There is room to argue whether or not the B1G or the SEC is college football’s (CFB) top conference. However …
In 2025, an unprecedented 32 new head college football (CFB) coaches were hired, 17 in CFB’s Power 4 conferences. The Big Ten won this head coach hiring frenzy; argue if you like, but it wasn’t that close.
In the SEC, a conference that goes through coaches like cotton through a cotton gin, six new coaches were hired. Even Mr. FishDuck had to pause for a moment in his quest to see updated NFL odds in this big week, and his study of the NFL latest news to comment to me on the high quality of new Big-10 coaching hires.
The only experienced coach to be hired in the SEC was Lane Kiffin, who left Pete Golding holding the Ole Miss playoff bag. Golding won his first game as the Rebels coach with a first-round playoff victory over Tulane.
Golding’s second game as a head coach was in the Sugar Bowl, where Ole Miss came from nine points down at halftime to defeat the favored Georgia Bulldogs 39-34 on a walk-off field goal. Helped by the wizardry of QB Trinidad Chambliss, the Rebels took down the SEC champion and its stellar coach Kirby Smart.
In his third game in the Fiesta Bowl, Golding, Ole Miss, and Trinidad gave Miami everything Mario could handle in a 31-27 loss. A stellar start to Golding’s head coaching career. (Ask anyone other than Dabo Swinney.)
The other new hire, who has no head coaching experience, was Oregon OC Will Stein, hired to replace longtime coach Mark Stoops at Kentucky. Best of luck, Will.
New Auburn head coach Alex Golesh, who played his college football at Ohio State, moves up from G6 South Florida. Jon Sumerall at Florida and Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas move up, respectively, from G6 Tulane and G6 Memphis.
It may Just Mean More in the SEC, but the new hires Just Have Less experience than the Big Ten’s four new hires.
Just how weird is it to see Kyle Whittingham wearing blue? (Screenshot from Big-10 Network Video)
Michigan – Kyle Whittingham
Curt Cignetti led Indiana to a 16-0 record, tying the 1894 Yale team for the most wins in a season, won a championship without a Blue Chip Roster, and made 60-year-old coaches the new 40.
After 21 years as Utah’s head coach, the 66-year-old Whittingham leaves Utah with the most wins in Utes history: 177 wins, 81 losses. His record in Salt Lake City includes back-to-back Pac-12 championships and finishing 13-0 in 2008 with an upset win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Coach Whit’s punch you in the mouth philosophy on both lines of scrimmage is a perfect fit at Michigan. However, he is not the second coming of Bo Schembechler. He is bringing Utah’s OC Jason Beck and Beck’s modern offense with him to Ann Arbor, where a perfect fit for Beck’s offense, QB Bryce Underwood, awaits.
Coach Whit will again be on the sideline when the Wolverines visit Autzen Stadium in 2026. I award a hire-grade of A by the Wolverines. A senior citizen myself, I am against Elder Abuse, but even at a young 66, Whit is an interim hire.
PENN STATE – Matt Campbell
Campbell takes over the reins at Penn State (see top photo) after 14 years of head coaching experience with a record of 107-70. Like Nick Saban, Campbell’s first head coaching job was at Toledo in the MAC conference, where he went 35-15 in four seasons.
From 2016 through 2025, Campbell coached and revived an Iowa State program where he finished 72-16 playing in the Big 12 conference with Oklahoma and Texas through 2023. Matt went a respectable 4-8 versus Oklahoma and Texas. (And 1-0 versus Mario) He wins games against ranked opponents.
Pat Fitzgerald taking over at Michigan State. (Screenshot from Fox 2 Detroit Video)
Like Kyle Whittingham, Campbell leaves Iowa State with the most victories in Cyclones history. Over 20 Iowa State players, including QB Rocco Becht, are following Campbell to Penn State. This is a hire-grade of B+ – His teams will not fold against the toughest opponents, but will he be able to bring in top-level talent?
Michigan State – Pat Fitzgerald
Pat Fitzgerald was the head coach at his alma mater, Northwestern, for 17 seasons. He went 110-101 in the most difficult place to win in the Big Ten. He led Northwestern to a 5-5 bowl record, and in 2020, he was awarded the Bobby Dodd College Football Coach of the Year trophy. As evidenced by the size of the settlement check that he received from Northwestern, he was unjustly terminated.
At 51 years of age, a physically fit Fitz fits at Michigan State in the mold of Spartans coach Marc Dantonio. MSU, like Northwestern, is more of a development program than a team trying to buy its way to a title. His teams did not always finish with winning records, but Northwestern’s opponents always went up against a physical football team.
Like Whittingham at Utah and Campbell at Iowa State, Fitzgerald leaves Northwestern with the most wins in program history.
Hire Grade of A+ – As noted above, Fitz is a coach in the mold of Hall of Fame coaches Marc Dantonio and Duffy Dougherty, who led the Spartans to national championships in 1955, 1957, 1965, and 1966. In today’s CFB world, I do not see titles, but I do see a very competitive opponent whenever Michigan State plays ball.
Bob Chesney, a very intense, driven personality is what the Bruins need. (Screenshot from UCLA Athletics Video)
UCLA – Bob Chesney
Like Curt Cignetti at Indiana, Chesney comes to UCLA without Power 4 head coaching experience. However, like Cig, he brings a sterling head coaching record of 137-52 (.717) with him. Also like Cig to Indiana, Bob comes to Westwood from JMU, where he went 21-6 in two seasons, leading the Dukes to a playoff berth last season. As Oregon fans witnessed up close, Chesney’s teams do not quit.
Also, like Cig, Chesney comes from a football coaching family. He grew up in the coal mining town of Kulpmont, PA. His Dad, granddad, and uncle coached his high school football team.
Chesney’s first coaching job was at Vermont’s Norwich Academy. Norwich paid him $5000 for the effort. In the off-season, to make ends meet, Chesney went home and dug coal. He will not be out-worked. Evidence of that work ethic is how JMU’s OC, DC, and most of the other Dukes coaches are following Chesney to UCLA. He is bringing a stunning 41 players into UCLA from the portal, including 10 from JMU. Bruins QB Nico Iamaleva is returning.
Hire grade of B – UCLA will be much improved in 2026. But experienced coach Dan Mullen, who won an SEC title at Florida, is next door at UNLV. All of Chesney’s coaching experience is in the Eastern time zone.
However, those who even noticed that the Indiana Hoosiers football team hired some old dude named Cignetti had serious doubts about the hire. UCLA will improve, as I expect with Michigan State, and I believe Whit has a legitimate shot at returning Michigan to the playoffs this season.
On Oregon’s 2026 schedule; Michigan and UCLA in Autzen, and on the road at Michigan State. No Nittany Lions. Any Forum Friends want to argue in favor of the SEC hires? Be my guests.
Jon Joseph
Aiken, South Carolina
Top Screenshot of Matt Campbell from the Josh Pate Football Show Video
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Jon Joseph grew up in Boston, Massachusetts but has been blessed to have lived long enough in the west to have exorcised all east coast bias. He played football in college and has passionately followed the game for seven decades. A retired corporate attorney Jon has lectured across the country and published numerous articles on banking and gaming law. Now a resident of Aiken South Carolina, Jon follows college football across the nation with a focus on the Conference of Champions and the Ducks.