The coaching carousel started up in the offseason when the Northwestern Wildcats fired long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald. He was replaced by David Braun, who was named interim, but after leading the Wildcats to a 7-5 record the interim tag was removed. Braun was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Following the completion of the season, Michigan State made a hire when they lured Jonathan Smith away from Oregon State. Smith’s future feels more secure given that the Spartans are in the Big Ten, as opposed to the uncertainty in the Pac-12 (2). Duke joined the carousel when Mike Elko agreed to return to College Station with the Aggies. He served as defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher before leaving for the Blue Devils job.
Check out the updated list of who is in and who is out in this year’s cycle:
| School | Out | In |
| Boise State | Andy Avalos | |
| Duke | Mike Elko | |
| Houston | Dana Holgorsen | |
| Indiana | Tom Allen | Curt Cignetti |
| James Madison | Curt Cignetti | |
| Michigan State | Mel Tucker | Jonathan Smith |
| Middle Tennessee | Rick Stockstill | |
| Mississippi State | Zach Arnett | Jeff Lebby |
| Nevada | Ken Wilson | |
| New Mexico | Danny Gonzales | |
| Northwestern | Pat Fitzgerald | David Braun |
| Oregon State | Jonathan Smith | Trent Bray |
| San Diego State | Brady Hoke | Sean Lewis |
| Syracuse | Dino Babers | Fran Brown |
| Texas A&M | Jimbo Fisher | Mike Elko |
| UL-Monroe | Terry Bowden | |
| UTEP | Dana Dimel |
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