College football coaches fired 2023: List of all the HCs who got the axe by schools

The 2023 college football season has brought loads of excitement to fans countrywide. It’s been filled with action, dramas, and spectacles worthy of an epic athletic storyline. There’s still more to enjoy as the season draws closer to an end.

Like every other college football season, not every head coach who started it was in charge of their program at the end. A couple of coaches have been shown the exit door due to poor performances, while some others were fired amid scandal.

This article will examine the list of college football head coaches fired in 2023.

#1, Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Pat Fitzgerald was the first head coach to lose his job in 2023. He was shown the exit door before the season following a hazing scandal that rocked the Northwestern football program.

Fitzgerald was earlier suspended for two weeks by Northwestern. However, he later got fired by the program following outbursts on social media on the earlier decision. He is in a legal battle with the university, seeking $130 million in damages.

UPDATE: Interim HC David Braun got promoted to permanent head, replacing Pat Fitzgerald as Northwestern's next head coach

#2, Mel Tucker, Michigan State

Mel Tucker was fired by Michigan State in September with cause due to an ongoing university inquiry into a sexual misconduct complaint filed by sexual violence activist Brenda Tracy.

The Spartans suspended Tucker for two games into the season before being shown the exit door on September 27th. Michigan State aims to avoid paying Tucker the remaining $79 million in his contract by firing him for cause.

UPDATE: Michigan State announced Oregon State's Jonathan Smith as their next head coach. The athletics department has also relieved MSU's present coaching staff which was set up by former coach Mel Tucker.

#3, Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

Following six seasons of underwhelming performances, Texas A&M decided to part ways with Jimbo Fisher. The Aggies brought in Fisher in 2018, and he's performed below expectations.

The dismissal of coach Fisher by Texas A&M marks a shift in coaching buyouts in college football. The Aggies are set to pay Fisher $79 million, nearly three times the record buyout for a coach in the landscape.

#4, Andy Avalos, Boise State

Andy Avalos was relieved of his duty on November 12 by Boise State following an underwhelming season. The decision came after a 42-14 loss to New Mexico.

The move was prompted by the Broncos’ 5-5 record and the looming threat of the program experiencing its first losing season since 1997. He was notably the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2022 after leading the Broncos to a 10-4 season.

#5, Zach Arnett, Mississippi State

Zach Arnett took over as Mississippi State head coach in an interim capacity ahead of the 2022 ReliaQuest Bowl after Mike Leach was hospitalized. He got the job permanently following the death of Leach.

Following an underwhelming first season as head coach, Arnett was fired by the program. He led the Bulldogs to a 4-6 record at the time. The university dismissed him on November 13th.

#6, Dino Babers, Syracuse

Taking over the Syracuse Orange program in 2016, Babers led the team for 8 seasons. However, Babers' time as head coach wasn't filled with much success, as the team only had two winning seasons.

In the 2023 season, Syracuse lost six of its past seven games, marking the second time they finished the season with six losses in seven games in the last two years. Babers had an overall record of 41-55 with a conference record of 20-45.

UPDATE: Syracuse football promotes TE coach Nunzio Campanile as interim HC after Dino Babers' firing

Read more about the former Syracuse HC:

Dino Babers fired: Why was the Syracuse HC dismissed?

How much is Dino Babers' contract buyout? Former Syracuse HC's salary structure and contract details explored

Dino Babers coaching record: College stats, notable records and achievements of former HC explored

#7, Tom Allen, Indiana

Tom Allen's time with Indiana was filled with highs and lows. The Indiana native joined the program in 2016, initially as the defensive coordinator before becoming the head coach in 2017.

Allen garnered a 33-49 overall record with just 18 wins out of a possible 61 in the conferece. The Hoosiers reached 3 bowl games in his tenure but could not manage to get a bowl win under their belt. Allen's buyout of $20m is said to be amongst the highest in college football.

#8, Dana Holgorsen, Houston

A former Big East champion, Dana Holgorsen joined the Univeristy of Houston football program after eight seasons as the head coach of West Virginia. After a rocky start in his first two seasons where the Cougars combined for 7 wins, Holgorsen led the team to a bowl game in 2021.

He followed that success with another bowl game appearance, albeit, with a worse record in 2022. However, Holgorsen could not keep up with the Big 12's competitiveness this season, only managing to put together four wins, two of which came in the conference.

#9, Danny Gonzales, New Mexico

Danny Gonzales took over the Lobos football program after serving a stint as Arizona State's defensive coordinator. A New Mexico alum, Gonzales led the team for four years. However, the Lobos could not find much success with 11-32 record over the time period.

Gonzales was relieved of his duties following a 4-8 season, which was also his best single season record. AD Eddie Nunez cited the team's underachievements as a reason for the firing.

#10, Dana Dimel, UTEP

A 3-9 season, which included going 2-6 in Conference USA play was enough for UTEP to let long-term HC Dana Dimel go. Dimel served as the Miners' head coach for 6 seasons with a New Mexico Bowl appearance in 2021.

Dimel took over a winless UTEP team and developed them into a respectable opponent. However, back-to-back seasons with a losing record, did not help.

#11, Terry Bowden, ULM

Once the head coach of the Auburn Tigers, Bowden took over the head coaching position at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2021. However, Bowden could not replicate the success he had at his previous jobs, as the Warhawks failed to achieve a winning season during his time there.

ULM finished with a 0-8 record in conference play this season, prompting the school to make changes in the coaching staff.

#12, Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee

After their third losing season in the last five seasons, Middle Tennessee moved on from veteran head coach Rick Stockstill. Stockstill was among one of the longest-serving coaches in college football with 18 seasons at the helm of the Blue Raiders program.

Only Kirk Ferentz, Kyle Whittingham, and Mike Gundy rank ahead of Stockstill in the list for the longest tenures as the head coach of a single school. Stockstill racked up a 113-111 record in his 18 seasons, and led the team to 10 bowl appearances.

#13, Mike Elko, Duke

In a move that was not expected by many, former Duke head coach Mike Elko left the Blue Devils to fill the vacant position left by Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. Duke went a significant turnaround in Elko's first season as the head coach, turning from a 3-9 team to 9-4 team including a bowl win against UCF.

Although they couldn't replicate their success this season, Duke finished with a winning overall record alongside a 4-4 run in ACC conference play.

#14, Hue Jackson, Grambling State

Another veteran head coach with an unique resume, Jackson had coached in the NFL, NFL Europe, as well as college football, before taking the head coaching position at Grambling State.

However, the 58-year-old could not find success in Grambling, Louisiana. The Tigers finished with a 3-8, and 5-6 record in consecutive seasons, posting back-to-back losing records. Jackson was relieved of his duties after a loss to Southern in the Bayou Classic.

#15, Ken Wilson, Nevada

A homecoming story that did not go too well, Ken Wilson returned to Nevada after spending time with the Wolf Pack as an assistant coach in the past. Wilson returned to Nevada after nine seasons, at the start of the 2022 season.

Wilson coached the team to 2-10 record in 2023, finishing 10th in the Mountain West. This disappointing season came right after another 2-10 run and winless finish in the Mountain West last year. The university announced that Wilson won't be returning as head coach.

Notable coordinators to be fired this season

#1, Alex Grinch, USC

As Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans continued to put up massive numbers on offense, their defense could not keep up, giving up 41 points each against Colorado and Arizona among other defensive failures.

The defense ranked 124th out of a total of 133 FBS and gave up 34.9 points per game. Grinch coached alongside head coach Lincoln Riley since his Oklahoma days and followed Riley to USC. He was relieved of his duties on 5th November.

#2, Mike Yurcich, Penn State

After a loss against Big Ten powerhouse, Michigan, where the team only managed to put up 15 points in a 24-15 loss, Penn State let OC Mike Yurcich go on 12th November.

Besides the loss against Michigan, Penn State also fell flat in a 20-12 loss to Ohio State back in October. The team mustered 240 total yards in the game and only reached Ohio State's endzone during the game's final moments. Yurcich spent 3 seasons with the team, as a QB coach and OC.

#3, Brian Ferentz, Iowa

Unlike most coaches, Brian Ferentz's contract had a unique stipulation for a contract extension. The team needed to average 25 points per game and win at least 7 games in the 2023 season for the rolling contract to be reactivated beyond June 30, 2024.

However, the Hawkeyes fell short of that average and finished with 18.5 points per game. The team ultimately decided to part ways with Ferentz after the end of the season. Son of long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz, Brian Ferentz has coached Iowa since 2012.

#4. Dan O'Brien, Southern Miss

A former member of Georgia's defensive staff, Dan O'Brien joined Southern Miss in the 2021 season as the defensive coordinator for the Golden Eagles. However, after a 7-6 finish last year, followed by a disaster 3-9 record this year, O'Brien was relieved of his duties.

#5, Chris Partridge, Michigan

Unlike the rest of the coaches on this list, Chris Partridge was fired for his wrongdoings off the field. According to reports, Partridge attempted to destroy evidence related to the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, which was required by the NCAA and the Big Ten. Partridge was replace by Rick Minter.

#6, Beau Baldwin, Arizona State

Arizona State parted ways with OC Beau Baldwin after a single season with the Sun Raiders. The announcement was expected after HC Kenny Dillingham took over the playcalling duties mid-way through the season. The program renewed contracts for four assistant coaches in the middle of the season, however, Baldwin wasn't one of them.

#7, Bobby Petrino, Texas A&M

Another OC to change jobs after a season, Bobby Petrino was not retained as new head coach Mike Elko took over the Aggies' program. Petrino is set to return to Arkansas as their offensive coordinator.

Petrino's offense struggled in the 2023 season, averaging a measly 22.8 points per game. As the team stumbled to a 2-6 record in conference play, Jimbo Fisher was fired as HC, and Petrino was subsequently let go by the new head coach.

#8, Joey Lynch, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt announced on Wednesday, Nov. 29, that they had fired OC Joey Lynch. Lynch's offense ranked 102nd in the nation scoring only 22.8 points per game. The Commodores finishing the season without a win in the SEC only complicated matters. Head coach Clark Lea also announced that he will be taking over DC duties.

#9, Frank Cignetti Jr. , Pittsburgh

Another struggling offense, Pittsburgh ranked 117th in the nation in points per game with just 20.2. This was a regression from last season, as the Panthers dropped to a 3-9 record, their worst since 1998. The team had three different quarterbacks but could not find a solution to their offensive problems.

#10, Dan Enos, Arkansas

Dan Enos followed Sam Pittman to Arkansas after the latter was hired as the head coach of the Razorbacks. However, Enos was fired after just one season in Arkansas. The university announced the decision after the team struggled to score more than 3 points in a loss to Mississippi State.

#11, Joe Gillespie, TCU

Defensive Coordinator Joe Gillespie was fired from TCU after two seasons with the TCU Horned Frogs. Gillespie has previously worked as an assistant coach at Tulsa.

#12, Jeff Grimes, Baylor

Offensive coordianator Jeff Grimes' career at Baylor got off to a flying start, after a Broyles Award nomination, a Big 12 championship, and a 12-2 record in 2021. However, the team continued to regress in the following seasons, ultimately costing Grimes his job.

#13, Walt Bell and Chad Wilt, Indiana

The Hoosiers announced a complete overhaul of their coaching staff, firing head coach Tom Allen, OC Walt Bell, and DC Chad Wilt. They will be replaced by former JMU head coach Curt Cignetti, and the rest of the James Madison staff.

#14, Clint Trickett, Marshall

Primarily a quarterback coach/offensive coordinator throughout his coaching career, Trickett joined Marshall at the start of the 2022 college football season. However, as the team struggled to get points on the board, Trickett was fired after the 2023 regular season.

#15, Scott Power, Louisiana Tech

Power was fired by Louisiana Tech after two seasons with the team.