A total of four coaches from teams in the American will move on to power conference programs next year.
On Nov. 25, Oklahoma State announced it would welcome University of North Texas coach Eric Morris. Then, on Sunday, the league lost three more: University of South Florida coach Alex Golesh announced he was heading to Auburn. Memphis’s Ryan Silverfield would go to Arkansas, and No. 24 Tulane’s Jon Sumrall would head to Florida.
The trend isn’t new—every year, power conference programs poach coaches from the Group of 6. But it’s rare that they’re so concentrated in one conference.
On Sunday night, the American leaned into the moves, posting a graphic with all four coaches. “A league overflowing with talent that produces winners,” the caption on X said.
For UNT and Tulane, however, their seasons aren’t over. The 12-team College Football Playoff offers one spot to the highest-ranked Group of 6 conference champion, which is expected to be the champion from the American.
On Friday, UNT and Tulane will face off in the league championship game, battling for that Playoff spot. Though coaches of both schools are headed to other programs at the end of this season, they have committed to staying with their respective American teams through the Playoff run.
