The college football regular season concluded yesterday, and coaching carousel is already in full swing. Arkansas fired Bret Bielema, Nebraska fired Mike Riley, and Arizona State fired Todd Graham already this weekend, while UCLA has already filled their opening by hiring Chip Kelly. More firings could be coming - namely at Texas A&M - and as such, here are all the latest coaching news & rumors you need to know:
UPDATE: Florida will hire Mississippi State's Dan Mullen
Tennessee's offer to Gruden
ESPN analyst Jon Gruden seems has emerged as the favorite for the Tennessee job, and the Vols are hoping to lure him back to coaching with a contract worth $10 million annually, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Part of securing Gruden for the position would include luring former Volunteers quarterback Tee Martin back to Tennessee to serve as a chief recruiter for Gruden, according to sources, and the deal, if reached, would be worth upwards of $10M per season for Gruden, with another $8M per season reserved for the salaries of his staff. Gruden has resisted the urge to coach in college in the past and some close to him believe he would prefer to land an NFL job if he is to return to coaching, but the Tennessee job has a particular allure to him, according to some close to Gruden, and his wife was a former cheerleader at the school.
Gruden started his career as a grad assistant for Tennessee and has called coaching the Vols his "dream job." He went 95-81 in 11 seasons as an NFL head coach, being with the Oakland Raiders from 1998-2001 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002-2008. Gruden also won Super Bowl XXXVII in his first year in Tamp Bay.
UPDATE: Tennessee will not hire Greg Schiano following fan protests
Texas A&M targeting Jimbo Fisher once they fire Kevin Sumlin
Texas A&M has fired head coach Kevin Sumlin, and they already have his replacement in mind in Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, according to Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle.
In the days after Texas A&M blew a 34-point lead in the Aggies' season opener at UCLA, a longtime A&M insider told the Chronicle, "Remember the name Jimbo Fisher."
In the couple of months since, the insider and eventually others have not wavered in their belief that the sought-after Florida State coach will succeed Kevin Sumlin at A&M.
Fisher has spurned interest from LSU each of the last two seasons but has a good relationship with Texas A&M athletics director Scott Woodward, who held the position at LSU when Fisher was an assistant there.
College Football Fans - Download Chat Sports on iPhone today for breaking news, rumors, scores and more - Chat Sports iPhone App!
Matt Campbell addresses coaching rumors
Iowa State's Matt Campbell figures to be a leading candidate for many openings given the Cyclones' surprising success this season, and he addressed those rumors following their loss to Kansas State on Saturday.
"You can tell the recruits whatever you want, you know what I’m saying?” Campbell said. “But I think until you show it and until it’s proven, then it is what it is.
“I think that’s the reality we live in. Kids are smart. They’re 18- to 22-year-old kids. I think it ends up having to be your loyalty to stay where you are, be who you say you are, and I think that’s the key to success in terms of longevity and building a program.
“I’d tell them we’re here for the long haul. We’re going to build this thing the right way. We’re going to do it with those guys.”
Iowa State won just three games last year but went 7-5 this year. The formerly-ranked Cyclones have wins over TCU and Oklahoma, both top 10 teams at the time.
Follow our NCAA page for all the latest college football news & rumors!
Back to the NCAA Newsfeed