With the FCS regular season coming to a close, it’s the time of year when the coaching carousel is in full swing. There are many reasons why a coaching change happens and the table below will keep track of all changes that occur. The table below is sortable by any column, provides links to articles for any changes and hirings, and will be updated as more changes become known.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some teams did not participate in either the 2020 fall season or the 2021 spring season. We’ve listed the years each coach was in charge with the number of seasons in parentheses below. While West Georgia is currently a Division 2 program, in 2024 they will join the FCS and play in the United Athletic Conference with a new head coach.
| Team | Conference | Previous Coach | Years Coached (Seasons) | Depature Date | New Coach | Hire Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcorn State | SWAC | Fred McNair | 2016 – 2023 (7 Seasons) | 12/19/2023 | Cedric Thomas | 12/19/2023 | McNair’s Contract Not Renewed |
| Austin Peay | UAC | Scotty Walden | 2020 – 2023 (4 Seasons) | 12/4/2023 | Jeff Faris | 12/9/2023 | Walden Left for UTEP |
| Campbell | CAA | Mike Minter | 2013 – 2023 (11 Seasons) | 12/18/2023 | Braxton Harris | 1/2/2024 | Minter Resigned |
| Columbia | Ivy League | Al Bagnoli | 2015 – 2022 (7 Seasons) | 8/4/2023 | Jon Poppe | 12/2/2023 | Bagnoli Retired |
| Cornell | Ivy League | David Archer | 2013 – 2023 (10 Seasons) | 11/19/2023 | Dan Swanstrom | 12/7/2023 | Archer Fired |
| Dartmouth | Ivy League | Buddy Teevens | 1987 – 1991 2005 – 2022 (22 Seasons) | 9/19/2023 | Sammy McCorkle | 10/19/2023 | Teevens Passed Away |
| East Tennessee State | SoCon | George Quarles | 2022 – 2023 (2 Seasons) | 11/19/2023 | Tre Lamb | 11/27/2023 | Quarles Fired |
| Florida A&M | SWAC | Willie Simmons | 2018 – 2023 (5 Seasons) | 1/1/2024 | James Colzie III | 1/27/2024 | Simmons Left for Duke RBs Coaching Position |
| Gardner-Webb | Big South-OVC | Tre Lamb | 2020 – 2023 (4 Seasons) | 11/27/2023 | Cris Reisert | 12/12/2023 | Lamb Left for ETSU |
| Grambling | SWAC | Hue Jackson | 2022 – 2023 (2 Seasons) | 11/28/2023 | Mickey Joseph | 12/18/2023 | Jackson Fired |
| Hampton | CAA | Robert Prunty | 2018 – 2023 (5 Seasons) | 4/30/2024 | Trent Boykin | 4/30/2024 | Prunty Fired |
| Harvard | Ivy League | Tim Murphy | 1994 – 2023 (29 Seasons) | 1/17/2024 | Andrew Aurich | 2/12/2024 | Murphy Retired |
| Holy Cross | Patriot League | Bob Chesney | 2018 – 2023 (6 Seasons) | 12/7/2023 | Dan Curran | 12/15/2023 | Chesney Left for James Madison |
| Houston Christian | Southland | Braxton Harris | 2023 (1 Season) | 12/31/2023 | Jason Bachtel | 1/4/2024 | Harris Resigned |
| Marist | Pioneer | Jim Parady | 1992 – 2023 (31 Seasons) | 11/29/2023 | Mike Willis | 12/19/2023 | Parady Retired |
| Mercer | Southern | Drew Cronic | 2020 – 2023 (4 Seasons) | 1/9/2024 | Mike Jacobs | 1/18/2024 | Cronic Resigned to take Navy OC role |
| Merrimack | Northeast | Dan Curran | 2013 – 2023 (11 Seasons) | 12/15/2023 | Mike Gennetti | 12/18/2023 | Curran Left for Holy Cross |
| Morehead State | Pioneer | Rob Tenyer | 2013 – 2023 (11 Seasons) | 11/20/2023 | Jason Woodman | 12/19/2023 | Tenyer’s Contract Not Renewed |
| Murray State | MVFC | Dean Hood | 2020 – 2023 (4 Seasons) | 1/1/2024 | Jody Wright | 1/10/2024 | Hood Retired |
| North Dakota State | MVFC | Matt Entz | 2019 – 2023 (5 Seasons) | 12/10/2023 | Tim Polasek | 12/17/2023 | Entz Leaving for USC Assistant Position |
| Northern Arizona | Big Sky | Chris Ball | 2019 – 2023 (5 Seasons) | 11/20/2023 | Brian Wright | 12/3/2023 | Ball’s Contract Not Renewed |
| Northwestern State | Southland | Brad Laird | 2018 – 2023 (6 Seasons) | 10/26/2023 | Blaine McCorkle | 11/28/2023 | Laird Resigned |
| South Carolina State | MEAC | Oliver “Buddy” Pough | 2002 – 2023 (22 Seasons) | 8/24/2023 | Chennis Berry | 12/8/2023 | Pough Retired |
| Southern | SWAC | Eric Dooley | 2022 – 2023 (2 Seasons) | 11/14/2023 | Terrence Graves | 12/12/2023 | Dooley Fired |
| Stony Brook | CAA | Chuck Priore | 2006 – 2023 (18 Seasons) | 11/13/2023 | Billy Cosh | 12/13/2023 | Priore Fired |
| Tennessee Tech | Big South-OVC | Dewayne Alexander | 2018 – 2023 (6 Seasons) | 11/21/2023 | Bobby Wilder | 12/3/2023 | Alexander Fired |
| Texas Southern | SWAC | Clarence McKinney | 2019 – 2023 (5 Seasons) | 11/20/2023 | Cris Dishman | 1/12/2024 | McKinney’s Contract Not Renewed |
| UC Davis | Big Sky | Dan Hawkins | 2017 – 2023 (7 Seasons) | 11/28/2023 | Tim Plough | 12/1/2023 | Hawkins Resigned |
| Utah Tech | UAC | Paul Peterson | 2019 – 2023 (5 Seasons) | 11/20/2023 | Lance Anderson | 12/8/2023 | Moved to Different Athletic Department Position |
| West Georgia (FCS in 2024) | UAC | David Dean | 2017 – 2023 (6 Seasons) | 11/13/2023 | Joel Taylor | 12/2/2023 | Dean Resigned |
| Western Illinois | MVFC (Big South-OVC in 2024) | Myers Hendrickson | 2022 – 2023 (2 Seasons) | 11/19/2023 | Joe Davis | 12/10/2023 | Hendrickson Fired |
Photo Credit to NCAA/NCAA Photos
Related posts:
Northwestern State Cancels Remainder of 2023 Season and Brad Laird Resigns
Columbia Won’t Retain Fabish; Eastern Washington Keeps Best
Columbia Hires Jon Poppe as Head Coach
Joel Taylor Hired as West Georgia Head Coach
Utah Tech Hires Lance Anderson as Head Coach
Alcorn State Promotes Cedric Thomas to Head Coach