When college football jobs open up, athletic directors usually start with the same question: who has already shown he can win? That’s why, if Cincinnati or Mississippi State ends up looking for a coach in 2027, two familiar names would jump right to the front of the line.
Brian Kelly at Cincinnati would be a reunion with real weight behind it. Kelly’s ties to the Bearcats run deep.
He took over in 2006 and wasted no time turning the program into a national player. In three seasons, he went 34-6, delivered Cincinnati’s first Big East title in 2008 and guided the Bearcats to their first BCS bowl.
Cincinnati then finished the 2009 regular season undefeated after Kelly left, rolled into the Sugar Bowl and ended up No. 8 in the AP poll.
Kelly’s track record since then only strengthens the case. He won national championships at Grand Valley State, became Notre Dame’s winningest head coach and later took LSU to the SEC Championship Game.
His career record at major programs sits at 200-76. On paper, that’s the kind of résumé Cincinnati would dream about.
The real question is whether Kelly would actually want to go back.
Cincinnati is a different place now than it was when Kelly last coached there. The Bearcats are in the Big 12 and operating with far more resources than they had during his first run.
He would also be walking back into a situation where the administration, recruiting area and expectations are already familiar. That kind of fit gives the idea some real appeal on both sides.
The Mississippi State case for Dan Mullen feels even cleaner.
Mullen spent nine seasons in Starkville and went 69-46, with seven bowl trips to show for it. He took a program that lived in the shadows in the SEC West and made it nationally relevant.
His best year came in 2014, when Mississippi State spent five weeks at No. 1 in the AP poll and finished the regular season 10-2. Along the way, he helped shape Dak Prescott into one of the most important players in school history.
After Mississippi State, Mullen moved on to Florida, later stepped away from coaching, and then resurfaced at UNLV in 2025. He made an immediate impact there, leading the Rebels to a 10-4 record and proving he could still build something after time away from the sideline.
That’s why a return to Starkville would be worth a hard look if Mississippi State needs a new coach. Mullen already knows how to recruit and develop in Mississippi, how to handle the SEC grind and how to build without the kind of resources Alabama or Georgia can lean on. He also knows exactly how high the ceiling can be in Starkville.
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Cincinnatis Rebuild May Depend On One Transfer Guards Uncertain Status
Cincinnatis rebuild under new head coach Jerrod Calhoun has already taken on the look of a roster reset, with Wes Miller gone and several key players also out of the picture. The Bearcats have responded by leaning into the transfer portal, and one of the more intriguing additions is guard MJ Collins Jr., whose background in power conferences gives him a level of polish that should fit what Calhoun wants to build.
What makes Collins especially important is that he already knows Calhouns system, which could help speed up the transition for a team trying to reestablish itself in the Big 12. But for all the promise he brings, his status is still uncertain, and that leaves Cincinnati waiting on a piece that could matter a great deal as it tries to climb back toward NCAA Tournament relevance. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Roster Push Now Hinges On A New Voice Behind Calhoun
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Evans and Calhoun have already been working together on both roster management and recruiting, and the early returns include a commitment from four-star guard Kameron Mercer for Cincinnatis 2027 class. For a program trying to build stability around a new structure, the role behind the scenes matters almost as much as the one on the sideline, and Evans track record will be watched closely as the Bearcats try to keep momentum moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnatis 2026 Schedule Could Define Scott Satterfields Biggest Year Yet
Scott Satterfields 2026 season is already shaping up as the kind that can tilt the direction of his Cincinnati tenure, because the Bearcats are staring at a Big 12 slate that will ask plenty of them from the opener through the finish. The schedule preview paints a team navigating a mix of ranked opponents and tricky conference trips, with each week carrying a little more weight as the league race starts to sort itself out.
The broader picture is what makes it interesting for Cincinnati fans. The forecast leans on roster budgets, past results and the general difficulty of the path ahead, suggesting there is a real line between a season that stabilizes the program and one that leaves more questions than answers. How the Bearcats handle the late stretch, especially with one final road test looming, may end up telling the story of the year. [Read more 🡒]