Bruce Feldman releases list of top candidates for Charlotte head coach opening

The Charlotte 49ers decided to fire head football coach Will Healy on Sunday morning, just a day after a 34-15 loss to Florida International. That defeat dropped Charlotte to 1-7 on the season and 0-4 against Conference USA opponents.

Healy was hired as Charlotte’s head coach ahead of the 2019 season. In his tenure, he led the 49ers to their first win over an FBS opponent, their first win over a Power 5 opponent, and reached bowl eligibility in his first season after going 7-6 in 2019.

From there, things took a downhill spiral. Charlotte went 2-4 in 2020 before going 5-7 in 2021. With a 15-24 overall record under Healy, Charlotte decided it was time to move in a new direction.

Later on Sunday afternoon, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman released a list of his top candidates for the now open Charlotte job. There are a ton of top assistants across the nation, with a clear trend towards coaches from the ACC and around North and South Carolina.

Feldman’s top candidates to become Charlotte’s next head coach

Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins
NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson
South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White
Louisville offensive coordinator Lance Taylor
Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis
North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo
North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik
Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack
South Carolina special teams coordinator Pete Lembo
Former East Carolina, Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz

Alex Atkins has been at Florida State since 2020, where he began as the Seminoles offensive line coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. He spent one season at Charlotte in 2019 as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

Tony Gibson is an interesting inclusion. He has experience as an assistant in the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and now ACC. He has led one of the nation’s best defensive units for the past couple of seasons. Clayton White also has experience at multiple spots over the years, and he is currently in his second season as South Carolina’s defensive coordinator. White played at NC State and eventually went on to play in the NFL as well. Lance Taylor is a former Alabama wide receiver who has coached as an assistant in the NFL and also at multiple other stops including Appalachian State, Stanford and Notre Dame.

Josh Gattis left Michigan to become Miami’s offensive coordinator just this past offseason, but could another move be on the horizon? He has prior experience at Alabama, Penn State, Vanderbilt, and North Carolina. Gattis was born in Durham, North Carolina and played his college football at Wake Forest.

A pair of North Carolina coordinators make the list, beginning with offensive coordinator Phil Longo. The Tar Heels offense has been downright dominant at times this season, and Longo could gain some serious traction as a head coaching candidate. Gene Chizik was Auburn‘s head coach as recently as 2012, and he is in his second stint as UNC’s defensive coordinator. UNC’s defense has struggled at times this season, and the move to Charlotte would be an interesting one for Chizik.

Jerry Mack is part of the offensive staff at Tennessee, which in itself is an attractive quality. The Volunteers have dominated opposing defenses all season long, and Mack has coached nearby at NC Central. Pete Lembo has also previously coached nearby at Elon, and the current Gamecocks special teams coordinator is one of the best in the country at what he does.

Skip Holtz has been the head coach at Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida and Louisiana Tech, in addition to the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He won 38 games in five years at East Carolina, and he could be a quality option for Charlotte.

Feldman also mentioned Penn State co-offensive coordinator Ja’Juan Seider, Minnesota assistant head coach and running backs coach Kenni Burns, and San Diego Chargers wide receivers coach Chris Beatty as possibilities.