College football coaching carousel tracker: Who’s fired, who’s hired for 2023? [UPDATED]

North Texas Mean Green: Seth Littrell -> Eric Morris

Okay, this one is super weird. Despite playing in the Conference USA Championship Game this past weekend, longtime North Texas head coach Seth Littrell has been let go. Littrell went 44-44 over seven seasons at the helm. Apparently, he needed to win eight games this year to keep his job; he won seven. This came days after North Texas athletic director Wren Baker left for West Virginia…

North Texas took its time to hire a new athletic director by promoting Jared Mosley from within. The Mean Green are hiring former Washington State offensive coordinator and Incarnate Word head coach Eric Morris. He went 24-18 over four seasons at the helm of Incarnate Word from 2018 to 2021. Mike Leach’s former Texas Tech wide receiver takes over on the day of his passing.

Louisville Cardinals: Scott Satterfield -> Jeff Brohm

Prior to getting things turned around in the second half of the year, Satterfield had been on the hot seat. Although he was not going to be fired after last season, he did meet with the athletic department to discuss how to be more than a 7-5 program. National recruiting had been a big boost for him. To leave for Cincinnati, a team Louisville is playing in the Wasabi Bowl, is madness!

As not much of a surprise, longtime Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm will be heading back to his alma mater to take over for Satterfield. This was the logical move for Louisville to make. While Brohm had built something strong over in West Lafayette, you can never put a price on a head coach being able to lead his alma mater’s program. This is a huge get for the Louisville Cardinals.

Kent State Golden Flashes: Sean Lewis -> Kenni Burns

In a huge shocker, Kent State head coach Sean Lewis is leaving the MAC to become Deion Sanders’ offensive coordinator at Colorado. This is not about Lewis’ qualifications or his on-the-rise nature in the Group of Five, but you rarely see an FBS head coach willingly leave to be a coordinator at another school. Regardless, this is quite the hire for CU. Kent State has its own vacancy to fill now.

Kent State opted to replace a smart, offensive-minded head coach in Lewis with another in former Minnesota Golden Gophers running backs coach Kenni Burns. Burns had been on P.J. Fleck’s staff prior to his arrival in Minneapolis, having made the leap up to the Power Five from Western Michigan. The ground game has been a pivotal part in Minnesota’s success under Fleck’s tenure.