The 2023 college head coaching carousel was on full display last weekend when three major firings occurred. We in the NFL already have had one in-season head coaching dismissal so more changes would not be totally unexpected.
While the Jimbo Fisher firing at Texas A&M received much of the media attention due to the reported $77 million in severance that the school will owe its former coach, head coaches at both Boise State and Mississippi State also were relieved of their duties over the weekend.
The Jim Harbaugh-University of Michigan soap opera also became national news starting late Friday night. The immediate result was that our NFL alum brother and Wolverines head coach Harbaugh was barred from the sidelines in Michigan’s big game (and eventual big victory) against intra-conference rival Penn State. The case continues in the courts so stay tuned on that one.
In our league, Raiders owner Mark Davis made the first NFL move last month when he fired head coach Josh McDaniels on Halloween and replaced him with NFL alum Aaron Pierce. The Raiders have won both their games under Pierce, the former Giants and Commandeers linebacker. Pierce joined the Raiders as assistant coach only last season after having worked under then-head coach and NFL alum Herm Edwards at Arizona State. Incidentally, Edwards was an early coaching casualty last season when he was let go in September. The tale almost would be comical if the personal lives of so many coaches (plus families) were not at stake.
In-season NFL head coaching changes are not unheard of as evidenced by the Raiders’ move. Speculation about 71-year old future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick and his status in New England has been floating around for weeks in the Boston media. The Patriots are enjoying (perhaps) their bye week after last Sunday’s loss to the Colts in Germany brought their won-lost record to 2-8 this season.
In Buffalo, NFL quarterback alum and Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was fired yesterday less than 24 hours after a MNF loss to the Broncos.
On a brighter note, NFL alum and Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is the early leader for NFL rookie head coach of the year honors now that his Texans are 5-4. He completed more victories in his first year than the Texans registered in any of the previous three full seasons. Ryans, a former Texans linebacker and successful 49ers defensive coordinator, was hired by the Texans last January after that club won only 11 games combined the previous three seasons.
Other NFL alumni enjoying winning records as head coaches this season include Dan Campbell, who has his Lions (7-2) atop the NFC North and Doug Pederson, whose Jaguars (6-3) are in first place in the AFC South. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has his club at 6-4 in the NFC North and their five-game win streak is the longest right now in the league.
We at NFL Alumni sympathize with all the coaches, families, and staff who will experience major adjustments as a result of coaching changes on both the NFL and college level. The bad news does not stop even there. Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae was told last month that he will not return as head coach at Lipscomb Academy in 2024 after less than a year at the Nashville high school.
The sounds of the infamous phrase “NFL–Not For Long” unfortunately ring true again this season for coaches on all levels of our great sport.
