Familiar faces in new places: Key coaching changes to know ahead of this college football season

The 2024 college football offseason will be known for three things: the expanded College Football Playoff, the end of the Pac-12 as we knew it, and for the retirement of Nick Saban.

The six-time national championship-winning coach retired after the 2023 season and set off a coaching carousel that lasted for weeks. Here’s a recap of some of the coaches at new schools ahead of the 2024 season, including those who have new jobs because Saban became a TV analyst.

Trent Bray, Oregon State

Bray was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State. He’s tasked with leading Oregon State into the uncertain world of a two-team Pac-12 and a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West.

The dissolution of the Pac-12 and Smith’s departure also led to a lot of player departures. QB Aidan Chiles followed Smith to MSU, DJ Uiagalelei went to Florida State and RB Damien Martinez is now at Miami. The Beavers return just five starters.

Brent Brennan, Arizona

Brennan replaces Jedd Fisch at Arizona with a career record of 34-48 at San Jose State. Don’t put too much stock in that. The Spartans were 3-22 in his first two seasons and have won seven games — including a 7-1 season in 2020 — in three of the past four seasons. That’s a serious accomplishment at a program like SJSU. The school has been to just six bowl games since 1990. Three of them came during Brennan’s tenure.

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

After taking Washington to the College Football Playoff last season, DeBoer is the man replacing Saban at Alabama. Saban’s retirement shocked the college football world in January and DeBoer was one of the obvious candidates to replace the most successful coach in modern college football history given his success as a head coach in college football.

DeBoer is 104-12 as a collegiate head coach. His Sioux Falls teams went 67-3 in the NAIA from 2005 through 2009 and he was 25-3 at Washington over two seasons. There are still playoff expectations in Tuscaloosa, and DeBoer’s first big test will be when Georgia visits on Sept. 28.

Manny Diaz, Duke

The former Miami coach returns to the ACC after spending the past two seasons as Penn State’s defensive coordinator. Miami made bowl games in each of Diaz’s three seasons in charge but never won more than eight games in a single season.

Diaz takes over a Duke program that has far fewer students and football resources than Miami does and just 10 returning starters. The Blue Devils also have a tough ACC schedule. It includes a trip to Miami on Nov. 2.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M

Can Texas A&M return to relevance in Elko’s first season as the Aggies’ head coach? The former A&M defensive coordinator is back after he spent the last two seasons as Duke’s head coach.

The Aggies return nine starters on defense, but the key to a better season in the post-Jimbo Fisher era is better and healthier quarterback play. Conner Weigman returns as the starter after suffering a season-ending foot injury in the fourth game of the season in 2023. We’ll get a good idea of where A&M stands in the first three weeks of the season. The Aggies open at home against Notre Dame and visit Florida in Week 3.

Jedd Fisch, Washington

The man who replaces DeBoer at Washington revitalized Arizona over his three seasons with the school. After the Wildcats went 1-11 in 2021, Arizona improved by four wins in 2022 before going 10-3 in 2023 and finishing at No. 11 in the AP Top 25.

There’s a lot of turnover in Seattle with many of the offense’s key contributors off to the NFL. But Fisch should have a solid bridge quarterback in former Mississippi State QB Will Rogers. He threw for over 12,000 yards in four seasons with the Bulldogs.

Deshaun Foster, UCLA

The former UCLA running back takes over at his alma mater following Chip Kelly’s departure to Ohio State to run the Buckeyes’ offense. He’s got a tall task as UCLA moves to the Big Ten in 2024.

UCLA is Foster’s first head coaching job. He started his coaching career as a student assistant with the Bruins in 2013 before a stint as a graduate assistant. He came back to the Bruins in 2017 as the team’s running backs coach after a season at Texas Tech in the same position.

Fritz’s teams have been consistent winners everywhere he’s been. After a disappointing 2-10 season in 2021, the Green Wave were 23-4 over the past two seasons and went 15-1 in the AAC.

Fritz takes over for Dana Holgorsen at Houston after the Cougars went 4-8 in their first season in the Big 12. The priorities are rebuilding an offense that slumped in its first year against tougher competition and figuring out a defense that’s allowed over 30 points per game in five of the past six seasons.

Sean Lewis, San Diego State

The former Kent State coach and Colorado offensive coordinator takes over for Brady Hoke at SDSU. It’ll be quite the offensive switch for the Aztecs after years of the offenses under Rocky Long and Hoke. Lewis’ teams like to play fast and throw the ball.

Bill O’Brien, Boston College

The former Houston Texans coach is back in college football after Jeff Hafley became the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

Boston College is the first college head coaching job for O’Brien since he spent two seasons as Penn State’s coach in 2012 and 2013 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Since he was fired from the Texans, O’Brien spent two seasons as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and was most recently the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

The Eagles’ schedule doesn’t allow O’Brien to ease back into being a head coach, either. Boston College starts the season at Florida State before visiting Missouri in Week 3.

Jonathan Smith, Michigan State

The former Oregon State quarterback left his alma mater for the Big Ten along with four other Pac-12 programs. Michigan State zeroed in on Smith as it floundered to a disappointing season in 2023 following Mel Tucker’s early season firing.

Smith turned Oregon State into a competitive program in recent seasons. After OSU won just nine games in his first three seasons, the Beavers posted winning seasons in each of the past three years. He may need to do a similar rebuild at Michigan State. The Spartans have Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan on the schedule in 2024.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane

Sumrall moves to Tulane after two seasons at Troy. The Trojans were 23-4 the last two seasons and Tulane should be a contender in the AAC in his first season in New Orleans. The Green Wave return 15 starters and landed former Oregon QB Ty Thompson as a transfer.