2023-24 Head Coaching Change Tracker in FCS College Football

FCS football programs that have had a head coaching change since the start of the 2023 season (announcement date in parentheses):

Alcorn State (SWAC)

Former head coach Fred McNair (Dec. 19) – 7-4 record in 2023, 48-33 in seven overall seasons

New head coach Cedric Thomas (Dec. 19) – elevated from defensive coordinator; went 8-14 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2018 and ’19, and 5-4 on the junior college level at Mississippi Delta

Austin Peay (UAC)

Former head coach Scotty Walden (Dec. 4) – 9-3 record in 2023, 26-14 in four overall seasons

New head coach Jeff Faris (Dec. 9) – former Duke assistant spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons as UCLA’s tight ends coach

Campbell (CAA)

Former head coach Mike Minter (Dec. 18) – 5-6 record in 2023, 49-66 in 11 overall seasons

New head coach Braxton Harris (Jan. 2) – Campbell assistant coach in 2021-22 returns after going 5-5 in one season guiding Houston Christian

Columbia (Ivy)

Interim head coach Mark Fabish (Nov. 21) – 3-7 record in 2023

New head coach Jon Poppe (Dec. 2) – former Columbia assistant went 10-2 as Union’s head coach in 2023

Cornell (Ivy)

Former head coach David Archer (Nov. 19) – 3-7 record in 2023, 29-71 in 10 overall seasons

New head coach Dan Swanstrom (Dec. 7) – served as Penn’s offensive coordinator in 2022 and ‘23 after going 32-11 as Ithaca’s head coach from 2017-21

Dartmouth (Ivy)

Interim head coach Sammy McCorkle (April 4, 2023)

New head coach Sammy McCorkle (Oct. 19) – Elevated to the full-time position

ETSU (Southern)

Former head coach George Quarles (Nov. 19) – 3-8 record in 2023, 6-16 in two overall seasons

New head coach Tre Lamb (Nov. 27) – former Gardner-Webb coach guided program’s first two playoff appearances

Florida A&M (SWAC)

Former head coach Willie Simmons (Jan. 1) – 12-1 record in 2023, 45-13 in five overall seasons

New head coach James Colzie III (Jan. 27) – elevated from assistant head coach/defensive backs coach; previously guided the Saint Mary’s program in Canada from 2016-21

Gardner-Webb (Big South-OVC)

Former coach Tre Lamb (Nov. 27) – 7-5 record in 2023, 20-20 in four overall seasons

New head coach Cris Reisert (Dec. 12) – posted a 40-11 record at Tiffin during the 2019-23 seasons; was Elon’s tight ends coach from 2014-16

Grambling State (SWAC)

Former head coach Hue Jackson (Nov. 28) – 5-6 record in 2023, 8-14 in two overall seasons

New head coach Mickey Joseph (Dec. 18) – assistant coaching experience includes GSU and two other SWAC schools; went 3-6 in 2022 as the interim coach at Nebraska, his alma mater.

Hampton (CAA)

Former head coach Robert Prunty (April 30) – 5-6 record in 2023, 26-29 in five overall seasons

New head coach Trent Boykin (April 30) – Elevated from running backs and special teams coach

Harvard (Ivy)

Former head coach Tim Murphy (Jan. 17) – 8-2 record in 2023, 200-89 in 29 overall seasons

New head coach Andrew Aurich (Feb. 9) – served most recently as Rutgers’ tight end coach after spending a lot of time in the Ivy League as a Princeton player and offensive coordinator

Holy Cross (Patriot)

Former head coach Bob Chesney (Dec. 7) – 7-4 record in 2023, 44-21 in six overall seasons

New head coach Dan Curran (Dec. 15) – guided Merrimack for 11 seasons, including the Warriors’ move into Division I

Houston Christian (Southland)

Former head coach Braxton Harris (Jan. 2) – went 5-5 in one season with Huskies in 2023

New head coach Jason Bachtel (Jan. 4) – the Huskies’ 2023 offensive coordinator went 16-9 at Howard Payne over the 2020-22 seasons

Marist (Pioneer)

Former head coach Jim Parady (Nov. 29) – 4-7 record in 2023, 155-171-1 in 32 overall seasons

New head coach Mike Willis (Dec. 19) – served as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Princeton

Mercer (Southern)

Former head coach Drew Cronic (Jan. 9) – 9-4 record in 2023, 28-17 in four overall seasons

New head coach Mike Jacobs (Jan. 18) – went a combined 74-17 record at Notre Dame (Ohio) and Lenoir-Rhyne (he also succeeded Cronic at Lenoir-Rhyne)

Merrimack (Northeast)

Former head coach Dan Curran (Dec. 15) – 5-6 record in 2023, 53-58 in 11 overall seasons

New head coach Mike Gennetti (Dec. 18) – elevated from defensive coordinator and after 19 seasons on staff as an assistant coach

Morehead State (Pioneer)

Former head coach Rob Tenyer (Nov. 20) – 4-7 record in 2023, 47-73 in 11 overall seasons

New head coach Jason Woodman (Dec. 19) – compiled a 60-47 record in 10 seasons at Fairmont State with a Division II playoff appearance in 2016.

Murray State (MVFC)

Former head coach Dean Hood (Jan. 1) – 2-9 record in 2023, 15-25 in four overall seasons

New head coach Jody Wright (Jan. 10) – A part of the Nick Saban coaching family tree who served as South Carolina’s tight end coach in the 2022 and ’23 seasons

North Dakota State (MVFC)

Head coach Matt Entz (Dec. 10) – 11-4 record in 2023, 60-11 in five overall seasons

New head coach Tim Polasek (Dec. 17) – Wyoming’s offensive coordinator returns to the Bison, having been a part of four FCS championship teams as an assistant coach

Northern Arizona (Big Sky)

Former head coach Chris Ball (Nov. 20) – 5-6 record in 2013, 20-30 in five overall seasons

New head coach Brian Wright (Dec. 3) – went 33-8 as Pittsburg State’s head coach from 2019-23

Northwestern State (Southland)

Former head coach Brad Laird (Oct. 26) – 0-6 record in 2023, 16-41 in six overall seasons

New head coach Blaine McCorkle (Nov. 28) – went 31-25 in six seasons guiding Division III Belhaven

South Carolina State (MEAC)

Former head coach Buddy Pough (Nov. 19) – 5-6 record in 2023, 151-93 in 22 overall seasons

New head coach Chennis Berry (Dec. 7) – long-time HBCU coach went 27-7 while guiding Benedict in the 2021-23 seasons

Southern (SWAC)

Former head coach Eric Dooley (Nov. 14) – 5-5 record in 2023, 12-10 in two overall seasons

New head coach Terrence Graves (Dec. 12) – served as Southern’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach in 2023, his 15th season with the Jaguars over four stints

Stony Brook (CAA)

Former head coach Chuck Priore (Nov. 13) – 0-10 record in 2023, 97-111 in 18 overall seasons

New head coach Billy Cosh (Dec. 13) – Western Michigan offensive coordinator previously led the offenses at VMI and Richmond

Tennessee Tech (Big South-OVC)

Former head coach Dewayne Alexander (Nov. 21) – 4-7 record in 2023, 20-43 in six overall seasons

New head coach Bobby Wilder (Dec. 3) – went 77-56 at Old Dominion from 2009-19 while taking an FCS startup program up to FBS level

Texas Southern (SWAC)

Former head coach Clarence McKinney (Nov. 20) – 3-8 record in 2023, 12-35 in five overall seasons

New head coach Cris Dishman (Jan. 12) – Two-time NFL Pro Bowler played in Houston with the Oilers, served as a defensive coordinator in the USFL and XFL in recent seasons

UC Davis (Big Sky)

Former head coach Dan Hawkins (Nov. 28) – 7-4 record in 2023, 44-31 in seven overall seasons

New head coach Tim Plough (Dec. 1) – former Aggies quarterback who coached under Hawkins and returns after short stints at Boise State and Cal

Utah Tech (UAC)

Former head coach Paul Peterson (Nov. 20) – 2-9 record in 2023, 17-29 in five overall seasons

New head coach Lance Anderson (Dec. 8) – first-time head coach spent the 2007-22 seasons on Stanford’s staff

Western Illinois (MVFC; Big South-OVC in 2024)

Former head coach Myers Hendrickson (Nov. 20) – 0-11 record in 2023, 0-22 in two overall seasons

New head coach Joe Davis (Dec. 10) – has served as an assistant at FCS programs Albany, Fordham, Northern Iowa and Eastern Illinois