Change is the only constant in college football. Players change teams, programs rise and fall each year and coaches bounce around the country with more freedom than ever.
With Week 1 of the 2025 college football season about to kick off, let's look at all of the (sometimes) old faces in new places.
New Coaches in the ACC
The most intriguing hire of the 2025 offseason was undoubtedly North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick. Considered by many to be the greatest professional football coach ever, Belichick made headlines for all the wrong reasons after landing the job (namely his girlfriend/publicist's handling of certain media interviews).
Still, there is an undeniable fever pitch in Chapel Hill. And for good reason. Belichick is obviously one of the greatest football minds in the history of the sport and his love for teaching and coaching will likely translate to building a better football program for the Tar Heels.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
North Carolina
Bill Belichick
Mack Brown
Stanford
Frank Reich
Troy Taylor
Wake Forest
Jake Dickert
Dave Clawson
New Coaches in the American
There was a lot of movement in the American. Temple is looking to rebuild its program entirely, while Charlotte is looking to keep the momentum going after last season marked its first .500 season in conference play as member of the American.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
Charlotte
Tim Albin
Biff Poggi
Florida Atlantic
Zach Kittley
Tom Herman
Rice
Scott Abell
Mike Bloomgren
Temple
K.C. Keeler
Stan Drayton
Tulsa
Tre Lamb
Kevin Wilson
New Coaches in the Big Ten
Barry Odom takes over Purdue, replacing one of his former assistant coaches, Ryan Walters. Purdue has been one of the worst Power 4 programs in the country, so it can only go up from here.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
Purdue
Barry Odom
Ryan Walters
New Coaches in the Big 12
Two coaches are returning home in the Big 12, with Rich Rodriguez coming back to West Virginia and Scott Frost reuniting with UCF.
Both Frost and Rodriguez had tremendous success with these programs before, but time will tell if they can do it again in 2025 and beyond.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
UCF
Scott Frost
Gus Malzahn
West Virginia
Rich Rodriguez
Neal Brown
New Coaches in Conference USA
Four coaches are debuting with new teams in Conference USA. Charles Kelly finally became a head coach after spending 30 years as an assistant in various capacities for various programs.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
Florida International
Willie Simmons
Mike MacIntyre
Jacksonville State
Charles Kelly
Rich Rodriguez
Kennesaw State
Jerry Mack
Brian Bohannon
Sam Houston State
Phil Longo
K.C. Keeler
New Coaches in the MAC
College football diehards will recognize the name and potential of Joe Harasymiak, but the headlines have all gone to former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George taking over at Bowling Green.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
Ball State
Mike Uremovich
Mike Neu
Bowling Green
Eddie George
Scot Loeffler
Central Michigan
Matt Drinkall
Jim McElwain
Kent State
Mark Carney
Kenni Burns
Ohio
Brian Smith
Tim Albin
UMass
Joe Harasymiak
Don Brown
New Coaches in the Mountain West
Former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz took a loss in his D-I head coaching debut, but still has the track record to give Fresno State fans plenty of hope. Elsewhere, Bronco Mendenhall returns to the state of Utah and the ever-unique Dan Mullen comes to Las Vegas.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
Fresno State
Matt Entz
Jeff Tedford
New Mexico
Jason Eck
Bronco Mendenhall
UNLV
Dan Mullen
Barry Odom
Utah State
Bronco Mendenhall
Nate Dreiling
New Coaches in the Pac-12
Washington State hired Jimmy Rogers, who has spent the last 20 years as a player, assistant and coach for South Dakota State.
School
New Coach
Previous Coach
Washington State
Jimmy Rogers
Jake Dickert
New Coaches in the Sun Belt
Tony Gibson is tasked with rebuilding a Marshall roster that was so depleted it had to forfeit its bowl game last season, Dowell Loggains brings more than a decade of NFL experience to Appalachian State and Charles Huff leaves Marshall for Southern Miss after winning 10 games last season.
School
New Coach
Old Coach
Appalachian State
Dowell Loggains
Shawn Clark
Marshall
Tony Gibson
Charles Huff
Southern Miss
Charles Huff
Will Hall
