College football coaching carousel: Every FBS coaching change in 2022

How many coaching changes will there be in 2022? 

In 2021, there were 28 coaching changes in the FBS. There were 18 changes in the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season. Our guess is this year’s number will be somewhere in between 18 and 28, but given the early September firings, that’s an educated guess. 

Three have been 14 coaching changes in the FBS heading into championship week. That includes seven Power 5 coaches. Stanford’s David Shaw is the latest. He resigned on Sunday. 

So, who’s next? 

A look at all the coaching changes for 2022: 

2022 FBS coaching changes 

Scott Frost, Nebraska 

Fired (Sept. 12): Frost was fired one day after a 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern dropped the Huskers to 1-2. Frost, a former Nebraska quarterback on the 1997 national championship team, simply could not get it to click in Lincoln. One-score losses were the headline – Nebraska was 5-22 in one-score games under Frost, and those losses were often head-scratchers like the 31-28 loss to Northwestern in Week 0. Nebraska gave Frost a $15 million buyout instead of waiting until Oct. 1, when that buyout would have dropped to $7.5 million. He finished 16-31. Nebraska hired Matt Rhule on Nov. 26. 

BENDER: Why firing a coach early is good business

Herm Edwards, Arizona State

Fired (Sept. 19): Edwards was fired one day after a 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan. The Sun Devils dropped to 1-2, and this was the end of a controversial stint that started in 2018. Arizona State was under NCAA scrutiny for alleged recruiting violations, and the Sun Devils lost several players, including starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, in the transfer portal. Edwards finished with a 26-20 record. 

Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech 

Fired (Sept. 27): Collins became the third Power 5 coach to be fired in the 2022 cycle. The Yellow Jackets dropped to 1-3 after a 27-10 loss to UCF. Collins arrived at Georgia Tech in 2019 after an impressive two-year stint with Temple, but the Yellow Jackets had three consecutive three-win seasons and were never a factor in the ACC Coastal Division. Collins finished with a 10-28 record.

MORE: Where to find the next ‘home run hire’

Karl Dorrell, Colorado 

Fired (Oct. 2): Colorado fired Dorrell after a tough 0-5 start to the 2022 season in which the Buffaloes were outscored 216-67. Dorrell, a former coach at UCLA, took the Colorado job in 2020. The Buffaloes were 4-2 in the COVID-19 shortened 2019 season, but they finished 4-8 in 2021. Dorrell had a 6-9 record in Pac-12 play.

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin  

Fired (Oct. 2): Chryst, who took over as Wisconsin’s coach in 2015, was fired after a 2-3 start. Chryst had a 67-26 record with the Badgers that included three trips to the Big Ten championship game, but the program back-tracked since 2020 with a 15-10 record. The 2022 season was a tough start at 2-3, and the tipping point was a 34-10 loss to Illinois and former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema in Week 5. Jim Leonhard is Wisconsin’s interim coach.

Will Healy, Charlotte

Fired (Oct. 23): Healy was fired according to a report from Fox Charlotte’s Will Kunkel. Healy had a 7-6 record and took the 49ers to the Bahamas Bowl in his first season in 2019. Charlotte, however, had an 8-18 record afterward and slipped to 1-7 in 2022 after 34-15 loss to FIU in Week 8. Charlotte hired Michigan associate coach Biff Poggi on Nov. 15 

Bryan Harsin, Auburn 

Fired (Oct. 31): Harsin was fired in just his second season, which never got off on the right foot at Auburn. Harsin had a 9-12 record, and the Tigers lost their fourth straight game against Arkansas in Week 9. Harsin had issues with assistant coach defections and players entering the transfer portal, and it just never felt like the right fit when he arrived from Boise State. Harsin will collect a $15 million buyout.

Jeff Scott, South Florida 

Fired (Nov. 6): Scott was fired on Nov. 6 in a stint that never took off with the Bulls. The former Clemson co-offensive coordinator had a 4-26 record and was let go after a 1-8 season with South Florida in 2022. Scott had a 1-19 record in American Athletic Conference play. 

Willie Taggart, FAU 

Fired (Nov. 26): The Owls fired Taggart after three seasons. FAU finished 5-7 for the second straight season, and Taggart had a 15-18 record. Back-to-back losses to Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky prevented FAU from reaching the postseason. 

David Shaw, Stanford 

Resigned (Nov. 27): Shaw resigned after 12 seasons with the Cardinal. Shaw won three Pac-12 championships from 2012, 2013 and 2015, and he is the program’s all-time leader in wins with 96. Stanford slipped the two seasons, however, with back-to-back 3-9 records. The Cardinal have not reached a bowl game since 2018. 

Luke Fickell, Cincinnati 

Resigned (Nov. 27): Fickell reportedly is finalizing a deal to become Wisconsin’s next coach, according to ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel. Fickell was 57-18 with the Bearcats and helped the school become the first Group of 5 program to reach the College Football Playoff in 2021. Fickell led the Bearcats to five straight seasons with at least nine victories, and he should be able to have success at Wisconsin. Kerry Coombs was named Cincinnati’s interim coach. 

Philip Montgomery, Tulsa 

Fired (Nov. 27): On3.com’s Matt Zenitz reports Tulsa has fired Montgomery after eight seasons. Montgomery led the Golden Hurricane to four bowl appearances in that stretch, but Tulsa slipped to 5-7 this season. He finishes with a 43-53 record. 

Jake Spavital, Texas State 

Fired (Nov. 27): Spavital will not return as Texas State’s head coach, according to 247Sports.com’s Chris Hummer. Spavital had a 13-35 record over four seasons, and that included a 9-23 record in Sun Belt Conference play. 

Tim Lester, Western Michigan 

Fired (Nov. 28): ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that Western Michigan is parting ways with Lester, who is coming off a 5-7 season. Lester, who played at Western Michigan from 1996-99, had a 37-32 record and three bowl appearances.