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5 college football coaching carousel winners

By Nathaniel Reeves

Oct 22, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman during warm ups prior to a game against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman during warm ups prior to a game against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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These five programs and new hires stand out as the winners from the 2016 college football coaching carousel.

Another season of crazy rumors and rampant speculation is in the books, as the annual college football head coaching carousel has come to an end for 2016.

All 17 vacant FBS head coaching positions are now filled after Western Kentucky hired Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Sanford last week. While not quite as crazy as the 2015 edition, this year’s coaching carousel includes a number of intriguing moves.

Most notably, two top-tier programs in Texas and LSU had openings. The Longhorns made what is widely considered a home run hire with Tom Herman, while LSU is going to give interim head coach Ed Orgeron a chance following a successful run to end the year.

Elsewhere, Lane Kiffin will try to prove his worth as a head coach in a low-pressure environment at Florida Atlantic. Veterans Butch Davis and Jeff Tedford will also make their returns to the sidelines at Florida International and Fresno State, respectively.

Not every new coach will prove to be a successful hire, and some certainly look better on paper than others. These five programs and people stand out as the winners of the 2016 college football coaching carousel.

5. Cincinnati Bearcats

A stagnant program that was going nowhere under Tommy Tuberville made a high-upside hire in Luke Fickell, who could turn the team into a contender in The American soon enough.

Cincinnati went 29-22 in four seasons under Tuberville and dipped all the way to 4-8 this year, the program’s worst mark since 2010. Tuberville decided to step down following the ugly campaign which included five straight losses to end the season, saving the university some money on his buyout had it decided to fire him.

After looking at P.J. Fleck and Charlie Strong, the Bearcats ended up poaching Fickell away from Ohio State. Fickell has served as an assistant coach with the Buckeyes since 2002 and was promoted to co-defensive coordinator when Urban Meyer took over five years ago.

The 43-year-old has certainly earned a shot at a head coaching gig by doing a terrific job with the Ohio State defense, which loses a ton of talent to NFL year in and year out. Fickell is an excellent recruiter and has shown an ability to find overlooked gems out of high school, which should play well in the talent-rich Cincinnati area.

Other top contenders in the AAC lost head coaches this offseason, and Fickell has the potential to make Cincinnati one of the top Group of Five teams soon enough. The recruiting wars between Meyer and Fickell in both Ohio and Texas will be an interesting storyline to watch in coming years.

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