In just over a week, we’ve got an early start on the 2026-27 college football coaching carousel with four different Power 4 programs firing their head coaches. Others are likely to follow and while this hiring cycle might not have quite as many high-profile jobs as usual, there is still plenty of intrigue for this year’s edition of the process.

Let’s dive into our early college football coaching predictions. For this exercise, we’re including the Florida State Seminoles, Baylor Bears, NC State Wolfpack, Maryland Terrapins, and a few other Power 4 schools who we believe either will fire their head coaches or need to find replacements.

Florida State Seminoles: Manny Diaz

The Florida State Seminoles athletic department is not in a great financial situation right now. Firing Mike Norvell and his staff cost more than $50 million and bringing in a new coaching staff will cost tens of millions of dollars. That puts a strain on the quality of staff the next head coach can bring in and the NIL wallet Florida State can offer to overhaul its roster. That’s why we’re ruling out the likes of Kenny Dillingham and Rhett Lashlee; the ecosystem just isn’t good enough to leave.

So, we think that Manny Diaz will be the next Seminoles football coach. He’s a Florida State alum who will be particularly invested in seeing the Seminoles’ football program turned around. Hiring an alum also tends to bring with it more support from boosters, something the athletic department will need to factor in given how costly this entire process has been. Miami fans will mock the hire given Diaz’s results with the Hurricanes (21-15 in three seasons), but he demonstrated his defensive mind at Penn State (2022-23) and now has the Duke Blue Devils on track for their third consecutive season with at least nine wins. The contrast between results at Miami and Duke also showcases how well he can do when a school gives him the resources he needs to be succesful. Diaz is an outstanding leader of young men, he can fix Florida State’s defense, and he’ll bring Duke general manager Binuk Kodituwakku with him to help build out this roster and build a foundation for the future. It might not be viewed as a home-run hire, but it would be a solid B-grade move that brings respectability back to Tallahassee.

Baylor Bears: Jeff Traylor

Lincoln Riley would’ve been the obvious pick here, but his win over Ohio State in Week 9 almost certainly means he’ll remain with the USC Trojans in 2027. So, we pivot to predicting that Jeff Traylor will be the next Baylor Bears head coach. Traylor, a Texas native, has done remarkable work with the UTSA Roadrunners since he landed his first head-coaching gig in 2020. He’s delivered a winning record every season and the Roadrunners are now on the verge of double-digit wins for the third time in the last six years. Traylor also has roots in Texas as a high school football coach, giving him connections around the state when it comes to recruiting. The two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year checks every box that Baylor is looking for and his head-coaching experience should make him a priority over rolling the dice on a long-time assistant. Baylor is the right fit for Traylor and within a few years, we think he’d have them competing for the Big 12 title.

NC State Wolfpack: Philip Rivers

We’re buying into the smoke coming out of the North Carolina State Wolfpack coaching search. Pete Nakos of On3.com first reported that Philip Rivers is emerging as the early front-runner to become the next NC State football coach and ESPN‘s Pete Thamel later reported that the former NFL quarterback is “engaged in serious discussions” about taking the job. This would be an all-time gamble by NC State, one that could set the program back years if it doesn’t work out. Let’s not completely dismiss Rivers as a coaching candidate, though. He was a quasi-coach in 2025 when he returned to be the Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback and the Buffalo Bills interviewed him for their head-coaching vacancy this past January. His football mind and leadership are clearly well-regarded by those at the highest level. Plus, you can guarantee that boosters and the local community will throw their support and wallets behind him. NC State is going to take the biggest risk of the 2026-27 college football coaching carousel.

Maryland Terrapins: Brian Hartline

We know that bigger names like Jake Dickert and Jason Eck have been connected to the Maryland Terrapins coaching search. With all due respect to the school, it’s likely not in a position where it could realistically land either guy. Instead, we believe a program that hasn’t won more than four games in a season since 2023 and has funding problems will need to roll the dice on a young coach. Brian Hartline’s track record as a recruiter at Ohio State speaks for itself. The 39-year-old finally got his first crack at being a head coach this year with the South Florida Bulls.

Replacing Alex Golesh wasn’t easy, especially since he brought quarterback Byrum Brown and wide receiver Keshaun Singleton with him to Auburn. Even with those losses and a new coaching staff to build for the first time ever, Hartline has South Florida (6-2) on pace to match its highest win total (9-4) under Golesh. Perhaps Hartline could even bring quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., a Maryland native, with him to the Terrapins. It’s a risk to bring an inexperienced head coach into the Big Ten Conference with the limited resources that Maryland has, but Hartline might be the best option with the highest upside.

Wisconsin Badgers: Jason Eck

For a moment, it seemed like head coach Luke Fickell might have saved his job. The program improved to 5-2 after dismantling the USC Trojans on Oct. 24, and a favorable schedule to close out the season provided a path to eight-plus wins. However, losing 30-0 at Iowa with the offense putting up 235 total yards and going 4-for-13 on third down feels like the proverbial nail in Fickell’s coffin.

Two names will be the focus in the Wisconsin Badgers coaching search. Wake Forest Demon Deacons coach Jake Dickert, who is on pace to deliver his second consecutive season of nine-plus wins for the school, has now won at both Washington State and Wake Forest. The 43-year-old is also a Wisconsin native, having played at Oconto High School and later graduating from Wisconsin-Stevens Point and then serving as a graduate assistant for the program before stints around the country.

As alluring as his resume is, we tend to believe the next Badgers coach will be Jason Eck. He’s a Wisconsin alum who played on the offensive line for the Badgers (1995-98) under Barry Alvarez before spending three seasons learning from the legendary coach as a graduate assistant (1999-2001). He’s been climbing the coaching ranks ever since, with successful stints as a head coach at Idaho (26-13) and now New Mexico (16-5). The allure of hiring an alum who could realistically get the Badgers football program back on track is too appealing to ignore.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly desperately wants to become a head coach again and he’s willing to fake whatever accent, hobby, or interest to make it happen. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights gave Greg Schiano seven seasons to try and make it work, but the 2026 campaign is going to be his fourth with a losing record. This obviously isn’t a great job, but that also means realistic expectations from the fan base and athletic department. The Scarlet Knights would just be happy to win seven-plus games every year; Kelly (.725 career winning percentage) at least brings some form of stability. Any premier Power 4 school choosing Kelly to be their next head coach would be a D-grade decision. For Rutgers, it would be a B-plus hire because Kelly offers a moderate floor and he can stick around as long as everyone around the program doesn’t expect too much.

Michigan Wolverines: Jake Dickert

There always tends to be one relatively big surprise in the college football coaching carousel. We’ve got our eye on the Michigan Wolverines. Based on how the offense has looked this season, it’s reasonable to project that Michigan loses at least two more games this year (UCLA and Ohio State) and it could lose on Nov. 14 in Eugene against Oregon. Six losses in Ann Arbor isn’t acceptable, just ask Brady Hoke. It will bring a level of scrutiny that Kyle Whittingham, who turns 67 in November, is too old to deal with. Whether it’s a buyout or the two sides “mutually agreeing to part ways”, a separation would feel inevitable.

This creates an opening for Jake Dickert. At just 43 years old, he would allow Michigan to go in a younger direction at head coach with a program builder. He also, unlike Whittingham’s predecessor, comes with years of head-coaching experience. Dickert would have every resource he could possibly need at Michigan and, given the number of head-coaching changes the program will have had since 2023, job security and patience would be a given. He should be the most coveted coach in college football this offseason, meaning he can take his time and stay unless a great job with even better resources becomes available. That is Michigan. It is a perfect marriage for both sides.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Charles Huff

Since we have Jake Dickert going to Michigan, it is only right that we find a new head coach for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The program clearly nailed its last coaching search and given what happened last time, we would put our focus on Charles Huff. The 43-year-old is on his third head-coaching job since 2021, so he is clearly willing to move around if a better opportunity becomes available. He posted a 32-20 record (.615 winning percentage) at Marshall, delivered a six-win improvement for Southern Miss (1-11 to 7-6) in his only year at the helm, and now has the Memphis Tigers (7-2) performing like Ryan Silverfield never left. Wake Forest has gone with two experienced head coaches in its last two hiring cycles, so we are inclined to lean with Huff for the Demon Deacons over top assistants like Glenn Schumann and Bryant Haines.