Every coaching carousel has its wild cards, and 2027 could be the year a few familiar names finally get their first crack at a Power Four head job.
The biggest openings usually go to coaches with long résumés and plenty of institutional baggage. But every cycle also has a second lane: the rising coaches who have built enough momentum to force athletic directors to look past the usual pool. If these five keep climbing in 2026, they could be in that conversation.
Jason Candle is one of the most established head coaches on the list, even if the Power Four phone hasn’t rung yet. He spent a decade at Toledo and put together an 81-44 record with two MAC championships before taking over at UConn in place of Jim Mora, who is now at Colorado State.
That move gives Candle a fresh stage, and what he does with the Huskies in 2026 could matter a lot. If UConn turns into a real bowl contender, programs like Boston College or Syracuse could start looking hard at a coach whose success has already been proven once.
Jay Hill comes at the problem from a different angle. He has head-coaching experience, but only at the FCS level, where he went 68-39 and won four Big Sky championships at Weber State.
Now he’s Michigan’s defensive coordinator, and that assignment gives him a chance to show his value in a much bigger spotlight. Hill has coached defense, offense and special teams, which makes him more versatile than the average coordinator.
If Michigan’s defense is elite in 2026, Hill’s name could move fast.
G.J. Kinne has already started to feel like a Power Four candidate waiting to happen.
The 37-year-old has reached a bowl game in all three of his seasons at Texas State, and before that he went 12-2 in his only season at Incarnate Word. His age, his work with quarterbacks and his offensive style all fit what athletic directors tend to chase.
He also has a built-in edge in the region, with connections across Texas and Oklahoma and a family tie to Baylor through his father.
Sean Lewis is a little different from the rest because the overall record is not as flashy. He is 36-44, but that number leaves out the kind of turnarounds that get attention.
He guided Kent State to its first bowl victory and three straight winning seasons, then moved to San Diego State. After a rough first year with the Aztecs, Lewis got them to 9-4 in 2025, and the defense was the real eye-opener: No. 6 nationally in scoring defense.
That matters even more because Lewis built his reputation on offense. He also has Power Four coordinator experience at Colorado and Syracuse.
If he keeps San Diego State relevant as the Aztecs enter the reshaped Pac-12, he could work his way back into the Power Four picture.
Then there’s Glenn Schumann, who looks like the prize of the group. At 36, he has spent his entire coaching career at Alabama and Georgia, two of the bluest of blue bloods.
He has run Georgia’s defense since 2022 and was a candidate for North Carolina before the Tar Heels hired Bill Belichick. Schumann should get looks in plenty of places, and some in the industry already have him linked to Florida State.
The question is simpler than the rest: does he want to leave one of the best jobs in college football?
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For the Tar Heels, the early pressure is less about one visit and more about the momentum Louisville is trying to build around Pat Kelseys aggressive approach on the trail. Henry is the kind of prospect who can reshape a class, which is why every stop matters and every impression tends to linger. North Carolina will have to stay active if it wants to keep pace in a recruitment that is already shaping up to be crowded and highly competitive. [Read more 🡒]