Jason Candle, UConn Huskies: Candle went 81-44 in a decade at Toledo, including two MAC titles, but surprisingly couldn't springboard from there to the Power 4. Will a somewhat surprising move to UConn get him over the hump? Predecessor Jim Mora worked wonders at UConn, an FBS independent that has made strong investments in its program. Candle, 46, has overseen productive offenses and also shown great balance as a coach, as Toledo finished fourth nationally in scoring defense last season. Immediate success at UConn could put him in the mix for jobs at
Boston College and
Syracuse the next time they open.
Charles Huff, Memphis Tigers: Could Huff land four FBS jobs in four years? Don't rule it out if he wins big at Memphis this fall, which opened Saturday with a massive
win at UNLV. Huff guided Marshall to a Sun Belt title in 2024, then left for Southern Miss, which improved by six wins in his only season there. The 43-year-old takes over a Memphis program that has vaulted its past three coaches to Power 4 jobs. Huff spent time in the SEC (including with Nick Saban at
Alabama), Big Ten and NFL as an assistant. The Denton, Maryland, native would be a top candidate if
Maryland has a vacancy this year.