College football coaching carousel 2026: Tracking moves as Maryland, NC State, Baylor make changes

Get the latest on the college football coaching carousel as CBS Sports tracks new hires and fires After a few false starts, the coaching carousel finally started spinning in late October. It's not surprising the silly season is off to a slow start after 2025's record-breaking churn. The FBS hired 32 new head coaches, including 17 in the four power conferences, and hundreds more assistant coaches changed jobs. Ninety-three FBS programs have changed coaches over the last three offseasons. The question is whether we've hit a cooling period as schools wrestle with the challenging economics of the NIL and revenue-sharing era. Maryland kicked off the firing season Oct. 21. More power programs have followed.

CBS Sports is tracking every move in the 2026-27 cycle and grading each hire below. Dave Aranda won a Big 12 title in 2021 but otherwise led the Bears with middling success over seven seasons. He finished 40-40 and was below .500 in the Big 12 (26-32). Don't be surprised if Baylor seeks an offensive coach, particularly one with strong connections to the Texas high school scene. UTSA's Jeff Traylor, Texas State's GJ Kinne and USC's Lincoln Riley are strong candidates to consider in Waco. Maryland kicked off the coaching carousel this year. Mike Locksley is out halfway through his eighth season at Maryland, where he