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College Football's Top 25 Coordinator Hires for 2024
By Steven Lassan,
11 hours ago
Whether it was the head coach, assistant, or coordinator ranks, college football's coaching carousel was especially active for the 2024-25 season. In addition to the 31 changes among head coaches (and two already this summer), there were numerous moves in the coordinator ranks that will have a major role in shaping the '24 season. Every conference was hit hard by changes, but several new hires are slated to have a major impact for the upcoming year. On the offensive side, expect Chip Kelly (Ohio State), Andy Kotelnicki (Penn State), and Mike Denbrock (Notre Dame) to have the biggest impact, while Blake Baker (LSU) and D'Anton Lynn (USC) are among the top hires on defense.
Which teams made the best coordinator hires in college football for 2024? Here are 25 hires at offensive or defensive coordinator from all 134 FBS teams ranked based on impact for '24.
College Football's Top 25 Coordinator Hires for 2024
Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly
Adam Cairns&solColumbus Dispatch &sol USA TODAY NETWORK
1. Chip Kelly, Offensive Coordinator, Ohio State
Ohio State's offense was already among the best in college football with coach Ryan Day at the controls, but Kelly's arrival adds another layer of potential for this unit in '24 and beyond. After working as the head coach at UCLA from 2018-23, Kelly opted to depart Los Angeles to be the play-caller with the Buckeyes. Kelly has been an offensive innovator throughout this career, including his work with uptempo offenses during his stint at Oregon as coordinator (2007-08) and head coach (2009-12). His arrival in Columbus is also expected to add more wrinkles to Ohio State's ground attack.
2. Andy Kotelnicki, Offensive Coordinator, Penn State
Kotelnicki is one of the most creative play-callers in college football and was picked by coach James Franklin to turn around a Penn State offense that needs more big-play ability and points in matchups against top Big Ten opponents. The Minnesota native has worked as an offensive coordinator for a variety of teams since 2011, including Buffalo (2015-20) and the last three seasons at Kansas. Under Kotelnicki's watch, the Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12 in scoring (35.6 points a game) in '22 and averaged 34.8 a contest in '23 despite losing starting quarterback Jalon Daniels.
The 2023 season marks Denbrock's second stint in South Bend after he previously worked with the Fighting Irish from 2010-16. The veteran play-caller guided the nation's No. 1 offense at LSU last year, helping the Bayou Bengals average 45.5 points a contest and 8.4 yards a snap. Denbrock's offense and tutelage was also instrumental in quarterback Jayden Daniels winning the Heisman Trophy last season. Notre Dame needs its offense to take a step forward to make the expanded CFB Playoff this fall, and Denbrock's ability to get the most out of transfer quarterback Riley Leonard will certainly play a huge role in the development of this group.
Fixing the defense was coach Brian Kelly's top offseason priority for 2024. LSU struggled mightily on this side of the ball last year, giving up 28 points a contest and 6.1 yards a snap. Also, the Tigers ranked at the bottom of the SEC in rush defense and surrendered too many big plays. Baker previously worked at LSU as the team's linebackers coach in '21 and returns to Baton Rouge after spending the last two seasons at Missouri. Under Baker's direction, the Tigers showed marked improvement on the stat sheet. After giving up 33.8 points a matchup in '21, Baker's defense allowed 25.2 points a contest in '22 and 20.8 a game last year. How big of a priority was getting Baker to LSU? The Texas native is now college football's highest-paid defensive coordinator at $2.5 million a season.
USC's defense has struggled mightily in coach Lincoln Riley's two years at the helm, so it was no surprise this unit received a major overhaul this offseason. Lynn made the crosstown move from UCLA to USC after a successful year in charge of the Bruins' defense. The Bruins allowed 29 points a game and 5.64 yards a snap in '22 but lowered those totals to 18.4 points a contest (second in the Pac-12) and 4.63 yards a play. Additionally, Lynn's defense led the conference in sacks (43) and allowed only nine plays of 40-plus yards. The former Penn State safety brought big-time improvement to UCLA's defense last year, and Riley hopes to engineer a similar turnaround on that side of the ball with Lynn in charge of the Trojans' unit in '24.
Klein has been on a fast track through the assistant ranks after his playing career ended at Kansas State in 2012. The former quarterback worked as an assistant for one season at Northern Iowa (2016) before joining the Wildcats' staff in '17 and worked in Manhattan through the '23 campaign. Over the last two years, Klein has called the plays for Kansas State, guiding the offense to an average of over 30 points a game during that span. In '23, the Wildcats ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring (37.1), led the conference in touchdown percentage in the red zone, and fourth in third-down offense. Klein's balanced attack and ability to deploy and maximize playmakers should be a good fit in College Station.
The odds of Petrino working for Arkansas again seemed slim after an infamous motorcycle crash that led to his dismissal as the program's head coach prior to the 2012 season. However, with coach Sam Pittman is squarely on the hot seat entering '24, the Razorbacks desperately needed a coordinator with the ability to quickly jumpstart the offense. Petrino definitely comes with baggage, but the veteran coach is still among the best play-callers in college football. As Texas A&M's offensive coordinator last year, Petrino guided this attack to an average of 33.3 points a game and six yards a snap. Replicating those totals with the Razorbacks won't be easy, but this unit should show marked improvement after recording only 4.5 yards a play in SEC contests last fall.
Glenn Schumann will continue to handle play-calling duties for Georgia's defense, but Robinson's arrival is another big-time addition for coach Kirby Smart. The Miami native played his college ball at Auburn and started his coaching career with the Tigers as a graduate assistant from 2006-07. Robinson later worked at Florida (2011-14), Auburn ('15), South Carolina (2016-20), and Alabama (2022-23) in the SEC before heading to Athens this offseason. He's regarded as a standout defensive backs coach and is one of the nation's best recruiters.
Considering Martindale is the architect of the defense Michigan ran under its last two coordinators (Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter), the transition to his play-calling should be seamless in '24. The 61-year-old assistant spent the last two years as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and has previous stops as a play-caller in the NFL with the Ravens and Broncos. Martindale's last collegiate job came in '03 at Western Kentucky, so there could be an adjustment period as he settles in to new coach Sherrone Moore's staff this fall.
10. Joe Rossi, Defensive Coordinator, Michigan State
Rossi's move to East Lansing was a big win for new coach Jonathan Smith. The Pennsylvania native has spent the last seven years at Minnesota, including just over five of those as the team's coordinator. Coach PJ Fleck promoted Rossi to the coordinator role in late November during the '18 season and saw immediate improvement on defense. The Golden Gophers allowed just 22.5 points a game in '19, tied for second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (17.3 a contest) in '21, and finished third in '22 by holding teams to 13.8 a matchup. Minnesota's defense took a step back last year, but Rossi's arrival at Michigan State is good news for a defense that allowed 30.9 points per game in Big Ten play in '23.
11. Dirk Koetter, Offensive Coordinator, Boise State
Dirk Koetter
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
New Boise State coach Spencer Danielson brought Koetter back to the blue turf after Bush Hamdan departed to Kentucky this offseason. Koetter worked with the Broncos from 1998-00 as the program's head coach and spent '22 as an offensive analyst before handling the play-calling duties for the final 10 contests that year. Koetter has a proven track record of success on offense, and his return for '24 will give Danielson a veteran coach to lean on, as well as play a key role in the development of USC transfer Malachi Nelson at quarterback.
Wommack was one of the Sun Belt's top rising star coaches after leading South Alabama to a 22-16 mark from 2021-23 but opted to take a step back to the coordinator ranks and join Kalen DeBoer's staff at Alabama this fall. Wommack and DeBoer worked together at Indiana in '19, and both now have the difficult task of replacing Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa in '24. Prior to his stint with the Jaguars over the last three years, Wommack worked as the Hoosiers' defensive coordinator from 2019-20 and guided this unit to a No. 4 finish in scoring defense ('20). He also played a key role in shaping South Alabama's defense the last three seasons, with the unit lowering its points per game allowed average every year.
13. Tom Allen, Defensive Coordinator, Indiana
Penn State has finished in the top 10 nationally of scoring defense in four out of the last five seasons and shouldn't miss a beat with Allen calling the plays after Manny Diaz left to take over as Duke's head coach. Allen was dismissed as Indiana's head coach in '23 but has a solid track record as a coordinator and inherits a unit ready for top-level success this fall. The Hoosiers allowed 5.03 yards a snap in '16 when Allen was the defensive coordinator, and his '15 group at South Florida limited teams to 5.24 yards a play.
Avalos was dismissed as Boise State's head coach after a 22-14 run since 2021, but a return to the coordinator ranks should be a solid landing spot. Prior to the three-year stint in charge at Boise, Avalos worked as the Broncos' defensive coordinator from 2016-18 and spent two years in charge of the signals at Oregon. Under Avalos' watch, the Ducks finished second in the conference in scoring defense (16.5 a game) in '19 and finished near the top of the conference in both seasons in fewest yards per play allowed. TCU's defense allowed 27.8 points a game last year, so Avalos has plenty of work ahead this offseason to transform this group into one of the best in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs are expected to shift to a four-man front and are likely to be more aggressive overall to generate more pressure on quarterbacks under Avalos.
New coach Deshaun Foster's hire of Bieniemy is a big-time splash for a program looking to make a quick transition to the Big Ten. Bieniemy was instrumental in developing the Chiefs' dynamic offense from 2018-22 and called the plays for the Commanders' group that averaged 312.8 yards a game last year. The '24 season marks a return for Bieniemy to UCLA after he worked here from 2003-05 as the program's running backs coach. Bieniemy's last collegiate experience came from 2011-12 at Colorado, but his recent stints in the NFL bring instant name recognition and credibility for Foster's first staff. It's worth noting Bieniemy's offense with the Buffaloes struggled, ranking last in the Pac-12 in scoring both years.
Jason Beck, New Mexico Tim Beck, Vanderbilt Kade Bell, Pitt Jonathan Brewer, Duke Jim Chaney, Georgia State Joe Craddock, Tulane Drew Cronic, Navy Bush Hamdan, Kentucky Corey Heterman, Minnesota Dean Kennedy, James Madison Jay Johnson, Wyoming Tim Lester, Iowa Brian Lindgren, Michigan State Matt Lubick, Nevada Zach Lujan, Northwestern Conor Riley, Kansas State Mike Shanahan, Indiana Joe Sloan, LSU Craig Stutzman, San Jose State Cody Worley, Army
Other Top Defensive Coordinator Hires
Duane Akina, Arizona Steve Belichick, Washington Clay Bignell, Southern Miss Joe Bowen, Buffalo Skyler Cassity, Sam Houston Erik Chinander/Tyler Stockton, Boise State DJ Durkin/Charles Kelly, Auburn Greg Gasparato, Tulane Jordon Hankins, Memphis Jeremiah Johnson, Louisiana Tech Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Robert Livingston, Colorado Dexter McCoil Sr., Texas State Tim McGarigle, Northwestern Joe Morris, New Mexico State Johnny Nansen, Texas Ron Roberts, Florida Tyler Santucci, Georgia Tech Tyson Veidt, Cincinnati
Steven Lassan is the senior college football writer and editor for AthlonSports.com. Follow him on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook .
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