The best fits for potential 2027 Power Four head coach openings

The candidates for potential Power Four openings are already starting to emerge.

Some of these programs listed below won't actually make a coaching change. Some of these jobs could remain occupied for years. However, if these jobs open after the 2026 season, several coaches would make sense.

Here are the best fits for five potential Power Four openings.

Wisconsin: Jason Eck

Wisconsin should seriously consider Eck if they decide to move on from Luke Fickell.

Eck, a Wisconsin offensive lineman from 1999-2003, spent time on the Badgers' coaching staff earlier in his career. He has since established himself as one of the better young coaches outside the Power Four.

Eck went 20-14 in three seasons at Idaho before taking over at New Mexico last season. He immediately led the Lobos to a 9-4 record and earned Mountain West Coach of the Year honors. 

Jake Dickert would provide another intriguing option after taking Wake Forest to a 7-6 record in his first season. North Dakota State's Tim Polasek would offer Wisconsin another candidate with strong regional ties and extensive offensive-line experience.

Colorado: Sean Lewis

Lewis already has experience in Boulder, having served as Colorado's offensive coordinator under Deion Sanders before taking the San Diego State job. He has since rebuilt the Aztecs into one of the Mountain West's better programs.

San Diego State went 9-4 in 2025, finishing with the nation's sixth-ranked scoring defense while reaching the New Mexico Bowl.

Lewis would return to Colorado with considerably more head-coaching experience than he had during his first stint there.

If Wisconsin does not become available, Eck would also make sense here.

North Carolina: Glenn Schumann

Schumann might be the most attractive candidate on this entire list.

The Georgia defensive coordinator has spent his career working at Alabama and Georgia and has developed into one of the country's most respected young defensive coaches. He was already a candidate for the North Carolina job before the Tar Heels ultimately hired Bill Belichick.

If the Tar Heels make another coaching change, the program needs someone who can build a sustainable recruiting and player-development operation rather than provide a short-term splash.

Blake Harrell would be another intriguing possibility. The East Carolina head coach has proven he can build a competitive program and has experience recruiting throughout the Carolinas.

Florida State: Kenny Dillingham

Quite frankly, the only reason Mike Norvell is coaching Florida State this season is that it would cost nearly $50 million to fire him. Even with FSU not in the best position financially(and that’s putting it lightly), Norvell is a dead man walking.

Dillingham would be the most natural fit. He already knows the program after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Norvell from 2020-21, and he has since established himself as one of the better coaches in the Power Four.

Although the Sun Devils went 8-5 in 2025, Dillingham led Arizona State to the 2024 Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance, showing he can build a contender at a program that isn't traditionally one of the sport's biggest powers. 

Rhett Lashlee would be another strong possibility. His work at SMU has established him as one of the country's better offensive-minded head coaches, while Schumann would give them one of the nation's most highly regarded young defensive coaches.

South Carolina: Brent Key

Key could be an intriguing choice if South Carolina moves on from Shane Beamer.

Key has steadily elevated Georgia Tech since taking over in 2022. He has turned the Yellow Jackets into a legitimate ACC competitor while developing an identity built around physical football.

South Carolina could offer a significant enough opportunity to make the decision worthwhile.

Dan Mullen is a more familiar name. He spent nine seasons at Mississippi State and four at Florida before returning to coaching with UNLV. He went 10-4 in his first season with the Rebels and made the conference championship game, immediately establishing UNLV as one of the best Group of 6 programs.

Chris Hampton would be the more unconventional option. Oregon promoted him to defensive coordinator after he helped the Ducks go 13-2 and reach the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2025.