When 'coaching carousel' gets going, these will be names to know

It’s no secret that Group of 5 coaches Luke Fickell, Billy Napier and Jamey Chadwell are very much on the radar for search committee officials and college football administrators. 

But who are some other coaches who fall in that category?

For part one of a three-part project on up-and-coming coaches, On3 sought feedback from coaches, administrators and others around the college football world to identify some Group of 5 and FCS coaches beyond the aforementioned big names who are expected to be in line for “bigger” jobs this next coaching cycle (i.e., a Group of 5 coach expected to garner interest for a Power 5 job, an FCS coach expected to be in the mix for a bigger job than he currently has, etc.).

Here are 12 names worth having on your radar before the annual coaching carousel starts to spin.

Scott Abell, Davidson

The buzz: In his first-ever head-coaching job, Abell transformed an 0-10 Virginia high school program into district champions in three years. Now, 20 years later, Abell, 51, has further established himself as an impressive program-builder based on his work at Davidson, an FCS program in North Carolina. After six consecutive seasons with two or fewer wins, Davidson has had a winning record in each of its three seasons under Abell and is coming off its first postseason appearance in more than 50 years. In addition to the playoff berth, the Wildcats’ 2021 spring season included a 4-1 start and a win over Pioneer League foe San Diego that snapped the Toreros’ NCAA record-tying 39-game conference winning streak. Before Davidson, Abell was coach at Washington and Lee, a Division III program in Lexington, Va.

Brent Brennan, San Jose State

The buzz: There were only five teams in the FBS that entered the 2020 postseason with an undefeated record, and San Jose State (7-0) was one. It was part of a landmark season for the Spartans under Brennan, 48, who was recognized as the 2020 Mountain West Coach of the Year. After going 3-22 in his first two seasons, Brennan and the Spartans are 12-8 in the past two. That includes a 7-1 final mark last season to go along with the program’s first outright conference title since 1990. Before being hired at San Jose State, Brennan spent six seasons as wide receivers coach at Oregon State.

Jason Candle, Toledo

The buzz: In the MAC preseason poll, reigning conference champion Ball State received the most votes to win the conference. Toledo got the second-most votes. Entering his seventh season at Toledo, Candle, 41, has the Rockets as one of the best programs in the league. Toledo was 4-2 last season, thanks in part to the conference’s top-ranked passing offense (325 yards per game). The losses were a three-point setback to Western Michigan (which finished 4-2) and a three-point loss to Ball State. A respected recruiter, Candle has helped Toledo compile the top-ranked recruiting class in the MAC each of the last five years. He was teammates at Division III power Mount Union (Ohio) with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell and Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

Bob Chesney, Holy Cross

The buzz: Before 2019, Holy Cross had made only two FCS playoff appearances in school history. Chesney, 43, has matched that total in the past two seasons. Entering his fourth season with the Crusaders, Chesney has led HC to back-to-back Patriot League titles and consecutive playoff berths. Holy Cross finished the 2021 spring season with a 3-1 record and ranked No. 25 in the nation. Chesney’s teams have finished either first or second in the conference every year since 2015, dating to his time as coach at Division II Assumption in Worcester, Mass. Before Assumption, Chesney was coach at Salve Regina, a Division III program in Newport, R.I. In three seasons there, Chesney was 23-9 despite inheriting a program that had posted eight consecutive losing seasons.

Will Healy, Charlotte

The buzz: Healy, 36, first burst on the national scene four years ago at FCS member Austin Peay, when he helped the Governors snap a 29-game losing streak as part of a season that ultimately included an 8-1 record against fellow FCS competition. Now, Healy is going into his third season at Charlotte. While the 49ers were just 2-4 in 2020 (during a season that included six canceled or postponed games), Healy’s first Charlotte squad in 2019 set a school record with seven wins and produced the first bowl victory since the program was launched in 2013. Healy received calls about multiple bigger FBS jobs after that 2019 season but opted to remain at Charlotte.

Nick Hill, Southern Illinois

The buzz: Beating one top-five team during a season is tough enough. But beating three? That’s what Hill, 36, did this spring at Southern Illinois, his alma mater. The first was a 38-14 victory over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, which was ranked No. 1 and on a 39-game winning streak. The last was a win over No. 3 Weber State in the first round of the FCS playoffs — the Salukis’ first playoff game since 2009. Hill, an ex-Arena League quarterback who played and learned under eventual NFL head coach Jay Gruden, also serves as SIU’s play-caller. His 2020 offense ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference in total offense.

Sean Lewis, Kent State

The buzz: Kent State’s 1976 season is noteworthy for two reasons. One is that the coaching staff included a young Nick Saban as linebackers coach. Second, it was the last time the Golden Flashes had recorded back-to-back winning seasons — until Lewis’ arrival. Lewis, now 35, was the youngest head coach in the FBS ranks when he was hired in December 2017. He has taken the Golden Flashes from 2-10 in his first season to 7-6 in 2019 and then 3-1 last season. Under Lewis, Kent State ranked No. 1 nationally last season in total offense (606.5 yards per game) and scoring offense (49.8 points per game). Before Kent State, Lewis was co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Dino Babers at Bowling Green and Syracuse. Monday, the school announced it has agreed to terms with Lewis on a contract extension through 2025.

Mike Neu, Ball State

The buzz: A former star quarterback at Ball State, Neu, 50, is leading his alma mater to heights it hasn’t seen since the mid-1990s. The Cardinals’ 2020 season featured the program’s first conference title since 1996, the first bowl win in program history and a No. 23 ranking in the final AP poll. It was the first time since moving to the FBS level in 1981 that Ball State was ranked in the final AP poll. Neu, an ex-Arena Football League coach, was hired at Ball State in 2016 after two years as Drew Brees’ quarterback coach with the New Orleans Saints. Since going 2-10 in his second season, the Cardinals’ record has improved each year — from 4-8 in 2018 to 5-7 in 2019 to 7-1 last season.

Jay Norvell, Nevada

The buzz: Norvell, 58, is the leader of one of the most interesting Group of 5 teams entering this season. After a 3-9 first season at Nevada in 2017, the former Nebraska and UCLA offensive coordinator has won at least seven games in each of the past three seasons (he also is the former co-coordinator at Oklahoma; he shared duties with current Tennessee coach Josh Heupel). Nevada was 7-2 last season, which led to Norvell being selected as the National Coalition of Minority Coaches’ 2020 Coach of the Year. Norvell, who is the Wolf Pack’s offensive play-caller, runs an “Air Raid”-style offense that ranked ninth nationally in passing last season; that offense features the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Carson Strong. Nevada is the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West’s West Division.

Willie Simmons, Florida A&M

Remember the Woody Dantzler days at Clemson? Simmons, 40, was in that same quarterback room and eventually started at Clemson before finishing his playing career as an all-conference quarterback at The Citadel in 2003. Now, he’s on the rise as a coach. Florida A&M didn’t play last season but was 9-2 during Simmons’ second season as coach in 2019 and ended the year ranked No. 24 in the FCS. In year one, Simmons led the Rattlers to their first winning record in seven years. It came after three years and three consecutive winning seasons as coach at Prairie View A&M. It marked just the second time in 50 years that Prairie View had three consecutive winning seasons. South Carolina contacted Simmons about an assistant’s job during the offseason, but he decided to stay at Florida A&M; he grew up in nearby Quincy, Fla.

Kalani Sitake, BYU

Only two non-Power Five teams finished in the top 11 of the final AP rankings last season. Cincinnati was one; BYU, led by Sitake, was the other. The Cougars finished 11-1, with the only loss being a five-point setback to 11-1 Coastal Carolina. Sitake, 45, who played at BYU under legendary coach LaVell Edwards, has guided the Cougars to a 38-26 record in his five seasons as coach. Included in that mark is a win over No. 6 Wisconsin in 2018 and victories over Tennessee, USC and No. 14 Boise State in 2019. Before taking over as BYU’s coach, Sitake was Oregon State’s defensive coordinator in 2015 after a 10-year run at Utah that included six seasons as Kyle Whittingham’s DC.

Jeff Traylor, UTSA

After a long and successful run as a high school coach in Texas, Traylor, 53, made the move to the college level in 2015 and now is in his second season as coach at UTSA. Year one under Traylor saw the Roadrunners go 7-5 (and 5-2 in Conference USA play) after the team had just seven wins total during the final two seasons under previous coach Frank Wilson. As coach at Gilmer (Texas) High, in the northeast part of the state, from 2000-14, Traylor was a four-time Texas Coach of the Year, won three state championships and had a 175-26 overall record. His opportunity at UTSA came after stints as an offensive assistant at Texas (2015-16), SMU (2017) and Arkansas (2018-19).

(Top photo of Jason Candle: Scott Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)