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There have been tons of changes at the top of the FCS programs. Just when it appeared all of the openings had been filled, long-time South Dakota State head football coach John Stiegelmeier announced his retirement on Thursday, January 19. Assistant Jimmy Rogers was named as his replacement.
Then, on January 21, Bethune-Cookman and Ed Reed parted ways less than 4 weeks after his reported hiring. That position has finally, once again, been filled as the Wildcats announced named Raymond Woodie, Jr, as head coach on February 6.
Stiegelmeier led the South Dakota State program since 1997, capturing 12 postseason appearances and, most recently, the 2022 national championship over North Dakota State. He rides off into the glorious sunset with a record of 199-112. His longtime assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, Jimmy Rogers, was promoted to succeed his boss.
On March 16, Dartmouth head coach and legend Buddy Teevens was struck by a pickup truck while riding a bicycle in St. Augustine, Florida. He suffered serious injuries and passed away 6 months later on September 19 at age 66. Long-time assistant Sammy McCorkle was named interim head coach.
On March 22, the winningest coach in San Diego football history announced his retirement. Lindsey leaves with the fourth-best win percentage (72.7%) in FCS history with an over-all record of 80-30 over 10 seasons. On April 19, the school announced reigning AFCA DII National Coach of the Year Brandon Moore as his replacement.
Alphabetically by team, here are the FCS coaching changes for 2023.
| Team | 2022 Coach (Record) |
2023 Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC) |
Doc Gamble (2-5) |
Alonzo Hampton |
| Gamble was fired on October 20 after a 2-5 start. He was 8-15 in his brief stay that began with the 2020 Covid season. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell served as interim head coach and went 1-3. Hampton was hired on December 22. He spent the last two seasons at his alma mater, ULM, as an assistant to Terry Bodwen where he worked with safeties and special teams. He worked for Willie Taggart at Florida State, Oregon, South Florida and Western Kentucky. | ||
| Bethune-Cookman (SWAC) |
Terry Sims (2-9) |
Raymond Woodie, Jr. |
| Sims was fired on November 29 after a 3-8 season and a 38-39 mark in 7 seasons. He was 34-21 as a MEAC member before Covid closed down the program for 2020. The school moved to the SWAC and Sims was just 4-18 after that. The school announced on December 27 that it had reached an agreement with Ed Reed to be the new head football coach. The former Miami Hurricanes' DB star turned into a pro football Hall-of-Famer with the Baltimore Ravens. He spent a season as an assistant DB coach with the Buffalo Bills in 2016. Less than 4 weeks later, the two parted ways on January 21. Raymond Woodie, Jr. was subsequently named head coach on February 6. The four-year letterwinner as a linebacker and 1996 graduate of Bethune-Cookman brings an extensive resume as an assistant coach at such FBS programs as USF (2013-16), Oregon (2017), FSU (2018-19) and, most recently, FAU (2020-22), all stops that coincide with Willie Taggart's moves as a head coach. | ||
| Cal Poly (Big Sky) |
Beau Baldwin (2-9) |
Paul Wulff |
| Baldwin was 4-21 from 2020-2022 as HC at Cal Poly. He is 99-56 in his career. On December 2, he was named the offensive coordinator at Arizona State. Wulff was named head coach on December 6 after serving as Baldwin's OL coach and running game coordinator for 3 seasons. Wulff was 53-40 as the head coach at Eastern Washington from 2000-2007, but left that job for Washington State where he was a woeful 9-40 from 2008-2011. He then went to the NFL and five other schools as an assistant before landing at Cal Poly. | ||
| Central Connecticut State (NEC) |
Ryan McCarthy (2-9) |
Adam Lechtenberg |
| McCarthy was let go November 30. He was 11-2 in his first season in 2019 and lost in the 1st round of the FCS playoffs. Then Covid came with no season in 2020. In 2021, he was 4-7, followed by 2-9 in 2022. Lechtenberg was announced as the new head coach on January on 11 and was the last position filled among all FCS teams that were looking for a new head coach at that time. Lechtenberg served as the Blue Devils co-offensive coordinator for the 2010 and 2011 campaigns, helping the program capture the 2010 NEC championship. He spent the 2017-21 seasons at Virginia Tech, most recently as the offensive recruiting coordinator and running backs coach, before moving on to Central Oklahoma for the 2022 season where he was assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator. | ||
| Charleston Southern (Big South) |
Autry Denson (2-8) |
Gabe Giardina |
| Denson was fired on November 14, the day after completing a 2-8 season. He was 14-22 in 4 seasons, including 11-11 in conference play. On November 30, the school announced it had hired D-2 Albany State (Ga.) head coach Gabe Giardina as Denson's successor. Giardina was 37-17 in 5 seasons with the Rams, including a 2021 SIAC Championship and an NCAA Division II playoff appearance. | ||
| Dartmouth (Ivy) |
Buddy Teevens (Injured) (3-7) |
Sammy McCorkle (Interim) |
| On March 16, Teevens was tragically struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in St. Augustine, Florida. He suffered spinal cord injuries and later had his right leg amputated. He passed 6 months later on September 19 at age 66. He was 117-101-2 at Dartmouth, including a conference mark of 83-70-1 while winning or sharing 5 Ivy League titles. He had a career record of 151-178-2. McCorkle, who was named interim head coach, has been an assistant with the team since 2005. He has served as head coach at Livingston, UT-Martin and West Alabama, compiling a record of 29–87–2. | ||
| Dayton (Pioneer) |
Rick Chamberlin (8-3) |
Trevor Andrews |
| Chamberlin announced his retirement on November 29. He was 104-48 over-all and 78-31 in the Pioneer League from 2008-2022. Western Michigan LB coach Trevor Andrews was announced as the new head coach on December 12. Andrews played DB at Dayton in the 90's. | ||
| Delaware State (MEAC) |
Rod Milstead (5-6) |
Lee Hull |
| Milstead was fired on November 28 after five seasons with records of 17-33 over-all and 9-30 in the MEAC. His best marks were a pair of 5-6 seasons in 2021 and 2022. Hull, who was named head on December 19, had been the OC/QB coach at Howard since 2020. He was 12-12 as the HC at Morgan State from 2014-2015, including a loss in the first round of the FCS playoffs in 2014. He left that job to become WR coach of the Colts in the NFL. | ||
| Houston Christian (Southland) |
Vic Shealy (2-9) |
Braxton Harris |
| Shealy resigned on November 21 after a 2-9 season and a 10-year mark of 21-79. He was 7-57 in conference play. Harris was announced as his replacement on December 13. Harris spent the last three seasons as a top assistant at Campbell where he spent time as AHC, LB coach and recruiting coordinator. He was 7-23 as HC at D3 Howard Payne from 2017-2019. | ||
| Idaho State (Big Sky) |
Charlie Ragle (1-10) |
Cody Hawkins |
| Ragle resigned on November 28 to become AHC and ST coordinator at Arizona State. He was 1-10 in his only season as head coach. UC Davis OC Cody Hawkins was announced as his replacement on December 13. Hawkins is the son of former Boise State and Colorado HC Dan Hawkins and he played QB for his dad with the Buffaloes in 2007. This is his first HC job. | ||
| Incarnate Word (Southland) |
G.J. Kinne (12-2) |
Clint Killough |
| Kinne was nabbed by FBS member Texas State after spending just one season with UIW which finished 12-2 after falling in the FCS Playoff semifinals at North Dakota State. Killough is a UIW alum and player (2013-2015) who served as AHC this past season under Kinne. | ||
| Jackson State (SWAC) |
Deion Sanders (12-0) |
T.C. Taylor |
| Sanders was hired by FBS member Colorado after he went 27-5 in 3 seasons with JSU and won back-to-back SWAC titles. Sanders will coach Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl (HBCU National Championship) on December 17, then hand the reins over to Taylor who was named as his successor on December 13. Sanders publicly recommended Taylor for the job. The former JSU standout wide receiver (1998-2001), returned as an assistant in 2019 and coached that position for Sanders. | ||
| Lamar (Southland) |
Blane Morgan (1-10) |
Peter Rossomando |
| Morgan was fired on November 21 after going 5-23 over-all and 3-16 in conference games. Rossomando was hired on December 12. He was interim head coach with FBS member Charlotte for the final 4 games of the 2022 season, going 2-2. He previously was the HC at D2 New Haven from 2009-2013 (42-13) and FCS member Central Connecticut State from 2014-2018 (23-34) with at least one playoff appearance with each school. | ||
| Lehigh (Patriot) |
Tom Gilmore (2-9) |
Kevin Cahill |
| Gilmore stepped down on November 21 after going 9-27 in 4 seasons. He had previously spent 14 years at Holy Cross going 72-81. He was The Ivy League POY in 1985. Cahill, who was named the new HC on December 19, was a longtime Yale assistant since 2012. He most recently served as Yale's AHC and OC since 2018 as the Bulldogs won 2 Ivy League titles including the 2022 crown. | ||
| Miss. Valley St. (SWAC) |
Vincent Dancy (2-9) |
Kendrick Wade |
| Dancy was hired to coach safeties at Colorado by Deion Sanders on December 8. He was 10-38 in 5 seasons with the Delta Devils. Wade is a former wide receiver for the Delta Devils, a former assistant coach with the program, and an alum who has a Bachelor and Master's degree from the school. | ||
| Missouri St. (MVFC) |
Bobby Petrino (5-6) |
Ryan Beard |
| Petrino resigned on December 15 to become the offensive coordinator at FBS member UNLV under recently-hired HC Barry Odom. He was 18-15 over-all in 3 seasons at Missouri State and 14-9 in the MVFC. The Bears backslid to 5-6 in 2022 after an 8-4 campaign in 2021 and a 5-5 mark in the 2020-2021 Covid campaign. Missouri State made the FCS playoffs in each of his first two seasons with opening round losses each time. Beard was promoted to HC on December 19 after serving as Petrino's DC during his entire tenure. Beard, who is Petrino's son-in-law, has been lauded for his defenses and his recruiting abilities. The 33-year-old said he will retain the entire staff. | ||
| North Alabama (A-SUN) |
Chris Willis (1-10) |
Brent Dearmon |
| Willis was fired on October 30 after a 1-7 start. Ryan Held went 0-3 as interim HC. Willis was 20-34 in 6 seasons. He had spent 21 years with the program. The school hired Florida Atlantic (FBS) offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon as head coach on December 3. Dearmon's only other HC experience was 2 years at a high school and 1 with NAIA member Bethel where we went 10-1 in 2018. | ||
| North Carolina A&T (Big South to CAA) |
Sam Washington (7-4) |
Vincent Brown |
| Washington and the school "parted ways" December 15. He took over as HC in 2018 after serving as DC since 2011. He was promoted to his first college head coaching job when Rod Broadway retired. Washington helped lead the Aggies to MEAC titles and Celebration Bowl wins in 2018 and 2019 and he was named MEAC Coach of the Year in 2018. Washington was 31-15 over-all, 12-3 in the MEAC and 7-5 in the Big South. NC A&T was 7-4 in 2022 and 1 win away from the Big South title. Brown was officially named as Washington's replacement on January 6, 2023 as the school moves to the Colonial (CAA) in the fall. Nicknamed "The Undertaker" as an All-Pro NFL linebacker for New England from 1988-1995, Brown has been in the college and pro coaching ranks since 2006. He spent the last 4 seasons as AHC/DC/LB coach at William & Mary after holding those same titles at Howard from 2017-2018. Brown has also worked with the Dallas Cowboys, the Virginia Cavaliers, Richmond Spiders and UConn Huskies. | ||
| Northern Colorado (Big Sky) |
Ed McCaffrey (3-8) |
Ed Lamb |
| McCaffrey was fired on November 21. It was the first HC job for the 13-year NFL veteran of the Denver Broncos and he was 6-16 in two seasons. Lamb was announced as his successor on December 8, leaving his job at BYU where he has spent the last 7 seasons as BYU assistant HC and ST coordinator. Before that, he was 45-47 in 8 seasons as the HC at Southern Utah. | ||
| Sacramento State (Big Sky) |
Troy Taylor (12-1) |
Andy Thompson |
| On December 10, Taylor was named David Shaw's successor at Stanford after Taylor's Sacramento Hornets fell 66-63 to Incarnate Word in the FCS Playoff quarterfinals. Taylor led Sacramento State to a 30-8 record in three full seasons from 2019-2022 (school was an opt-out of 2020 season due to Covid pandemic). Andy Thompson, who served as Taylor's DC, was named head coach on December 13. | ||
| San Diego (Pioneer) |
Dale Lindsey (5-5) |
Brandon Moore |
| On March 22, the winningest coach in San Diego football history announced his retirement. Lindsey leaves with the fourth-best win percentage (72.7%) in FCS history with an over-all record of 80-30 over 10 seasons, including a 68-9 mark in PFL games. His teams won 7 PFL Championships and had 5 FCS Playoff appearances. Under Lindsey, the Toreros tied the FCS record with 39 straight conference wins between 2015 and 2021. On April 19, the school announced reigning AFCA DII National Coach of the Year Brandon Moore as his replacement. In his only season as head coach at Colorado School of Mines, he lead the Orediggers to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Game. As a player, he was a linebacker on the 2001 FBS champion Oklahoma Sooners. Moore spent 7 years in the NFL, including 6 with the San Francisco 49ers. He appeared in 90 games and accumulated 249 career tackles. | ||
| South Dakota State (MVFC) |
John Stiegelmeier (14-1) |
Jimmy Rogers |
| On January 18, Stiegelmeier announced his retirement. The move comes less than 2 weeks after he led the school to the FCS National Championship with a victory over fellow conference power North Dakota State. He ends his career with a record of 199-112 and leaves a program that he has taken to the postseason for 11 consecutive years. Jimmy Rogers, who served as Stiegelmeier's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, was immediately named as his successor. | ||
| Texas A&M Commerce (Southland) |
David Bailiff (5-6) |
Clint Dolezel |
| After failing to reach terms on a new deal with Bailiff, the school hired Dolezel who was the HC with the Frisco (TX) Fighters of the Indoor Football League. Dolozel is member of the school's Hall Of Fame. The 3-sport star (football, golf and track) is the first alum to be named head football coach at A&M-Commerce since Will Hill Acker (1929-30). | ||
| The Citadel (SoCon) |
Brent Thompson (4-7) |
Maurice Drayton |
| Thompson was let go November 21 after going 36-44 in 7 seasons. He took the Bulldogs to the 2nd round of the FCS Playoffs on his first campaign in 2016 but was never able to come close to replicating that success. Drayton was hired December 14. He is an alum (1994-1998) who became an assistant upon graduation from 1999-2005 and was back again in 2014-15. He spent the past 7 seasons in the NFL. | ||
| Towson (CAA) |
Rob Ambrose (6-5) |
Pete Shinnick |
| After 13 seasons, the school opted to “move in a different direction” and lured Pete Shinnick away from D2 West Florida where he led the school to the national championship in 2019, the championship game in 2017, and the semifinal round in 2022. He was 56-21 for the Argonauts as the school's first football coach. Ambrose was 76-76 in 13 seasons with the Tigers and reached the FCS title game in 2013 and also appeared in the playoffs in 2011 and 2018. | ||
| VMI (SoCon) |
Scott Wachenheim (1-10) |
Danny Rocco |
| Wachenheim resigned on November 20 after 8 seasons produced a 24-62 record, but was highlighted by the 2020-21 Covid season that saw the Keydets win the Southern Conference for the first time since 1970 and earn their first-ever FCS Playoff bid. Rocco was a defensive analyst with Penn State in 2022 after compiling a record of 121-65 as head coach at Delaware, Richmond and Liberty. | ||
| Weber State (Big Sky) |
Jay Hill (10-3) |
Mickey Mental |
| On December 7, Hill became the AHC/DC at BYU. In 9 seasons, Hill led the Wildcats to the FCS Playoffs six times, advancing as far as the semifinals in 2019. Mental was hired as the OC for Weber State in February of 2022 after spending two seasons as the HC at Notre Dame College where he was 16-2 at the D2 school in South Euclid, Ohio. He spent 13 total years at that school, including five years as the offensive coordinator. | ||
| Wofford (SoCon) |
Josh Conklin (0-5) | Shawn Watson |
| Conklin resigned on October 6. He was 19-28 in 4+ seasons, including FCS playoff appearances in his first two years at the helm in 2018 and 2019. Watson was named interim head coach and went 3-3, after which the interim tag was removed on December 1. He had just joined Conklin's staff as the AHC and OC. Watson's only previous HC job was with Southern Illinois from 1994-1996 where he was 11-22. | ||