2022-2023 NCAA FBS Head Coaching Changes
On Saturday, December 3, 2022, Colorado University announced hiring Deion Sanders as the Buffaloes’ new head football coach. The NFL Hall of Famer and former MLB standout compiled a record of 27 wins and 5 losses as head coach at Jackson State University, posting back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships (2021, 2022).
Jackson State University is a historically black college located in Jackson, Mississippi, competing in the NCAA’s Football Championship (FCS) division. So it’s no understatement to say that Sanders’s hire at CU is a big step up the college football food chain—Prime Time is at the Big Show now.
Will Deion Sanders Deliver At Colorado?
Sanders has proven himself a winner on the field and on the sidelines. His unquestionable charisma and star power will give him an enormous advantage over most coaches in attracting top talent to Colorado. Barring any on-the-field collapse in performance or some fiasco, Deion should retain his advantage to draw top talent for at least his first few years at CU.
Unfortunately, at the FBS level, you only get so long to prove your worth before getting the boot. So there will be no time for any missteps.
Avoid Missteps
Coach Prime needs to avoid any missteps in assembling his coaching staff. Everybody in the program—especially the coaching staff—must be on the same page and have the same vision and mission to excel. A focused, cohesive unit of player talent and coaching staff separates the winners from the losers. It only takes one bad link in that unit to mire a program in mediocracy—no matter how talented the head coach or players are.
Based on my observance of Deion Sanders as a man and his coaching record and achievements at Jackson State, there is no way I’d bet against him not becoming—at the bare minimum—an FBS conference-level champion head coach. If nothing else, Sanders will certainly liven things up in college football.
Keep being your own man; keep being you. Best of luck, Deion Sanders!
The table below contains the latest listing of NCAA FBS head coaching changes for 2022-2023:
Last updated on December 19, 2022.
| # | School | Conference | Old Coach | Reason for Move | New Coach, Former School and Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nebraska | Big Ten | Scott Frost | Fired | Matt Rhule, NFL North Carolina Panthers HC |
| 2. | Arizona State | Pac 12 | Herm Edwards | Fired | Kenny Dillingham, Oregon OC |
| 3. | Georgia Tech | ACC | Geoff Collins | Fired | Brent Key, Georgia Tech AHC |
| 4. | Colorado | Pac 12 | Karl Dorrell | Fired | Deion Sanders, Jackson State (FCS) HC |
| 5. | Wisconsin | Big Ten | Paul Chryst | Fired | Luke Fickell, Cincinnati HC |
| 6. | U. North Carolina at Charlotte | USA | Will Healy | Fired | Biff Poggi, Michigan AHC |
| 7. | Auburn | SEC | Bryan Harsin | Fired | Hugh Freeze, Liberty HC |
| 8. | U. South Florida | American | Jeff Scott | Fired | Alex Golesh, Tennessee OC |
| 9. | University Of Alabama Birmingham | USA | Bill Clark | Resigned | Trent Dilfer, Lipscomb Academy (college prep school) HC |
| 10. | Florida Atlantic | USA | Willie Taggart | Fired | Tom Herman, NFL Chicago Bears Offensive Analyst, Former Texas HC |
| 11. | Stanford | Pac 12 | David Shaw | Resigned | Troy Taylor, Sacramento State (FCS) HC |
| 12. | Cincinnati | American (moves to Big 12 in 2023) | Luke Fickell | Moved On To Wisconsin | Scott Satterfield, Louisville HC |
| 13. | Tulsa | American | Phillip Montgomery | Fired | Kevin Wilson, Ohio State OC |
| 14. | Texas State | Sun Belt | Jake Spavital | Fired | G.J. Kinne, Incarnate Word (FCS), HC |
| 15. | Western Michigan | MAC | Tim Lester | Fired | Lance Taylor, Louisville OC |
| 16. | UNLV | Mountain West | Marcus Arroyo | Fired | Barry Odom, Arkansas AHC |
| 17. | Liberty | Independent | Hugh Freeze | Moved On To Auburn | Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina HC |
| 18. | Louisville | ACC | Scott Satterfield | Moved On To Cincinnati | Jeff Brohm, Purdue HC |
| 19. | Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt | Jamey Chadwell | Moved On To Liberty | Tim Beck, North Carolina State OC |
| 20. | North Texas | USA | Seth Littrell | Fired | Eric Morris, Washington State OC |
| 21. | Purdue | Big Ten | Jeff Brohm | Moved On to Louisville | Ryan Walters |
| 22. | Navy | American | Ken Niumatalolo | Fired | Brian Newberry, Navy DC |
| 23. | Kent State | MAC | Sean Lewis | Resigned | Kenni Burns, Minnesota AHC |
| 24. | Mississippi State | SEC | Mike Leach | Death | Zach Arnett, Mississippi State DC |
