Assistants to Watch: Who Will Lead College Football Programs in the Future?

By Ty Scheiner

Every year, the coaching carousel brings new changes, featuring retirements, established names moving on to new gigs, and promotions. This year, we saw Fran Brown transition from Defensive Backs/Safeties Coach at Georgia to Head Coach at Syracuse, Sherrone Moore from Offensive Line Coach at Michigan to their Head Coach, and Jeff Lebby from Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma to Head Coach at Mississippi State . As we enter 2024, here are the college assistants to keep an eye on, who may end up leading their own teams in the near future.

Andy Kotelnicki, OC, Penn State

One of the young offensive minds in the game, Kotelnicki seems destined to be running his own team sooner rather than later. During his tenure with the Buffalo Bulls (2015-2020), the offense improved significantly, breaking records and featuring two 1,000-yard rushers in one season for the first time in school history. He was also a finalist for the FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year Award in 2020.

Kotelnicki truly made his mark at Kansas over the last three seasons (2021-2023), helping Lance Leipold turn a team that had won just 16 games in the previous nine seasons into one that won 16 games in his three seasons in Lawrence. Last season, the offense averaged 34.8 points per game , ranking 17th nationally, a major improvement from the 20.8 points per game (111th) when he arrived.

Leipold would agree with my analysis. At Big 12 media days last summer , he said the following: "Andy and I have been together for over 11 years. I trust him. He's an outstanding coach. I've known what a great coach Andy is for a long time. Andy will be a head coach someday. There's no doubt about that."

Will Stein, OC, Oregon

Another young offensive mind, Stein has made his way through the high school ranks, G5, and now at Oregon, achieving success at each stop. Before Dan Lanning hired him as the next OC at Oregon , Stein was running the offense for UTSA, helping lead the Roadrunners to one of the top offenses in the country. In 2022, UTSA ranked No. 9 nationally in total offense (486.1 YPG) and No. 14 in scoring offense (36.8 PPG).

In his first season at Oregon, Stein hasn’t disappointed. The Ducks' offense was one of the top in the country in multiple categories, and he groomed a Heisman finalist in Bo Nix. With the talent being recruited and brought in through the portal, this offense might be even more dangerous next year, solidifying Stein’s case for a head coaching position soon.

"I just think that he does a great job as a coach and working with other coaches, a really collaborative effort,” Lanning said during spring training . “...You got to figure out where you can improve and grow. Will’s done an outstanding job of doing that.”

D’Anton Lynn, DC, USC

Lynn started his coaching career in the NFL with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, LA Chargers, Houston Texans, and the Baltimore Ravens. His first season in the collegiate ranks was last year when he led the UCLA Bruins' defense to a unit that finished 14th in the country in points allowed (18.4 PPG). UCLA held 9 of its opponents to 20 points or less and finished the regular season ranked first in the nation in rushing defense (69.6 YPG).

This could be a defining hire for Lincoln Riley at USC, whose defense has ranked near the bottom of the league in the last two seasons. The Trojans will be looking for Lynn to turn around the defense quickly.

The players already seem to be buying into Lynn’s hire. Cornerback Jaylin Smith said , “It’s gonna be a good upgrade, a compliment to our athletes... I think a coach like that, who is willing to strategize and make it as easy as he can for us, is always good. Having that coaching experience, going to where I want to be, is great. I can’t wait to work with him.”

Tony White, DC, Nebraska

A two-time Broyles Award Nominee, Tony White is entering his second season in Lincoln after leading the Cornhuskers' defense to their best statistical performance since joining the Big Ten in 2011 . He has proven to be a successful defensive mind wherever he’s been, including as the defensive coordinator at Syracuse (2020-2022), where he drastically improved the Orange defense, and as the cornerbacks coach at Arizona State (2018-2019), where three of his players earned All-Pac-12 honors in 2019. During his long tenure at San Diego State (2009-2017), he was twice named the Mountain West Recruiter of the Year .

Already considered one of the best defensive coordinators in the conference, if not the country, it’s only a matter of time until White is leading his own program. He has the experience and pedigree of a successful coordinator and recruiter, making him a hot name for future head coach openings. White was already sought after this season, most notably for the UCLA job, but Matt Rhule was happy to have him back at Nebraska , understanding it’s only a matter of time until White is running his own program.

"I thought Tony would have been an excellent choice," Rhule said. "I don't want to lose Tony White at all. I love Tony. I want him to coach here forever, but there will come a time when he has an opportunity to be a head coach, and he deserves that..."