record-breaking churn. The FBS hired 32 new head coaches, including 17 in the four power conferences, and hundreds more assistant coaches changed jobs.

Ninety-three FBS programs have changed coaches over the last three offseasons. The question is whether we've hit a cooling period as schools wrestle with the challenging economics of the NIL and revenue-sharing era. 

Maryland kicked off the firing season Oct. 21. More power programs have followed. CBS Sports is tracking every move in the 2026-27 cycle and grading each hire below.

Power Four

Baylor -- OUT: Dave Aranda | IN: TBD

Dave Aranda won a Big 12 title in 2021 but otherwise led the Bears with middling success over seven seasons. He finished 40-40 and was below .500 in the Big 12 (26-32). Don't be surprised if Baylor seeks an offensive coach, particularly one with strong connections to the Texas high school scene. UTSA's Jeff Traylor, Texas State's GJ Kinne and USC's Lincoln Riley are strong candidates to consider in Waco.

Maryland -- OUT: Mike Locksley | IN: TBD

Maryland kicked off the coaching carousel this year. Mike Locksley is out halfway through his eighth season at Maryland, where he was 39-54 overall. The Terps were 4-8 in back-to-back seasons leading to the decisive 2026. A wide variety of candidates will be considered in College Park. Wake Forest's Jake Dickert, a popular name elsewhere, and Memphis' Charles Huff, a Maryland native, immediately come to mind. The Terps have better NIL resources than a year ago, but the job is still difficult in the Big Ten.

NC State -- OUT: Dave Doeren | IN: TBD

Dave Doeren is out after 14 years in Raleigh, following a disappointing 31-28 loss at Stanford that dropped the Wolfpack to 1-3 in the ACC. Doeren seemed just good enough to win seven to nine games every year, but disappointing losses always railroaded what could have been special seasons. A downtick in success over the last three years made it clear a change was needed. The candidate with the most heat is legendary NC State quarterback Philip Rivers. He's coached high school football for five years in Alabama and interviewed for the Buffalo Bills' job in January. His son, Gunner, is committed to NC State. This job has a wide variety of potential candidates, including Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, UNLV's Dan Mullen and Memphis' Charles Huff.