Editor’s note: This story is part of the Secrets of the Coaching Carousel series exploring unique aspects of college football coaching changes and more.
Written by Nicole Auerbach, Matt Fortuna and David Ubben.
Only one team can win a national championship each year. But at least a dozen college football programs believe they should be doing just that on an annual basis. That makes jobs like Nebraska, Texas and Tennessee particularly challenging. Does it make those gigs harder than those at low-resource schools? Wouldn’t coaches still take that any day over the likes of UMass or UConn?
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The Athletic polled more than 60 people working in college football to find out. Turns out, “hard” is … a hard word to define.
“What makes a good job a good job is commitment, support, tradition, but nothing is more important than access to players,” one Group of 5 head coach said. “There are just some places where you just don’t have it that have been historically good places and it’s just harder to recruit than people think it is.”
A Power 5 athletic director summed up high expectations: “There are places with so much history that are so far away from touching that again. They may never touch it again.” But that doesn’t mean those programs are ready to wave a white flag.
Then there’s the double-edged sword of a place like Alabama.
“I tend to think the jobs with the highest and most unreasonable expectations are the hardest, which means I think a place like Alabama is a really hard job,” one longtime Division I administrator said. “They happen to have someone in it who is doing a fantastic job, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard.”
Another Group of 5 head coach believes that the two hardest jobs in the country will be Alabama after Nick Saban retires and Clemson after Dabo Swinney leaves: “You want to be the guy after the guy after the guy.”
Other respondents focused on FBS independents, most notably UMass, UConn and New Mexico State. “Independence is great if you are Notre Dame or Army, but if you are anyone else it stinks to go find games,” one Power 5 athletic director said. “You’re stuck at the mercy of other schools.”
Voters were asked to list their toughest five jobs in order of preference. A whopping 19 schools received first-place votes, and the voting for the No. 1 spot was tight.
Read the best jobs survey here.
HARDEST POWER 5 JOBS
Vanderbilt
Points: 94
First-place votes: 10
Vanderbilt was the runaway winner among Power 5 schools. The reasons are as obvious as you would think.
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“No shot in the league,” one Power 5 assistant said. “They play with who they have to recruit.”
Added another Power 5 assistant: “Handcuffed by academic restrictions. In the hardest conference in America. Impossible to win there.”
Some of the coaches and agents surveyed, however, saw it differently, pointing to the success of James Franklin, who went 24-15 from 2011-13 and landed at Penn State afterward. The Nashville location doesn’t hurt, either.
“I don’t think expectations are crazy at Vanderbilt,” one agent said. “You’re not gonna win a national championship ever, but I don’t think (the pressure) is as bad. I’m a big quality of life guy, too.”
Still, it has been a struggle for the Commodores since Franklin left, as they went 27-55 under Derek Mason, who was fired after a 0-8 campaign in 2020 and replaced by Clark Lea, who is off to a 2-4 start.
Vanderbilt is also on its third athletic director since January 2019.
Kansas
Points: 67
First-place votes: 5
Kansas has won before. Now consider this qualifier from a former Power 5 head coach: “Mark Mangino needs two statues. They went to the Orange Bowl and won. They fired him because he was mean.”
The Jayhawks have not been the same since, making wrong hire after wrong hire for both head coaches and athletic directors. How else do you explain the program placing the No. 1 and No. 2 choices in The Athletic’s rankings earlier this season of the most confounding coaching hires of the past 10 years? (And there is plenty of healthy debate among Kansas fans about who was actually worse: Charlie Weis or Les Miles?)
Coaches and agents pointed to the shadow of men’s basketball, the lack of football history and so-so facilities. Perhaps that all changes with the recent hires of Travis Goff and Lance Leipold, but they are starting from a very rough spot.
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“What a nightmare,” an agent said.
Nebraska
Points: 38
First-place votes: 3
The Cornhuskers’ tradition is as revered as anyone’s nationally — just ask them — but population shifts and conference realignment have made for a potentially toxic combination.
“Great history and fan base,” one Power 5 assistant said. “But it’s a hard area to recruit to. Population, location and the league they are in right now puts them like all the other teams in the Big Ten. When they were in the Big 12, they were the big and physical team in a league full of speed. They had a niche.”
The past tends to haunt the Huskers. Several coaches from smaller schools scoffed at the notion of Nebraska being hard, given the program’s resources, but the gap between expectations and reality in Lincoln was clearly at the forefront for many surveyed.
“Because of the success they’ve been able to have in the last 30 years, it raised the expectation level,” one Power 5 AD said. “But there aren’t any players in the state.”
Texas
Points: 30
First-place votes: 4
We have our first job on this list that also appeared last month in The Athletic’s list of best jobs.
The intrigue in Texas speaks to its appeal. It probably also explains why the program hasn’t won a Big 12 title since 2009.
“Just a lot of political aspects to it that have nothing to do with football that makes it very difficult,” a Power 5 administrator said. “Takes a very skilled person.”
Alignment has been incredibly difficult to pull off there. The program is on its third head coach since Mack Brown. And the looming move to the SEC — while making the richest program in the country even richer — may make it even more difficult for the on-field product to get back on track.
“Expectations are so unrealistic,” an agent said. “Delusional fan base, but they do have the money to throw at any problem that comes their way.”
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Washington State
Points: 30
First-place votes: 0
Washington State fits the category of a program that occasionally shows flashes of greatness, creating unrealistic expectations among supporters who wish for more sustained success.
“In the middle of nowhere,” a Power 5 assistant said. “Not great facilities. Have to recruit against everyone in the Pac-12 and really have no edge with anything.”
Mike Price and Mike Leach both had successful runs, but even at their best, the Cougars still regularly struggled against rival Washington in-state. Price went 3-11 against the Huskies; Leach went 1-7.
“If you’ve ever been to Pullman, you would know how special it is,” an agent said. “Recruiting against schools with beaches, warm weather, LA, and deep pockets like Oregon and Washington is a nightmare. The facilities improved dramatically under Bill Moos, but no more help is on the way. You have to run a unique system because you just can’t out-recruit people.”
Miami
Points: 29
First-place votes: 3
“Miami should be better than what they are from the outside looking in, but it doesn’t look like they’ve invested in their program to give them a chance,” a Power 5 athletic director said, citing a lack of nutrition and strength staff and academic support compared to powers like Alabama and Clemson.
A Group of 5 assistant agreed and pointed out the team’s spotty fan attendance: “Miami is hard. There are no resources. There are big expectations while playing at ‘The U,’ but you’re also playing in front of nobody.”
The team plays at a pro stadium 45 minutes from campus, making attendance difficult when the Canes aren’t dominant and giving the stadium a significant disadvantage without a student section, the rowdiest portion of any crowd. Multiple respondents also cited poor facilities at Miami that raise the degree of difficulty in recruiting, even when there is so much local talent. Other programs in the state can raid the area’s top prospects.
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Auburn
Points: 27
First-place votes: 2
Auburn is already a difficult job most years, as a less consistently successful program in its own state and with a fan base that wants to compete for SEC titles. But in the current state of college football, where Georgia and Alabama rule the annual recruiting rankings, Auburn and Tennessee are the only schools that have to play both each year because of annual cross-division rivalry games.
“That’s like an 8-4 job where everyone there thinks they should be national champ contenders,” one Group of 5 administrator said.
Added one Group of 5 assistant: “The Tennessee and Auburn people are friggin’ vicious.”
Tennessee
Points: 26
First-place votes: 2
Tennessee hasn’t played for an SEC title since 2007, hasn’t won one since 1998 and has had five head coaches since Phillip Fulmer’s ouster in 2008. Outsized expectations and access to talent were the most frequent reasons for including Tennessee.
“Not much in-state talent compared to a lot of SEC schools, but sky-high expectations and controlling donors,” one agent said.
The state of Tennessee’s talent is improving, in part because of Nashville’s booming population, but it’s not possible to field a high-level SEC program in Tennessee on in-state talent alone.
“Tennessee was great because Clemson wasn’t around, North Carolina wasn’t around. Those great Tennessee teams and players came from that area,” one Group of 5 assistant said.
Fan expectations also make life difficult and coaching stays short, but that problem isn’t just at Tennessee, one agent said.
Wake Forest
Points: 20
First-place votes: 0
Like Vanderbilt, Wake Forest battles a trifecta of higher academic standards, lower budgets and lower enrollments than its conference counterparts.
“They never have a home-field advantage that can help win you a game,” one Power 5 assistant said.
This year, though, the Demon Deacons are one of 13 undefeated teams remaining and are a contender for their second ACC title since 1970.
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“I think Dave Clawson has done an incredible job with what’s an incredibly difficult opportunity. The academic requirements at Wake Forest are high, and you’re maybe the fourth or fifth choice in your own state,” one agent said. “I also think that Wake struggles as an institution from a branding standpoint, in that I feel as though when you’re recruiting to Wake Forest away from the Mid-Atlantic/South, a part of the job is educating recruits on what Wake Forest is.”
Michigan
Points: 18
First-place votes: 1
Being inextricably tied and compared to a power like Ohio State was the most consistent reason Michigan’s name came up. Beat the Buckeyes or it’s not good enough.
“Ohio State has one rival,” a Power 5 assistant said. “Michigan has three. You have to compare yourself to others.”
Any season that doesn’t include a win against Ohio State, a perennial Playoff contender and consistently the most talented team in the Big Ten, isn’t a success.
After Lloyd Carr, neither Rich Rodriguez nor Brady Hoke lasted more than four seasons.
“Leash is short for any non-alum,” one Power 5 assistant said.
Other notable Power 5 vote-getters: Alabama (17), South Carolina (13) Syracuse (11), Arizona (8), Rutgers (7), Oregon State (7), Minnesota (7), Texas Tech (7), Colorado (7)
South Carolina: “Impossible place to win.” — Agent
Syracuse: “All those Northeast schools I just feel like don’t have as much talent. The weather’s bad. People don’t really give a shit. What’s the goal up there? At least all of the SEC schools care.” — Agent
Arizona: “You’re at a basketball school.” — Group of 5 head coach
Rutgers: “What’s the quantifiable goal at Rutgers? It can’t, realistically, win the conference. So are the fans comfortable being pleased with bowl eligibility?” — Agent
Texas Tech: “Impossible to recruit there so you have to be very unique offensively to make any noise.” — Power 5 assistant
Minnesota: “They think they can win the Big Ten West every year but they’re so far away from that. They don’t spend. Their fans only come out when they’re winning. It’s a pro town. Minnesota is like BC but more people care.” — Agent
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HARDEST GROUP OF 5/INDEPENDENT JOBS
UConn
Points: 115
First-place votes: 6
UConn earned the most votes of any school. Its trajectory has not been promising after going independent. This year, the Huskies are 0-7 and already playing under an interim coach, Lou Spanos
A Power 5 assistant told The Athletic he sees an administration that “clearly doesn’t care” about the program.
“UConn guys talk about how that school really doesn’t do much for that football program. Well, if you’re not gonna support the program, it’s not gonna become what it ultimately could become. It’s crazy that they were in the Fiesta Bowl just 10 years ago,” another Power 5 assistant said.
Talent acquisition is also a losing battle for the Huskies.
“Northeast football has probably only four or five FBS players there a year — one goes to Notre Dame, one to BC, maybe some fringe kids stay,” said a Power 5 assistant coach.
UMass
Points: 97
First-place votes: 11
Another Northeast school, UMass was the second-leading vote-getter among Group of 5 programs. One agent told The Athletic that it was the only job he ever advised a client to turn down.
“I think UConn and UMass are on the fence if they should even have football,” said another agent.
The program generates about $9 million in revenue, according to the Boston Herald. The Minutemen moved up from FCS to FBS in 2012 but haven’t had the success UConn has seen in the somewhat recent past, going 20-86 since the move to college football’s highest level. Mark Whipple, who won an FCS national title at UMass in 1998, returned and had the best run of FBS success with eight wins in two seasons in 2017-18, but Walt Bell is 2-20 so far.
Some surveyed pointed to apathy about the program on campus and across the state. Both UMass and UConn are independent, but one Group of 5 head coach cited the Minutemen’s resources, which are “less than what UConn has with the ability to pay coaches.”
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New Mexico State
Points: 47
First-place votes: 4
“I think with UMass, UConn and New Mexico State, you can have anyone coaching there and it won’t matter,” one agent said.
The Aggies, located in Las Cruces, N.M., face issues in recruiting both players and coaches because of location. One Power 5 assistant described it as in the “middle of nowhere.”
“People don’t like living there. It’s really remote,” one agent said. “Guys at (the University of) New Mexico have always complained that there are no good high school football players, and they get the best.” And New Mexico State gets what’s left over.
Akron
Points: 25
First-place votes: 2
Many coaches polled omitted MAC programs because of the competitive balance and cyclical nature within the league. But Akron, with just one winning season since 2005 and a 3-21 record for current coach Tom Arth, was the exception.
The environment, one Power 5 assistant said, “just seems terrible.” But the Zips also have some unique challenges in Ohio.
“A good two-star recruit who may have a scholarship offer to play football at Akron might decide to play football at Mount Union and win a national championship,” a Power 5 administrator said. “You’re not winning any championships at Akron.”
The Zips did play for a MAC title in 2017, Terry Bowden’s second-to-last season, and qualified for a bowl. But they’ve been to just two bowls since 2005, the year of their lone conference title.
Louisiana Monroe
Points: 20
First-place votes: 2
Money is the most pressing issue. The university has the Sun Belt’s smallest enrollment, and the athletic department gets about half its money from the university. The football program has the lowest operating budget in the FBS.
One Power 5 AD said the dwindling resources within a football program can almost make for a “dangerous” situation. (The AD brought up a recent situation at FCS Alcorn State, where the program could not afford a training staff.)
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There’s a lot of talent in Louisiana, but ULM is, according to one Group of 5 head coach, in a city “where coaches don’t want to coach and players don’t want to play.”
Rice
Points: 17
First-place votes: 1
Rice is in Houston, but the lack of recent football success and strict academic requirements and curriculum make life difficult for coaches in recruiting and roster management.
“The admissions standards neutralize the recruiting benefits of Texas. Campus doesn’t need athletics, especially without Power 5 conference affiliation,” one Power 5 administrator said. “The stadium is way too big for the fan base. Small alumni size and the alums only remember SWC days and resent C-USA.”
Rice hasn’t had a winning season since David Bailiff won 25 games in three seasons from 2012-14. The university’s biggest draw has more often been its engineering program and work with NASA.
“You just gotta ask: How important is it?” a Power 5 assistant coach said. “That’s really what it comes down to.”
UTEP
Points: 15
First-place votes: 0
The Miners look headed for a bowl this year, but that’s happened just twice since 2005. El Paso’s remote location lessens the impact of being in Texas, and West Texas has far less talent than the I-35 corridor in the middle of the state or the Houston area in East Texas.
“That one is brutal,” one agent said.
El Paso sits on the border of the United States and Mexico. The remote location and lack of success, which in many ways go hand in hand, were the chief reasons cited for the Miners’ inclusion.
Hawaii
Points: 13
First-place votes: 1
Hawaii’s challenges are mostly geographical, but Aloha Stadium, the program’s home since 1975, has been condemned. This season, the Rainbow Warriors are playing at Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex, a 4,000-seat facility usually used by the soccer team and for football practices. A new, 35,000-seat Aloha Stadium is being built but isn’t expected to be available until 2023.
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“The travel is just the most grueling thing. If you come to the mainland, you have to get all your meetings in (on one trip) and reschedule everything,” one Power 5 athletic director said.
Recruiting is also a challenge. Hawaii has more Division I talent than its population would suggest, but many players seek to leave the island and attend school on the mainland. And “it’s hard to get kids from the mainland” to go to Hawaii, one Group of 5 head coach said.
Other notable Group of 5 vote-getters: Eastern Michigan, FIU, San Jose State, Temple, Middle Tennessee State
On Eastern Michigan: “Everyone who is an EMU fan is a Michigan fan first. They have to schedule around Michigan games. If Michigan plays at noon, they have to play at 7 p.m. And the town is a rough town; people knock them for that. They do not pay very well.” — Agent
On FIU: “It’s not the culture of their school. They draw terribly for games. They do not really have any fan support. Huge commuter school. No support from the community down there. They are able to get guys who come back from other Power 5 schools, but, for example, they recently played FAU and they do not come close in terms of facilities.” – Agent
On Temple: “You’re in the AAC, there’s some history of success, but it’s a hard job and no one comes to the games.” – Agent
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Votes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 115 | |
11 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 97 | |
10 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 94 | |
5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 67 | |
4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 47 | |
3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 38 | |
4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 30 | |
0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 30 | |
3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 29 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 27 | |
2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 26 | |
2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 25 | |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 20 | |
0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 20 | |
1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 18 | |
3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17 | |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 17 | |
0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 15 | |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 13 | |
0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 13 | |
0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | |
0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic)