2025-26 Coaching Change Thread

[Mvemjsunpx]

Samford fired Chris Hatcher today after Samford's 1-9 start, so the era of the Hatch Attack in Birmingham has come to an end. Hatcher went 62-59 with the Bulldogs and had 3 playoff appearances and 1 conference title. The Bulldogs won the SoCon and went to the quarterfinals in 2022. Defensive coordinator Scot Sloan was named the interim coach.

https://samfordsports.com/news/2025/11/ ... eason.aspx


I also missed that Southern fired Terrence Graves a few weeks ago. Graves was 3-0 in the Bayou Classic (1 of those as the interim coach at Grambling), so a mid-season firing seems odd there. Former Alcorn coach Fred McNair (Steve's brother) was made the interim coach.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Changes

Albany - Jared Ambrose --------> Tom Perkovich
Bucknell - Dave Cecchini --------> Jeff Behrman
Cal Poly - Paul Wulff --------> Tim Skipper
Florida A&M - James Colzie III --------> Quinn Gray
Gardner-Webb - Cris Reisert --------> Kris McCullough
Hampton - Trent Boykin --------> Van Malone
Howard - Larry Scott --------> Ted White
Mercer - Mike Jacobs --------> Joel Taylor
Monmouth - Kevin Callahan --------> Jeff Gallo
New Hampshire - Ricky Santos --------> Sean Goldrich
Penn - Ray Priore --------> Ricky Santos
Portland St. - Bruce Barnum --------> Chris Fisk
Presbyterian - Steve Englehart --------> Matt Rahl
Sacramento St. - Brennan Marion --------> Alonzo Carter
Samford - Chris Hatcher --------> Scot Sloan --------> John Grass
Southern - Terrence Graves --------> Fred McNair --------> Marshall Faulk
VMI - Danny Rocco --------> Ashley Ingram
Weber St. - Mickey Mental --------> Brent Myers --------> Eric Kjar
West Georgia - Joel Taylor --------> Steve Englehart






Italic - denotes interim coach (offseason-only interims won't be included)

[kalm]

Changes

Samford - Chris Hatcher --------> Scot Sloan -------->
Southern - Terrence Graves --------> Fred McNair -------->






Italic - denotes interim coach (offseason-only interims won't be included)

Mickey Mental is out at Weber.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Mickey Mental is out at Weber.

Thanks.

Mental went just 13-20 in not quite 3 seasons in Ogden, a big drop from Weber's success under predecessor Jay Hill. Longtime assistant Brent Myers will be the interim coach.

https://weberstatesports.com/news/2025/ ... hip-change

[Mvemjsunpx]

I guess there was a limit as to how many games Barnum could lose. He went 39-75 in 11 seasons with the Viks and didn't have a winning season after his inaugural one.

https://goviks.com/news/2025/11/22/port ... hange.aspx

[Mvemjsunpx]

Boykin went 7-17 in 2 seasons with the Pirates.

https://hamptonpirates.com/news/2025/11 ... tball.aspx

[JALMOND]

I guess there was a limit as to how many games Barnum could lose. He went 39-75 in 11 seasons with the Viks and didn't have a winning season after his inaugural one.

https://goviks.com/news/2025/11/22/port ... hange.aspx

That first season told it all. Burton couldn't coach and Barnum couldn't recruit.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Surprised at this one. This was easily Cal Poly's most competitive team since pre-COVID.

https://gopoly.com/news/2025/11/23/cal- ... leadership

[Mvemjsunpx]

Ray Priore is "stepping down" as the head coach at Penn after 10 seasons as the head coach that followed 28 years as a Quaker assistant. He went 58-42 during his head-coaching stint in Philadelphia with Ivy League titles in his first two seasons.

https://pennathletics.com/news/2025/11/ ... -penn.aspx

[canyoncat]

Surprised at this one. This was easily Cal Poly's most competitive team since pre-COVID.

https://gopoly.com/news/2025/11/23/cal- ... leadership

I don't get this one as well. Wulff is a good coach and had Cal Poly going in the right direction. Maybe not fast enough??

[Gil Dobie]

Tim Polasek has signed a longterm extension to remain at North Dakota State, the program announced Tuesday.

No figures were included in the announcement, but multiple outlets said the deal will keep him under contract through 2033 and comes with additional money for the Bison coaching staff and the program.

[kalm]

Surprised at this one. This was easily Cal Poly's most competitive team since pre-COVID.

https://gopoly.com/news/2025/11/23/cal- ... leadership

I don't get this one as well. Wulff is a good coach and had Cal Poly going in the right direction. Maybe not fast enough??

And he and Baldwin had actually developed a passing game. Tough place to win.

[kalm]

Tim Polasek has signed a longterm extension to remain at North Dakota State, the program announced Tuesday.

No figures were included in the announcement, but multiple outlets said the deal will keep him under contract through 2033 and comes with additional money for the Bison coaching staff and the program.

Assistants salaries are huge.

[bonarae]

Southern U trying to become the fourth HBCU ever (and third in a year) for an ex-NFL star's HC gig.

https://www.wafb.com/2025/11/26/souther ... ead-coach/

[Gil Dobie]

Tim Polasek has signed a longterm extension to remain at North Dakota State, the program announced Tuesday.

No figures were included in the announcement, but multiple outlets said the deal will keep him under contract through 2033 and comes with additional money for the Bison coaching staff and the program.

Assistants salaries are huge.

Some are wondering if this is a sign of a FBS move in the near future.

[UNI88]

Assistants salaries are huge.

Some are wondering if this is a sign of a FBS move in the near future.

[Gil Dobie]

Some are wondering if this is a sign of a FBS move in the near future.

The Mountain West could be adding several teams in the near future with the new Pac conference formation.

[UNI88]

Some are wondering if this is a sign of a FBS move in the near future.

That would be a good home for the bizumbs and I'm guessing bunnies, griz and cats as well.

Would the fawks and yotes be invited? What would the reaction be if they weren't?

[Gil Dobie]

That would be a good home for the bizumbs and I'm guessing bunnies, griz and cats as well.

Would the fawks and yotes be invited? What would the reaction be if they weren't?

SacSt is looking for a FBS conference too, so UCD might want to follow. Not sure if the Fawks want follow again with the hockey expenses. Unsure with the yotes.

[kalm]

That would be a good home for the bizumbs and I'm guessing bunnies, griz and cats as well.

Would the fawks and yotes be invited? What would the reaction be if they weren't?

SacSt is looking for a FBS conference too, so UCD might want to follow. Not sure if the Fawks want follow again with the hockey expenses. Unsure with the yotes.

I wonder if the MW offered NDSU membership in the recent past but they declined? Still scratching my head over Texas State joining.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Like many HBCUs lately, the Southern Jaguars are going the former-NFL-star route by making College & NFL Hall-of-Famer Marshall Faulk their new head coach. Faulk's only coaching experience, however, was as Colorado's RBs coach under Deion this season.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 557114007/

[Caribbean Hen]

If North Dakota state, South Dakota State, Montana and Montana State move up to FBS the gate will be swinging wide for somebody to step in and take over

Might it be the Ivies ?

The new and improved Patriot league ?

Certainly not the Big Sky especially if Sac St and UC Davis jump ship as well

[SuperHornet]

Like many HBCUs lately, the Southern Jaguars are going the former-NFL-star route by making College & NFL Hall-of-Famer Marshall Faulk their new head coach. Faulk's only coaching experience, however, was as Colorado's RBs coach under Deion this season.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 557114007/

I'm REALLY ticked off about this. I've never liked Southern due to the way they always seem to steal games from Grambling. But getting that jerk Faulk is like piling on. I'm still ticked off about that stunt he pulled back in '91 with San Diego State. In a 55-34 rout of UOP (with me in the stands fresh into my first ship, the old USS Halsey (CG-23)), Faulk ran for a then-NCAA record rushing total and 7 bloody touchdowns on my next-to-hometown defense from UOP. Yes, I hold grudges. I still hold a grudge against Jerry Kramer for that messed up quarterback sneak during the Ice Bowl, and that happened before I was born....

[Mvemjsunpx]

A few coaching moves from the last week that I haven't covered yet:


Cal Poly hired UCLA interim coach, and former Fresno State acting/interim head coach Tim Skipper. Skipper went 10-13 over the last 2+ seasons during his fill-in stints. He was the defensive coordinator for Sac State during part of the Steve Mooshagian era.

Samford hired Clemson analyst John Grass. He's most familiar to FCS fans, however, for being the head coach at Jacksonville State from 2014-21 where he went 72-26 (68-21 in FCS) and led to 6 playoff appearances in 7 years including a title-game appearance in 2015.

Sac State's Brennan Marion left after one season to take the OC job under Deion at Colorado. Marion went 7-5 in his lone season with the Hornets. So now Sac has no coach and no conference.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Bucknell fired Dave Cecchini after 7 seasons in Lewisburg. He only went 24-48 during his tenure with the Bison, but his 6-6 mark last year is Bucknell's only non-losing season since 2014.

Florida A&M fired James Colzie III after 2 seasons that showed some serious decline from the Willie Simmons era. They won the Celebration Bowl in 2023, Simmons's last, but they went just 12-12 in Colzie's short tenure.

Mike Jacobs left Mercer to take the Toledo job. He went an impressive 20-6 in 2 seasons with the Bears, but that tenure obviously ended in a thud with a 47-0 home loss to South Dakota in the second round.


https://bucknellbison.com/news/2025/12/ ... ll-program
https://famuathletics.com/news/2025/12/ ... coach.aspx
https://mercerbears.com/news/2025/12/10 ... head-coach