The dust has finally settled in the SEC’s head coach carousel after Kentucky hired Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein on Monday.
More News: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian Calls Out Notre Dame
And what a carousel it was. Florida hired Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. Auburn named USF’s Alex Golesh as Hugh Freeze’s replacement. Arkansas hired Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.
After weeks of speculation, Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU amid the Rebels’ run to the College Football Playoff. The Rebels promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to become the permanent head coach.
More News: Florida AD Receives Major Backlash Amid Jon Sumrall News
Now SEC programs are dealing with staff turnover with assistant coaches.
One highly respected coach for Texas has become linked to the open North Texas gig.
Per Pete Nakos of On3, Neal Brown, special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian, is the “top name” to know for the North Texas coaching search. Eric Morris is set to take over the head coaching job at Oklahoma State for 2026.
The 11-1 Mean Green will play No. 24 Tulane on Friday night for the American Conference championship. Morris is expected to coach North Texas in the College Football Playoff if it makes the final bracket.
Brown has stiff competition for the North Texas opening. Former Florida head coach Billy Napier has interest in the job.
Brown, 45, went 35-16 during his four seasons at Troy before taking over at West Virginia in 2019. He led the Trojans to three-straight bowl wins and won the Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2017 after winning the conference championship.
He went 37-35 overall and 25-28 in Big 12 play during his six seasons with the Mountaineers. West Virginia made four bowl appearances under Brown.
Brown helped No. 16 Texas upset No. 3 Texas A&M on Saturday to keep the Aggies from making their first SEC Championship Game. The Longhorns have an outside shot of making the CFP despite finishing the regular season at 9-3. Texas defeated three top 10 teams in 2025.
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