Does constant college football coaching turnover eventually pay off?

As the Florida Gators consider Billy Napier’s future in the coming days or weeks, they’ll have to weigh the risks and rewards of hitting the reset button — again.

The possibility of another coaching search led us to the historical archives. Does rapidly cycling through struggling coaches eventually lead to success?

We’re still not sure.

If — again, if — the Gators fire Napier before the end of 2025, he’ll be the fourth consecutive coach who failed to last four full seasons: Will Muschamp (fired before the end of Year 4), Jim McElwain (out after 34 games) and Dan Mullen (canned before his fourth year’s regular-season finale). Only a handful of Florida’s peers have experienced a comparable stretch of firing-fueled turnover, and most had circumstances beyond their records.

Here’s a look at the closest historical examples we could find, as Napier prepares for another make-or-break game against UCF:

Miami (1971-79)

The turnover king with four consecutive coaches that lasted only two seasons: Fran Curci, Pete Elliott, Carl Selmer and Lou Saban. Curci and Selmer were a combined 14-29. But Elliott and Saban both resigned — Elliott to become athletic director, Saban to coach Army.

What happened next: Miami replaced Saban with Howard Schnellenberger, who won the state’s first national championship in 1983 and became the patriarch of The U’s dynasty.

Miami (2007-21)

Different than Florida for two reasons: Al Golden lasted into Year 5, and Mark Richt retired. But their tenures were bookended by the firings of Randy Shannon (four seasons) and Manny Diaz (three). This four-coach stretch combined for only four ranked finishes and a 107-75 record.

What happened next: Miami pushed out Diaz to hire native son Mario Cristobal from Oregon. After a 12-13 start, he’s 5-0 this fall and has the No. 8 Hurricanes in the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/does-constant-college-football-coaching-160100836.html

Author : Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Publish date : 2024-10-03 16:01:00

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