Coaching Carousel Concludes: LSU, Florida, Arkansas, and Auburn Name New Head Coaches
A whirlwind of coaching changes swept through college football Sunday, culminating in head coach hires at LSU, Florida, Arkansas, and Auburn. The moves began following Lane Kiffin’s decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU.
Kiffin’s move created a ripple effect. Florida aggressively pursued Kiffin but ultimately turned to Tulane’s John Sumrall after Kiffin chose LSU. Both LSU and Florida had reportedly considered Sumrall as a contingency plan should they fail to secure Kiffin. Sumrall was also heavily linked to the Auburn opening throughout the search process.
auburn responded by hiring Alex Golesh, previously the offensive coordinator at Tennessee and currently the head coach at South Florida. Golesh had also been a candidate for the arkansas position last week. Auburn made the hire following a gut-wrenching loss in the Iron Bowl.
Arkansas filled its vacancy by hiring Ryan Silverfield from Memphis. silverfield’s Memphis team finished the season with an 8-4 record after being in contention for a Group of Five playoff spot. He was an early candidate for the Arkansas job, linked to the position shortly after Memphis defeated the Razorbacks.
The situation at Ole Miss remained unsettled following Kiffin’s departure, with reports suggesting he threatened to bring his entire offensive staff to LSU if Ole Miss impeded his move.
UPDATE: Pete Golding is expected to take over at Ole Miss full time.
The coaching search landscape isn’t entirely settled, as the Penn State head coaching position remains open.
