By: Joseph Stuckey

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

So far this season 3 Power-4 head coaches have been fired.

Dave Aranda of Baylor, Dave Doeren of NC State, and Mike Locksley of Maryland.

These are actually some decisions that have been brewing for a while, and there are some very interesting options for the various athletic departments to consider.

To start with Baylor, it is in one of the biggest recruiting hotbeds in the state of Texas.

A coach familiar with the region could come in and do very well. Here are a few potential hires:

UTSA’s Jeff Traylor has to be at the top of the list. He is already in the state of Texas and has had a lot of success. Currently, the Roadrunners are 7-1 and in first place in the American Conference.

Next is Florida Atlantic’s Zach Kittley, who has had decent success during his time in Boca Rotan. He is best known for being an offensive coach at Texas Tech, which produced some explosive offenses during his time there. He worked closely with Super Bowl QB Patrick Mahomes.

Finally, there is Georgia Southern’s Clay Helton, who has been trying to find his way back to the P4 level. Helton has had decent success at GSU, leading them to a bowl game every year he has been in Statesboro. The former Houston QB also spent time coaching at Houston, so he is well established in Texas.

Next is North Carolina State, which is in the “Research Triangle” along with Duke and UNC. North Carolina isn’t exactly a recruiting hotbed, but it is close enough to Georgia and the DMV to pull in decent recruiting classes.

First is Jamey Chadwell, who has had success at Liberty and Coastal Carolina. He has been in the area for a long time and would be able to find success on the recruiting trail early.

The only question is whether a P4 job would be enough to pull him away from the deep pockets of Liberty.

Next is Memphis’ Charles Huff, who seems to be destined to land a P4 job this cycle. He has had success and will most likely be the biggest hire over the next few months.

My only thought is that he may be waiting for a bigger job to open, like South Carolina or Clemson.

Finally, former Wolfpack QB Phillip Rivers is being mentioned a lot for the job. His son Gunner is a 4-star QB committed to NC State in the 2027 class

Maryland, which is in the DMV, thus a decent recruiter should be able to use those resources to make the Terps competitive in the Big 10.

First is Jeff Monken, who has had a lot of success at nearby Army. Maryland is searching for an identity, and Monken could bring a tough & disciplined identity to the Terps.

Next is Mike Jacobs with Toledo. He has had success at Mercer before coming to Toledo, where they are 6-2. He has experience recruiting from the Midwest all the way down to the South.

Finally, there is Billy Napier, who is back in the Sun Belt with James Madison University. After being fired from Florida, he has the Dukes in first place in the Sun Belt East with a 7-1 record. Being in Virginia, he should have a recruiting edge in nearby Maryland.

College football will certainly change a lot over the next few months, and it will be interesting to sit back and watch.