The Biggest Beneficiaries of College Football’s Coaching Carousel

After Penn State cut head football coach James Franklin loose last week, the coaching carousel continued to spin this weekend, as Florida said goodbye to Billy Napier. The biggest beneficiaries of the carousel are the coaches who might be next in line to fill these vacancies—especially coaches at programs not traditionally known for football who have made a remarkable turnaround. These coaches now have the opportunity to receive major mid-year raises so that they don’t get poached.

Last week, Indiana inked a new eight-year, $93 million contract with head coach Curt Cignetti, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in FBS football. Since arriving in Bloomington last season, Cignetti has taken Indiana to the CFP and has led his team to the No. 2 spot in the AP Top 25 rankings through week eight. Cignetti’s newest contract is the third since signing with the Hoosiers in 2023; and one that gave him about a $3.6 million annual raise from his most recent contract. 

“We are committed to investing in IU Football in such a way that we can compete at a championship level, and the No. 1 priority in doing that is ensuring that Coach Cignetti is the leader of our program,” said IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson. “His accomplishments during the last season and a half have been nothing short of remarkable.”

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, a Vanderbilt alum and Nashville native, is also probably popping up on programs’ radars. In five seasons, the Commodores have gone from SEC doormat to dark-horse College Football Playoff candidate; after beating LSU in Nashville Saturday, the 6-1 program is ranked No. 10 for the first time since 1947. 

“It’s flattering for Clark, and it’s appropriate that Clark’s name is on people’s lists because he’s a great coach—and he’s done a great job,” Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee told Front Office Sports last week. “Other schools should be paying attention to what he’s doing, because it’s actually incredible.”

Lea received a contract extension in 2023 that runs until 2029, and sees him earning $3.7 million this year—the lowest in the SEC. While Lee didn’t outright confirm that she’s had conversations about giving him a raise, she made it clear the Commodores plan to help keep him in Nashville.

“I hope that Clark Lea is our coach for a long, long time, and that’s not something that anyone should ever take for granted,” Lee told Front Office Sports on Friday. She added: “His goal is to win the national championship, and, yeah, that’s my goal too. …  I think that we want to make sure that he has what he needs to do that. You can do that here.”