The College Football Coaching Carousel is spinning around North Carolina as the 2023 season comes to a close. Here are the latest coaching transactions and headlines involving college programs from the Old North State as the calendar rolls into December:
Head Coaching Carousel Tracker
| SCHOOL | 2023 COACH | REASON VACANT | DATE VACANT | 2024 COACH |
| St. Augustine’s (D2) | Howard Feggins | mid-season firing | 10/13/23 | Interim: Jody Owens |
| Wingate (D2) | Joe Reich | moved to AD post at Wingate | 11/14/23 | Rashaan Jordan |
| Duke (FBS) | Mike Elko | hired at Texas A&M | 11/27/23 | Interim: Trooper Taylor |
| Gardner-Webb (FCS) | Tre Lamb | hired at East Tennessee State | 11/27/23 | Interim: Nick Newsome |
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Saturday, Dec. 2
East Carolina wasted little time in replacing Donnie Kirkpatrick at offensive coordinator. The Pirates will hand the keys to the offense to John David Baker, who served as co-offensive coordinator, passing game coordinator and tight ends coach for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss the past three years. Baker also has coached at Southern Cal.
“We are thrilled to welcome John David to Greenville to lead our offensive unit,” ECU coach Mike Houston said in a release. “John David comes highly recommended and is highly respected in the football industry. He wanted to be a part of our program and will be a tremendous asset. He has great character, is a great recruiter, teacher of the game and brings a unique offensive approach to East Carolina as he has learned from some of the best college coaches in the game. We are excited for our program, university and Pirate Nation to meet John David, his wife Sarah and daughter Ella.”
East Carolina’s ‘O’ was sluggish at best this season as the Pirates struggled to a 2-10 finish. ECU has had some bright offensive minds on its staff over the years and decades, including current USC coach Lincoln Riley.
“First off, I want to thank Coach Houston and Jon Gilbert for believing in me and bringing me on to join this proud program and university at East Carolina,” Baker said. “Additionally, I express my appreciation to Coach Kiffin and Ole Miss for an incredible three years in Oxford. I am grateful for the time spent there and the unprecedented success we achieved. My family and I can’t wait to get to Greenville, and we are excited to bring an exciting brand of football to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this fall. Let’s go to work, Pirate Nation!”
—> READ the full release from East Carolina sports information
* Duke’s coaching search has led the school to Sin City. Per FootballScoop.com reporting on Saturday, “the Blue Devils’ contingent is conducting in-person interviews in Las Vegas over the next few days.”
The top names that are still being mentioned include Manny Diaz (former Miami coach, current Penn State DC), Jim Knowles (Ohio State DC), Alex Atkins (Florida State OC) and Tony Gibson (NC State DC).
Another intriguing name circulating around the search is Scottie Montgomery, who played wide receiver at Duke in the 1990s and served as an assistant in Durham from 2006-09 and 2013-15. Montgomery struggled in his three years as East Carolina’s head coach, compiling a 9-26 record. Montgomery currently coaches running backs with the NFL’s Detroit Lions.
* Texas A&M’s coaching search looks to directly impact Duke’s plans. Kevin Johns, the Blue Devils’ current offensive coordinator, is being considered for the same role at A&M under new coach Mike Elko, per FootballScoop. Duke’s strength coach David Feeley reportedly won’t follow Elko to College Station, according to Aggieswire.
Friday, Dec. 1
* News broke midweek that well-traveled coach Tim Brewster would join Biff Poggi’s staff at Charlotte. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported Thursday that Brewster will serve as tight ends coach and associate head coach.
Brewster, who has been an assistant at places like UNC and Florida State (and with Deion Sanders at Colorado this past season), posted this on Twitter/X on Thursday: “It is a great day to be a Charlotte 49er!!!! Come join us.” Brewster is known for his recruiting acumen.
* There was no immediate news coming out of the Duke coaching search on Thursday. But we do know one name that is off the board: James Madison’s Curt Cignetti. News broke Thursday that Cignetti is taking the open position at Indiana.
Nicole Auerbach from The Athletic reported Wednesday night that three defensive coordinators have met with Duke officials: NC State’s Tony Gibson, Penn State’s Manny Diaz and Ohio State’s Jim Knowles.
Willie Fritz from Tulane had been mentioned in early reporting on the Duke opening. But Fritz has been listed lately as a leading candidate to take over at Houston, though Tulane, according to The Athletic, is willing to pay up to $4.5 million per year to keep Fritz in New Orleans.
Adam Rowe from The Devils Den (247 Sports pay site) reported that Duke AD Nina King hopes to have a new coach in place within12 days.
Will Duke consider lifting the interim tag off of Trooper Taylor?
Thursday, Nov. 30
* The Athletic sized up the Duke job, and gave it a thumbs up: “Over the past decade, this has been a upper-half job in the ACC. This isn’t a dead-end job. It’s a place that can win and a place that is investing to win,” said writer Chris Vannini.
Citing “conversations with industry sources,” the Athletic says these are names to keep an eye on as possible candidates for Duke’s head job: Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, James Madison coach Curt Cignetti (formerly of Elon), Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, Tulane coach Willie Fritz, Toledo coach Jason Candle, Army coach Jeff Monken, Ohio State DC Jim Knowles, NC State DC Tony Gibson and NBC analyst Jason Garrett.
Wednesday, Nov. 29
* Today was quiet on the coaching front, at least publicly and from a North Carolina perspective. But it was wide open in terms of player transfer announcements (Duke QB Riley Leonard among those jumping into the portal).
The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach posted on Twitter/X on Wednesday evening that Penn State DC Manny Diaz, NC State DC Tony Gibson and Ohio State DC Jim Knowles were in the mix for the Duke job. This is the first we’ve heard Gibson’s name attached to the Blue Devils. He has done a phenomenal job with the Wolfpack’s stopping unit, with linebacker Payton Wilson earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Has an assistant coach from a Triangle school become a head coach at another Triangle school?
Tuesday, Nov. 28
* Charlotte has added a big name to its coaching staff. Head coach Biff Poggi announced on Twitter/X that Tim Brewster will join the 49ers program.
Brewster has been a head coach at Minnesota and a well-traveled assistant, with stops at North Carolina, Texas, Florida State, Texas A&M and Florida among others. He most recently served on Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado this past season but resigned two days ago.
Brewster has already opened his arms wide to North Carolina high school recruits, posting this on Twitter/X on Tuesday evening: “#NCHSAA just know our doors are always open and ready to talk ball!! So happy to be back in North Carolina!! #Go49ers
* North Carolina A&T coach Vincent Brown, coming off his first season in charge of the program, announced that he has parted way with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chris Young. The Aggies finished 1-10 in 2023 and didn’t win a CAA game. A&T only averaged 16.1 points per game and was held to 10 or fewer points four times.
“After careful consideration and evaluation of our offense, I decided that we needed to go in a different direction at offensive coordinator,” Brown said in an official statement released by the university. “We will continue to work tirelessly to lay the foundation for a championship caliber program. There will be no further comment on this matter.”
* Steve Wiseman of the (Raleigh) News & Observer said on the OG Podcast with Joe Ovies and Joe Giglio that Duke may look to Marshall head coach Charles Huff to fill its coaching vacancy. Huff was in the running two years ago when the Blue Devils hired Mike Elko.
The Athletic also mentioned Huff in a recent story on potential Duke coaching candidates. “The 40-year-old is considered a charismatic leader and a strong recruiter,” Bruce Feldman wrote. Other top names that The Athletic believes will get consideration include James Madison’s Curt Cignetti (former head coach at Elon), Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, Ohio State DC Jim Knowles (who served as Duke’s DC under David Cutcliffe for eight years), Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, Tulsa OC Steve Spurrier Jr. (son of former Duke, Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier) and NBC football analyst Jason Garrett (former Dallas Cowboys coach).
Monday, Nov. 27
* Duke football coach Mike Elko is officially introduced as the new head coach at Texas A&M, replacing Jimbo Fisher. Duke athletics director Nina King announces that a national search is “well under way” for Elko’s replacement and that the school will use Parker Executive Search. Trooper Taylor has been named Duke’s interim head coach for the rest of the bowl season.
* Tre Lamb resigned from his post at Gardner-Webb to take the head coaching job at East Tennessee State University. Lamb had been at Gardner-Webb since December 2019, leading the Bulldogs to a pair of conference titles and FCS playoff berths in 2022 and 2023.
The school announces it will conduct a national search to find Lamb’s replacement and will use Raleigh-based Collegiate Sports Associates to assist in the search. Special teams coordinator Nick Newsome is tabbed as the program’s interim head coach during the transition.
* Fayetteville State announces it is looking for a full-time offensive coordinator. The position was advertised on FootballScoop.com.
Tuesday, Nov. 14
* Wingate announces that long-time head coach Joe Reich will move full-time to the school’s athletics director position, while defensive coordinator Rashaan Jordan has been promoted to head coach.
Friday, Oct. 13
St. Augustine’s announces that it has parted ways with first-year coach Howard Feggins, reportedly over the coach’s use of an ineligible player in a game. SAU is 0-6 at the time. The Falcons appoint Jody Owens to serve as interim coach. The Falcons finish the season winless.
